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By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY
PITTSBURGH — After undergoing three
renaissances, placing in the top ranks of "most livable cities" and
hosting one of the nation's largest concentrations of eco-friendly
buildings, this river town still can't seem to shake its bum rap.
Witness the reaction of first-time visitor Beth Whitman, 42, of Seattle, who is taking in an initial view of downtown from the back of an airport cab en route to a conference. She peers through the window at a dense cluster of classic and contemporary high-rises cradled in a lush river valley. Broad waterways hug the sharp angles of the city's urban heart, known as the Golden Triangle. "Pittsburgh's pretty," she announces. "Too bad it has such a bad image."
PHOTO GALLERY: Scenes from the Steel City
Comments like that tend to induce long-suffering sighs from many residents. As it approaches its 250th birthday later this year, Pittsburgh is used to being maligned and misunderstood. In the 1860s, one writer memorably proclaimed it "hell with a lid off." When asked in the 1940s how to improve Pittsburgh, Frank Lloyd Wright quipped, "Abandon it." And in 1985 when Rand McNally named it tops on its "most livable cities" list, an incredulous Washington Post scoffed, "Pittsburgh? No. 1? Gimme a Break!" FIND MORE STORIES IN: Seattle | Washington Post | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wilson | Heinz Field | PNC Park | Ohio River | North Shore | Roberto Clemente | Frank Lloyd Wright | Break | Mount Washington | Andrew Carnegie | Allegheny | Monongahela | Golden Triangle | Iron City | Marvin Hamlisch | Rand McNally | Carnegie Museum of Art | Annie Dillard | David L. Lawrence Convention Center | Fort Pitt | John Heinz | Dinosaur Hall
Now some civic boosters jokingly suggest "Just Get Over It" would be an apt tourism slogan. This city of 311,000 is often overlooked and underrated as a travel destination but it has more in the way of diversions than many cities twice its size. Thanks, in part, to the largess of long-dead steel barons, it boasts stand-out architecture and a superior cultural infrastructure. Its natural assets — three rivers flowing through town, a profusion of parks and eye-popping city views from the precipice of Mount Washington — add to the allure. And, not least, its multicultural neighborhoods offer rich, one-of-a-kind flavor. A work in progress Its gleaming glass cathedral and downtown centerpiece, the Philip Johnson-designed PPG Place, notwithstanding, Pittsburgh isn't a flashy place. (The closest thing to a star-sighting on a recent weekend is composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch pushing someone in a wheelchair down Penn Avenue.) Its residents — an inordinate number of whom seem to be from here, even after its emergence as a medical and technical center — tend toward both civic self-deprecation and fierce defensiveness. And despite those multiple renaissances, downtown redevelopment remains a work in progress. Still, Pittsburgh continues to re-invent itself. And nowhere are improvements more visible than on its waterfronts — the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which meet at the tip of downtown to form the Ohio River. "In 2001 when I moved here, there was nothing to do on this river," says river guide Christine Tracy, as she paddles up the Allegheny toward the Andy Warhol Bridge. Now, her group, the non-profit Venture Outdoors, rents kayaks and fishing gear and sponsors events such as after-work "Happy Hour Paddles." Its banks now boast 6 miles of bike trails, and the number of fish species populating its waters has gone from three in the 1970s to more than 40 today. There's new vitality on the shore, as well. The 7-year-old Heinz Field, home of the beloved Pittsburgh Steelers, and just upriver, the classic baseball stadium, PNC Park, rise on the Allegheny's North Shore, with sports bars, restaurants and clubs nearby. On the opposite shore, the 5-year-old David L. Lawrence Convention Center is the first and largest "green-certified" building of its kind. Prose by Annie Dillard, August Wilson and others scrolls ticker-tape style over a soaring exterior arc in an endless tribute to writers who have made Pittsburgh their focus. It's just one example of how Pittsburgh honors its own. Baseball great Roberto Clemente has a namesake bridge — one of 446 in a city that claims the world's largest number of bridges. The late senator and ketchup heir, John Heinz, has a history center bearing his name. It's in a former ice factory and entertainingly traces the city's origins around the 1758 Fort Pitt, to its 19th-century prosperity as the Iron City, to the shuttering of the last steel mills in the 1980s in what it proclaims, "America's