Rediscovering Pittsburgh

STIRRING SKYLINE | Steel city shakes off its gritty past, embraces stunning vistas

Driving up McArdle Roadway to Mount Washington, I remembered the first time asphalt gave way to a vista that made me gasp: Pittsburgh's three rivers, crisscrossed by suspension bridges, and the Golden Triangle of downtown, dominated by the gleaming fairy-tale towers of Philip Johnson's PPG Place.

I found an apartment facing the historic Monongahela Incline, which descends to Station Square. On stressful days, the beauty of the city stirred and restored me. At dusk, I would jog along Grandview Avenue, admiring the shimmering panorama below.

Now, after a six-year absence, I was back, snapping photos of the skyline, just like any other Pittsburgh tourist.

I felt like a tourist even when I lived here, nearly two decades ago. For me and my friends, many also recent arrivals, exploring the city's diverse neighborhoods was a slowly unfurling adventure. With its steel mills and other factories closing and its population in steep decline, Pittsburgh was trying to move from a gritty blue-collar past to a postindustrial future. But even if its economic transition was lagging, the city's charming provincialism, its little-city-that-could spirit, remained intact. Since then, the Burgh -- as natives call it -- has continued to evolve, spinning off new cultural attractions and gradually reclaiming its waterfront.

Returning to Pittsburgh always stirred up nostalgia and grief for me, like having lunch with an ex-lover. Many friends had scattered, and I found myself getting lost on roads I once knew. But when I arrived this time, I drove directly to the Strip District without a wrong turn, marveling at the sight of baseball fans filling PNC Park, as well as the behemoth glass-and-steel David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

The Strip District, the city's food distribution center, has become a venue for chic clubs and restaurants, including Eleven Contemporary Kitchen, where I savored halibut with morels and pesto as well as a strawberry tart. Next door is the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, whose excellent exhibition, "Points in Time: Building a Life in Western Pennsylvania, 1750-today," features a 1790 log cabin, a 1910 steelworker's house and a self-guided tour highlighting African-American history. (In 2008, the August Wilson Center for African American Culture will open downtown.)

The adjoining Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum has a more retro feel, with a mix of social history, family-oriented interactive exhibits, and artifacts. The highlight for me was a revelatory film on the Negro baseball leagues and the region's two legendary teams: the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays. Along with the iconic Satchel Paige, whose pitcher's glove is on display nearby, the film showcased preternaturally gifted players I had never heard of, from fleet-footed "Cool Papa" Bell to slugger Josh Gibson. The documentary suggested that Negro baseball was an early volley in the civil rights movement, even if that movement inevitably led to its demise.

Some of my happiest evenings in Pittsburgh were once spent at Three Rivers Stadium cheering the Pirates before adjourning to a North Side pub for drinks and banter. I was curious to see the two ballparks that in 2001 replaced the demolished stadium on the rechristened North Shore.

Heinz Field, where the Steelers and University of Pittsburgh Panthers play, has a Kentucky bluegrass-and-polypropylene surface and about 65,000 bright-yellow and steel-gray seats. Alongside the scoreboard are two giant Heinz Ketchup bottles. When the home team penetrates the "red zone," the caps open, the bottles tilt and the scoreboard explodes with red lights and graphics.

My tour guide noted that the best club seats for Steelers season-ticket holders go for $2,060, while a suite, leased for several years, can cost a million or more. What about a single ordinary ticket? He shot me a pitying glance. "There's no walk-up sales for Steelers games. They're 100 percent sold out," he said. "They've sold every game for about 30 years now."

North Shore Riverfront Park connects Heinz Field and PNC Park, a beautiful golden brick, deco-style ballpark with views of the downtown skyline and intimate sightlines. The club lounges, including a cigar-and-martini bar, evoke the 1920s and '30s, and Highmark Legacy Square pays tribute to the area's great Negro League players.

The once-desolate neighborhood around the park has been transformed with a SpringHill Suites hotel, bars, restaurants and the popular Andy Warhol Museum. The "Three Sisters" bridges, dating from the 1920s, have been renamed the Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol and Rachel Carson bridges. When the Pirates play, the Clemente Bridge closes to auto traffic, and ticketholders stream across from downtown.

