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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 21, 2023 17:51:34 GMT
So glad to be on this board again - not sure if you remember me - and if not, I'm not surprised since it's been a few years. But I thought I'd come back and say hi - and contribute in the form of a quick report on a weekend trip to Pittsburgh. I lived in the US until recently and travelled a lot around the country. The reason I chose Pittsburgh is that not a single person I know has been to the city as a tourist. It is, simply put, not a popular destination. But I think the city has a lot to offer, and here is a glimpse of that. Like many of my quick weekend trips, I landed early on Saturday morning and headed straight to the Duquesne Incline. Pittsburgh is a very hilly city - certainly among the hilliest major US cities in the eastern half of the country - and this incline runs down a sheer slope, offering a quick commute to locals and a unique experience to tourists. Here is looking down the incline once at the top. One of the several reasons Pittsburgh is a pretty unique place is that is lies on the confluence of three rivers, forming a neat triangle where downtown lies. Nice views from the top of the hill. The hillsides host much greenery, adding to the views. As well as some interesting neighbourhoods which merit some poking around. Narrow paths wind down the hillsides, providing pedestrians with shortcuts. As a major industrial city in its heyday, the city attracted immigrants from across Europe, who established distinct cultural pockets across the city. They left various architectural delights, such as this massive, now rather rough-looking and abandoned, catholic school.
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Post by Kimby on Jan 21, 2023 17:57:05 GMT
Welcome back!
Were you a teenager last time you were on any port? Perhaps with a slightly different spelling to your screen name?
I think Pittsburg is an underrated city with an industrial past and an ongoing cultural renaissance, sorta like Milwaukee. Keeps it real, and maybe more affordable than cities that are on trend.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 21, 2023 18:02:23 GMT
Great to see you again Ansh, and you certainly surprised us with Pittsburgh! You are certainly right that nobody seems to go there as a tourist. I had a friend from there (who died in Paris), but I remember that when her mother came once to visit, she mentioned a view of the city coming in over one of the bridges as "the most beautiful thing" she had ever seen -- and she was saying this in Paris! It's nice when people stick up for their hometown.
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 21, 2023 18:02:40 GMT
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 21, 2023 18:04:10 GMT
Thanks Kimby and Kerouac, great to see you both.
Yeah I was 16 when I was active here last - which was 10 years ago! Wow time flies.
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 21, 2023 18:17:33 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jan 21, 2023 18:32:00 GMT
Hi Ansh, nice to see you again. Where are you living now?
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Post by htmb on Jan 21, 2023 18:34:15 GMT
Nice to see you again, Ansh, and thanks for the report on Pittsburgh. I’ve never been there and hadn’t realized it was so hilly. Very interesting photos!
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 21, 2023 18:39:03 GMT
Nice to see you bjd and htmb! I live in Tallinn now
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Post by lugg on Jan 21, 2023 19:12:49 GMT
Hi Ansh - I remember you too and your wonderful reports; good to see you posting again. This latest is great and full of surprises for me as I know nothing about Pittsburgh at all , thank you.
Gosh 10 years - how did that happen ?
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Post by fumobici on Jan 21, 2023 19:55:10 GMT
I remember you! I've only been to Pittsburg once quite a while ago. I was charmed and really enjoyed wandering around, and it looks like you did as well.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 21, 2023 22:39:20 GMT
Ansh, I am honestly ecstatic to see you here again! You are remembered fondly by all, not only because of being such a pleasant and intelligent person, but also for the quality of your reports. I always said that if a person went somewhere with no guidebook, an Ansh thread on a place would serve perfectly.
Pittsburgh as a subject is a surprise, and a very nice one at that. My (unfair) image of it was always that of a featureless American industrial city, but it seems to have a great deal of charm. All of those shots of the older city streets make me wonder if many movies are made there, as they seem so quintessentially US from an earlier era.
But the river aspects, the modern buildings, and the spruced-up merging of old & new are dazzling & show that it would be a great place to visit. I have to say I love the twin "invisible buildings" with the turrets and the botanical garden(?) crystal palace. Your shot of that wonderful neogothic building with the waterfall in front & framed by greenery is killer.
Thanks so much and welcome back!!!
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Post by casimira on Jan 22, 2023 13:26:02 GMT
Echoing what everyone else has said: Welcome Back!!
I was in Pittsburgh only once in 1976 on a cross country bus trip during the US Bicentennial. (76 days for $76.00USD)
I had a college friend who lived there and spent 2 days there. I too, was surprised and delighted at the charm of many of the neighborhoods. I also remember that there were many SE European enclaves and I enjoyed some wonderful Polish food while I was there.
Thank you for the delightful, interesting and most unexpected report!
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 22, 2023 14:29:51 GMT
The only time I ever went through Pittsburgh was when I was moving from Los Angeles to France with a ton of baggage -- so I was on a Greyhound bus for three days going to New York. It it must have been the 3rd day before dawn, because I remember that we stopped for refueling around 2 am in Wheeling, West Virginia. Everybody has to get off the bus for that of course -- talk about a cafeteria full of zombies! I don't think Pittsburgh was even in major post industrial decline yet, so I can't even fully appreciate how it appears to have bounced back.
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Post by anshjain97 on Jan 22, 2023 16:07:31 GMT
Thank you all for the messages! And yup Bixa - that's a botanical garden. Didn't go inside, though heard it's pretty nice to visit. A few more random pics taken by strolling around. An 18th century fort, Fort Pitt, once occupied the tri-point formed by the intersection of the rivers.
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Post by kerouac2 on Jan 22, 2023 16:20:25 GMT
The second photo there definitely looks like "old time" America.
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