most promising post-industrial experiment." Pittsburgh-born pop-art icon Andy Warhol got a civic salute in 1994 with the opening of a museum featuring 12,000 of his works. Street names celebrate everyone from former mayors to a prominent real estate agent. Carnegie's legacy But foremost among local benefactors was Andrew Carnegie, whose philanthropy helped shape the city's cultural traditions. The Carnegie Museum of History just completed a $36 million revamp featuring an expanded Dinosaur Hall. It boasts the nation's third-largest collection of authentic prehistoric creatures. In the adjoining Carnegie Museum of Art, the 55th Carnegie International, instituted in 1896 by the steel baron in a quest to discover the "Old Masters of tomorrow," continues until January. The contemporary works in the show, dubbed "Life on Mars," are meant to question humans' role in the universe. To outsiders, Pittsburgh's sports-crazed reputation may overshadow its cultural leanings. But the city has long supported a symphony, an opera and a ballet company. Its compact downtown Cultural District has five theaters and has in recent years been spruced up. Local historian Woody Cunningham is standing in the heart of the neighborhood in tiny Agnes Katz Plaza relating tidbits from the bad old days. "How dirty was Pittsburgh? They built an oil refinery downtown and no one complained. That's how dirty," he declares. "Now, where there used to be dirty bookstores are violin repair shops and day-care centers." Despite several new lodgings and restaurants and its busy convention business, Pittsburgh's downtown isn't a hotbed of activity after the office workers depart for the day. Gradually, however, more residents are moving in as historic buildings are converted to condominiums. Distinctive districts The city's true delights are in its neighborhoods — 89 distinct ones at last count. Some are undergoing economic transformation but are defying the sort of gentrification that strips them of their quirky individuality. Among those not to miss: •The Strip District, a former wholesale-produce warehouse area, is a lively retail center where the lone Starbucks couldn't survive, neighborhood leaders gleefully report. Locals prefer to sip at spots such as La Prima Espresso, where the old men at the outdoor tables chatter away in Italian. Go on Saturday morning when the sidewalks are crammed with vendors selling everything from homemade pirogi to diabetic socks. The scene is messy and a little gritty, and there's nothing remotely precious about it. At shops such as Pennsylvania Macaroni, which carries 60 brands of olive oil and hundreds of cheeses, a fourth generation carries on the family trade. There are homemade sausages at the Polish place and handmade tortillas at the Mexican place and more froufrou fare at newcomers such as Mon Aimee, selling designer chocolate from some 30 countries. •Lawrenceville's 16:62 Design Zone has emerged in a 2.5-mile working-class neighborhood stretching from 34th to 62nd streets above the Strip. Inexpensive housing has drawn creative types for the past decade or so, and the area now supports 70 businesses, including art galleries and designer clothing stores, alongside beer-and-a-shot bars and Arsenal Bowling Lanes featuring Friday night karaoke. •The South Side, a working-class neighborhood of hillside houses and onion-domed churches, is scenic by day and wild by night. Carson Street fosters blocks of end-to-end bars, restaurants and clubs. At the eastern end of the strip is the SouthSide Works, a shining tribute to the new urbanism on the site of a defunct steel mill. Blame it on work ethic Ask a Pittsburgher why it's so difficult to clear the smoky-city image and you'll hear all kinds of theories: The steel industry was so successful, its stamp is indelible. Television newscasts show outdated B-roll of molten steel being poured at defunct factories. It's a conspiracy perpetrated by Seattle and other cities ruffled when they didn't get the best-city ranking. But more often than not, Pittsburghers blame themselves. "We have an inferiority complex," says Enrico Lagattuta, owner of The Enrico Biscotti Co. "We are a bunch of knuckleheaded second- and third-generation children of immigrants, and we have this tremendous work ethic that says: 'Don't talk about yourself.' " Maybe they don't need to. Like Whitman, many first-time visitors express pleasant surprise. Which sparks another civic slogan suggestion: "Pittsburgh: Who Knew?" HOT SPOTS: What Pittsburgh sites do you recommend? Tell us below.
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Comments: (50) Showing: 
pensfansince1971 wrote:
11h 43m ago
The
Pittsburgh sites I would recommend would to stay at the Sheraton next
ot Station Square. In the afternoon take the incline up to Mt.
