Favourite 2013 travel photos: Pittsburgh PA, USA. February 2013
Cathedral of Learning
Pittsburgh
Hockey night in Pittsburgh
I normally try to extend my business trips by a day on one side or the other to do a bit of exploring or to take in a unique event. When the (very delayed) NHL schedule was released, I realized an extra night in Pittsburgh would give me a chance to see a Penguins game. When tickets went on sale, I snagged a customary nosebleed seat for the Penguins – Senators game.
Having perfected the art of “sneaking down” into the good seats, I gave the slip to an usher and made my way down to the lower level to take in some of the warm-up. Here’s my view a few minutes after getting inside the rink:
Sights from wandering in Pittsburgh
Having spent some time in Pittsburgh before, I had already visited a number of the must see tourist sites. That afforded the opportunity on this trip to spend some free time just wandering around. The unseasonably mild weather (reaching 14C on my first day there, who thought traveling from Halifax to Pittsburgh would let me warm up?) made for a couple of great walks.
Here are some of my favourite sights from a stroll along the Monongahela river on my first day in town and an afternoon walk around the Oakland neighbourhood once I had finished the business part of my trip.
Pittsburgh’s best sandwich
Most cities have developed some form of sandwich for which they are known. I think I’ve had a great signature sandwich everywhere I’ve been. Smoked meat in Montreal, a muffaletta in New Orleans, the cheesesteak in Philly. Getting back to Pittsburgh last week gave me a chance to reunite with a steel city favourite of mine – the Primanti Brothers sandwich. I couldn’t imagine a trip to Pittsburgh without stopping for at least one of these.
What makes it so special? I think the sign says it best:
My reception in Pittsburgh? Immaculate.
I really like Pittsburgh. It’s my kind of town. I’m just back from my third stay in the city over the past few years, and there’s a consistent feeling from each of the trips. Pittsburgh is a friendly city. Really, really friendly. Certainly you know you’re in the USA when you’re there, but it’s the kind of city that wouldn’t feel out of place if you dropped it up here in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick.
I’ll be writing about some of the things I squeezed into what was primarily a business trip. Until then, here’s one of my favourite things about the culture of Pittsburgh. When you arrive by air, you pass by this statue on your way out of the airport. It’s not of a founder or of a patron. It’s of something so much more important to the people of Pittsburgh. I can only imagine that Franco hasn’t had to buy a drink for himself in the city since 1972.
Bluenose Traveler 