After the day we spent in the Ohio countryside among the Amish community, today we were headed to the bustling city of Pittsburgh, well-known for its heritage in steel and industry. What a huge difference from one day to another. It took us about an hour to get to Pittsburgh, crossing the border from Ohio to Pennsylvania (state #37)!
Driving through Pittsburgh reminded us of a number of cities: it's steep hills were like parts of San Francisco, its historical industrial buildings were similar to Detroit. It's also apparently nicknamed the "The City of Bridges" as there are a ton of them that zigzag across the city. Our first stop technically in the city was Trader Joe's, our favorite grocery store, which now is even better because it is selling all its seasonal fall items--best time of the year! Lisette was in awe of all the pumpkin flavored items (and maple, and apple, and cinnamon, and whatever else) when we first arrived in the US, and is still in love with it all years later. So she's definitely making the most of it this year, as who knows if she'll be able to access pumpkin-ginger flavored ice cream, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin brioche, and whatever else was on the shopping list?
The Steepest Street in the Country?
Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh is famous for having the steepest residential street in the continental United States, with a 37% grade and cobblestone paving. But having lived in San Francisco for years and battling hills in a couple of places where we'd lived, Lisette was skeptical--it was only steep for a little bit, but didn't seem to be as steep as some streets over there. Apparently Bradford Street in San Francisco has a 41% grade, so maybe Pittsburgh is claiming its title for a "residential" street? Who knows...
While the street is steep, there's not really a view of the city from here (lots of houses and trees are obstructing the view), but we saw fantastic vistas of Pittsburgh from the West End Overlook, not too far away. We had been considering heading here during sunset but fortunately we went at this time, as there were a lot of folks setting up for a wedding that would be held later in the day, and we would likely not be permitted in. There's a lovely little park, and sweeping views of the city along the Ohio River, with its many bridges, stadium, and mix of historical and more modern buildings.
There are two iconic funiculars in Pittsburgh that go up the Mononghela Incline and the Duquesne Incline respectively. We figured that we'd go up one of them, but when we went to pay for parking at one of them, we saw that cars cost $8, while RVs and buses cost a whopping $50 at minimum! We couldn't bring ourselves to pay that much, so we simply took a couple of photos of the funicular going up the steep incline as the sun beamed on it (and us--it was still one of those days where the sun feels like it is toasting you!).
Nuclear Energy and Wooden Streets
An interesting relic lies abandoned in a fenced-off area in Pittsburgh, of the Westinghouse Atom Smasher, which was the world's first Van de Graaf generator created by Westinghouse Research Labs in 1937 as an early experiment with atomic energy. The 5-story, pear-shaped structure was instrumental in the development in practical applications of nuclear science for energy production, and now lies forlornly on the ground, having been knocked off its base.
Another unique piece of history is Roslyn Place, the last wooden paved street in Pennsylvania, and one of the last ones in the country. The world’s first wooden streets can be dated back to 14th-century Russia, although this street surface is much newer, created in 1914. It's a short cul-de-sac residential street that required 26,000 oak blocks to pave. We definitely didn't drive our RV over this (we would've ruined the pavers with our heavy vehicle!), and while some of the road is now updated with what looks like pavers made from other materials, it's a neat slice of history that will hopefully be maintained and retained.
Tragedy and Pub in a Church
Arsenal Park is a public park in Pittsburgh that's a peaceful area to hang out (there were lots of families and couples when we were there). But it was also the site of the largest civilian disaster during the US Civil War, with 3 large explosions occurring in 1862, killing 78 workers. It seems like the cause isn't clear, but the explosions occurred where many people worked at the arsenal to manufacture ammunition to supply troops. Today, there's a plaque with details, but most people wouldn't necessarily know about it as its on the perimeter of the park, away from the tennis courts, basketball courts and other areas where people are more apt to relax.
In the afternoon, not far from a huge mural of Magneto from the X-Men comics, we walked to The Church Brew Works nearby, a brewery and restaurant that is in a former church. From the outside there's nothing but a sign to denote the name of the business, but the doors were closed and we weren't sure whether it was open! But we pushed the doors in and were immediately greeted with the architecture and interior of the church, which has remained pretty much intact. The church still has its stained glass windows showing religious iconography, and at the altar, there's big brewing tanks! The pews have now been removed to create wooden seating that matches the interior, and there are also higher seats and tables, as well as the bar on one side of the church.
There were already a lot of people taking advantage of Friday happy hour, and we joined them, ordering a drink each (note: the non-alcoholic drinks aren't included in happy hour price, and the strawberry refresher was ok, but too sweet for Lisette), as well as some roasted Brussel sprouts to share. We enjoyed the quirky setting, and the chance to try some local food and drink while in Pittsburgh!
When we returned to the RV we realized that someone had parked far too close to us and it took a million tiny back-and-forth movements to get out.
Around the University of Pittsburgh & Carnegie Mellon University
In the evening, we found free parking at Schenley Park, a large public park with a conservatory, golf, and running trails, parking next to a playground where there were still families out with their kids. It was the perfect opportunity for us to get on one bike and check out some of the surrounding sites. We were right near the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, both beautiful campuses, so we hopped on one e-bike to see the area before sunset. First up was the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, with its pretty steel-&-glass Victorian greenhouse. We then crossed over the bridge, getting a stunning view of the city and the buildings around us, soon arriving at the Cathedral of Learning, a 535-foot-tall Cathedral that's the second-tallest educational building in the world after the University of Moscow’s main building.
Close to this is Dippy the Dinosaur, a fiberglass, life-sized replica of a Diplodocus. The sun was starting to quickly set, and around here there were tents set up, with electronic dance music thumping from the speakers--sounds like some university students would be partying tonight! The universities are filled with so many grand and gorgeous buildings, and one of the last ones we stopped at was the Mellon Institute, a massive building with 62 imposing columns around all 4 sides, which also appeared in the 2012 Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises." What's also notable about this building is that rather than cleaning the soot from the city's industrial past in the the 19th and 20th centuries, the Mellon Institute kept this on its columns as a reminder of the dense pollution that plagued the city.
Cycling back to our RV, we got there just as the sun was disappearing over the horizon. Ready for another day tomorrow!