And, come to think of it, I don't feel like telling stories at all, so I will just show Pittsburgh to you.
A view of the city from Grandview Park in the Mount Washington neighborhood
I think a lot of people have a very mistaken and outdated idea of Pittsburgh. It was established as a steel city in the Allegheny Mountains, a particularly beautiful stretch of the Appalachian Mountains that runs through Pennsylvania and West Virginia. For a long time it existed in a decidedly stereotypical Appalachian realm of being relatively poor, dirty, and decidedly Slavic.
Over the years, what with the decline of the American steel industry, Pittsburgh has seen a waning population and waxing culture. While the town does have two notable colleges - Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh (the latter of which being my brother's alma mater) - students tend to come to Pittsburgh, learn valuable things, then leave Pittsburgh.
For those who stay in town, however, there is an entire city full of blossoming music, theater, art and social circles, all coupled with an incredibly low cost of living and what I think is one of the most picturesque cityscapes in the country.
More images and musings below the jump. Remember to click any image to see it larger on Photobucket.
On a Saturday drive around the city, we found ourselves in Grandview Park (where the first image was taken). That river directly below is the Monongahela River, which notably joins with the Allegheny river to form the Ohio River.
There is a strip of beautiful houses right on the cliff in Mount Washington that Grandview Park overlooks. I guess this one was outdated.
To say the roads in Pittsburgh are steep is a bit of an understatement. While exploring the city, we came across numerous streets like this (that's my brother's car heading down).
The stairs on the left give you an idea of how steep it was. Speaking of stairs, the city is so hilly that this article states the city has more than 700 public stairways.
The streets aren't exactly roomy, either. We were headed down this street (yes, it's a two-way) when another car tried to come our way. She had to back out and let us out.
Heading down to the neighborhood known as the Southside Flats, below Mount Washington and slightly to the right, we visited the Southside Riverfront Park. This is my brother Dan and his roommate Matt walking down a paved trail.
The Riverfront Park has a view of the Birmingham Bridge. Due to it being Memorial Day Weekend, the river (this is the Monongahela) was full of boats, ski-doos and kayakers. And even a few people swimming. We were a little grossed out by the latter. I mean, this river won't catch fire or anything, but swim in it? No thanks.
Going over the Birmingham Bridge.
Driving around town, you really get a feel for what the city was like during the Industrial Revolution simply by virtue of the aesthetic. I, personally, love it. I lust for rustic, industrial Americana. But I'm weird.
Oh, and then there's the flying Bobchi.
There is a very expensive bar and restaurant in Santa Fe called the Coyote Cafe. This is not it.
Since the rest of the country hasn't quite caught on to how "cool" Pittsburgh is/has the potential to be, the population of the city is actually shrinking, and there are loads of abandoned buildings, old signs and houses selling for obscenely low amounts (a house around the block from my brother was going for $10,000; he heard about another house that sold for $2,000. No, that's not a typo). I loved all the old advertisements, of which there were tons.
My brother wanders through Lawrenceville, the neighborhood where he lives now. This is on the main drag, Butler.
Better view of the mural in the previous picture, coupled with the old ad in the background.
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