From my home office, I used to admire the onion-domed churches of the South Side, built by Eastern European immigrants. In the 1980s, when the steel mills closed, the South Side became a neighborhood of the unemployed, while East Carson Street's Victorian storefronts began spawning the city's most exciting restaurants. East Carson is now served by a free shuttle from Station Square, the touristy mall fashioned from the remains of the old railroad station. Residential gentrification on the South Side has finally taken off.

Driving east on Carson Street, I looked for SouthSide Works at the site of two old mills and was jolted by an example of the new urbanism: a massive mixed-used development with deliberately eclectic architecture that resembles a 21st century small town. Its focal point is a square with cheery gardens and a fountain, where yoga classes are held and rock bands play.

I drove next to the East End and visited the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Schenley Park, constructed in 1893. I photographed the lush butterfly gardens, rare orchids and cacti. In December, the conservatory unveiled a Tropical Forest Conservatory with waterfalls and a canopy walk.

The Carnegie Museum of Art in Oakland is another charmed, otherworldly spot, usually devoid of crowds. In May 2008, it will open the next Carnegie International -- a triennial show spotlighting the best in contemporary art. The adjoining Carnegie Museum of Natural History is also preparing for a major event: the November debut of its ambitiously reimagined dinosaur halls, showcasing the remounted creatures.

Before I left, I attended a dinner party in Mount Lebanon, a suburban middle-class neighborhood south of the city where a handful of my friends still live.

It was a warm night, and after dinner we retired to the porch. Only the murmur of conversation and cicadas broke the quiet. The two husbands lit cigars. A scene from the 1950s, from our parents' lives, it evoked the melancholy of middle age -- and helped me understand why Pittsburgh always made me both happy and sad. The heartbreaking beauty of the city's landscape always conjured not just another place, but another time. It reminded me of the unsalvageable joy of youth.

Julia M. Klein, a cultural reporter and critic in Philadelphia, was a Pittsburgh-based reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1988-91.

For tourist information: (800) 359-0758 or (412) 281-7711, visit www.visitpittsburgh.com PLACES TO STAY

Doubletree Hotel Pittsburgh-City Center: A newly refurbished, decently priced downtown hotel with superior service and amenities, including a free business center and wireless access, use of the Downtown Athletic Club facilities, and fine dining at the Bigelow Grille. 1 Bigelow Square, (412) 281-5800, doubletree.hilton.com/en/dt/hotels/index. jhtml?ctyhocn=PITDTDT

Courtyard by Marriott Shadyside: A new hotel convenient to East End attractions with bright, cheerful rooms and a small indoor pool. The only drawback: a steep $19.50 valet parking charge -- and no self-parking. 5308 Liberty Ave., (412) 686-3113, marriott.com/property/ propertypage/PITOK

PLACES TO EAT

Eleven Contemporary Kitchen: Elegant food and decor at the portal of the Strip District. 1150 Smallman St., (412) 201-5656, www.bigburri to.com/eleven

Cafe Zao: Portuguese-inspired cuisine, sophisticated wines and late-night dining in the Cultural District. Theater Square, 649 Penn Ave., (412) 325-7007

Ibiza Tapas & Wine Bar: Dine indoors or outdoors on tapas from Spain, Portugal and Latin America at this popular South Side spot. 2224 E. Carson St., (412) 325-2227, www.ibizatapasrestaurant.com

Cafe Du Jour: Casual bistro-style dining on the South Side, with garden seating in the summertime. 1107 E. Carson St., (412) 488-9695

Atria's Restaurant & Tavern: Try the excellent crab bisque and burgers at this convenient PNC Park hangout. 103 Federal St., (412) 322-1850, www.atrias.com

Abay Ethiopian Cuisine: Pittsburgh's first Ethiopian restaurant is a spicy oasis in East Liberty's struggling shopping strip. 130 S. Highland Ave., (412) 661-9736, www.abayrestaurant.com

Julia M. Klein