Washington, take a look at the city at the lookouts have dinner at one
of the restraunts overlooking the city. After dinner and after dark go
back to the overlook to see the city lights at night. Next day if the
Pirates are home go to PNC Park to see a Pirate game. If the Pirates
are not at home go to the Carnegie Science Center or the Carnegie
Museum of History and the Carnegie Museum of Art. If you like a
Conservatory Phipps Conservatory and Botanical is right up the street
from the Museum of History. Then there's always the Cultural District
with five theaters that almost always has one or more interresting
productions. than if you have time there"s the Srip District.. Than if
you like zoos we have a really nice one. I hope my recommendations will
help someone have a good time in Pittsburgh
snarling wrote:
23h 1m ago
My favorite places are Dusquesne and
Wilkinsburgh Pa. Great suburbs of Pittsburgh!
ronjoninpgh wrote:
1d 22h ago
There
really are too many sites to see in Pittsburgh to mention! The North
Shore when there are Steelers, Pitt Panthers or Pirates games can be a
lot of fun. Atria's Restaurant is a great place to stop before or after
a game to grab a bite to eat. Schenley Park, with its view of downtown
from Flagstaff Hill is great any time of the year. Even though it is
now a Macy's, the former Kaufman's Department Store downtown still
unviels it's Christmas window displays on Light Up Night, and you can't
miss the skating rink at PPG place in the winter! Oakland, where the
University of Pittsburgh is located, has great restaurants, the
Carnegie Museums and, best of all, the Cathedral of Learning, a site
not to be missed if you are visiting here. Although I have lived in
Central PA and Los Angeles, CA, I wouldn't trade living here to move
anywhere else! Come on and visit us! You'll be glad you did!
pkgoode wrote:
1d 22h ago
I
like the piece of the center field wall from old Forbes Field, still
intact and in its original location, which is now a traffic island near
Carnegie-Mellon. You can also trace an outline of the old left field
fence down a nearby sidewalk and find the exact spot where Bill
Mazeroski cleared the fence with the HR that won the 1960 World Series.
From there, go into the building that houses home plate on the first
floor in its original position.
BTW, Dennis from Coronado is right about PNC Park, and this is coming from someone who gets to go to Safeco Field in Seattle. PNC is really special.
dulock wrote:
2d 10h ago
I'm
glad to see all the nice comments about the 'Burgh. I live in Cleveland
now (which has merits of its own), but you won't find too many cities
more beautiful than Pittsburgh -- or friendly. The natural (and
beautiful) geography are what create lack of easy-to-navigate streets,
but it's what makes Pittsburgh itself. And for those of you who may
want to fly into the Burgh, I think it's the best airport in America.
You'll be surprised at how nice it is...and you get the beautiful drive
through the Fort Pitt tunnel into the city. I guarantee you'll be
pleasantly surprised by how much there is to see and do. Try Lemongrass
in the Theatre district. Great Thai food.
BrieflyStated wrote:
2d 11h ago
Fifty-five
years ago we used to visit our cousins who lived along highway 28 and
the Allegheny River. Big trucks would back up and dump red glowing,
dirty slag into the river. Yes, we lived and died with the Pirates and
scoffed at the Steelers. Nothing worked there except the corruption of
city government. Then David Lawerence, mayor then governor, got things
moving to clean up the city. I rasised my right hand at the old Post
Office Building in 1962 and never looked back. Last week I spent a few
days there visiting family. It was clean, neighborhoods were rebuilding
and there was a swagger in everyone's walk...from the Strip to the
Highland Park Zoo. And there is nothing quite so breath taking as
emerging from the Fort Pitt tunnel at night to see a gleaming city.
Perhaps the view is better from Mr. Washington when both stadia are
lighted, but it is stunning. The airport is even user friendly. I would
go there again in a NY minute.
midway wrote:
2d 15h ago
I
love living in the 'Burgh! Where do you start? lower crime rates, cost
of living is nominal, rolling green hills, great place to raise a
family, great culture, three pro sports teams, you dont have the
constant traffic headaches like other cities, it goes on and on.
Pittsburgh is a great place to live but if I didnt live here I probably
wouldn't visit here, I would go to NY or Philly instead
dklee wrote:
2d 16h ago
i
lived in pittsburg when i was 5-8 and i really loved the city. now some
30 years later, i yearn to go back. I hear so many good things from
people who went to school there. Pittsburg is just not on the list of
cities people go and visit. Usually it is NYC, boston, Miami,
Vegas....but one of these days, i will make that trip back home and see
what changed.
RGT wrote:
2d 16h ago
I'm
a 'burgh expatriat who still has family there and visits once or twice
a year. I'd tell you some fantastic places for tourists and new
tranplants to visit... but I don't WANT outsiders to know! I like
Pittsburgh's secrets! I like it regional and quirky and I like it
cheap! Pittsburgh -- resist the gentrification and strip-mallization
plaguing other cities! Keep your identity!
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