Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The steel city, and one of the few major cities in the nation I had never visited. Similar to my trip to the Carolinas, I had a Delta Companion Certificate that was expiring soon. It could only be used for the contiguous 48 states, so I chose Pittsburgh after hearing it is an under-the-radar destination for tourists.
My first stop was Mount Washington, as it had the best views of the city center. I was stunned at the beauty of the confluence of the three rivers and various bridges. I now understand why the former baseball/football stadium was named Three Rivers Stadium.
There is a branch of the Carnegie Library at Mount Washington as well. Andrew Carnegie is the name most associated with Pittsburgh, as he left his wealth for many institutions, in particular Carnegie Mellon University. If only billionaires of current times thought about their legacies and the public good instead of their selfish whims and desires.
The neighborhood is pretty interesting itself, with steeply sloped streets.
Since I arrived on a Thursday, the Carnegie Museums of Art and History were both free of charge. They are utterly remarkable in scope. I found this this slide particularly interesting.
After spending several hours at the museums, it was time for dinner. Primanti Bros. is probably the most famous local chain, so I headed there. It is known for having french fries in its sandwiches. I haven’t seen this anywhere else (and probably won’t), but it was an interesting contraption. I had pastrami, but in retrospect should have ordered fish. Deli meat isn’t my thing.
The next day would bring one of the most famous destinations in the country (for architecture buffs anyway): Fallingwater.