Touring Pittsburgh

Our hotel shuttle dropped us off at Station Square in the South Side, across the Monongahela River from the central city.  We had planned to ride the incline nearest the light rail station but it was closed, so we had about a mile to walk along the Riverfront Trail to get to the Duquesne Incline.  I was not going to leave without riding one of them.

 The view is pretty cool from up on Mount Washington.  Inclines once lined the hillside, providing a way for working people who lived up the hill to get to work at the waterfront.

 This statue is called "Points of View", a double meaning, of course, depicting a young George Washington and the Seneca leader Guyasuta.

Old factories and warehouses have been re purposed into shops and restaurants.

 Remnants of the steel industry serve as sculptures.

The city beckoned from across the river.

 We rode the light rail over the bridge and into the subway tunnel.  It is free for seniors!

 The buildings are an interesting mix of old and new, with many lovely plazas for relaxing and refreshing.

 The county jail,

 And the courthouse.

 We loved this green wall on the side of a skyscraper.

The PPG Center is a modern cathedral to the glory of glass.

 At it's base is Market Square, where lots of people were enjoying the weather and early lunch or coffee or whatever.  For us it was a coffee break and a chance to sit for a while.

 After resting we were back on our feet, and walked to Point State Park.  The Point is the place where the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers join to form the Ohio River.   

 There are great views across both rivers. To the north is Heinz Field, home of the Steelers.

 Out on the point, where once there was a fort, and then there was mining and then there were factories, now there is a huge plaza, green lawns, and a tremendous fountain.

                               The  Point.

Tokens of the very significant historical importance of this piece of land are the old blockhouse, and the Fort Pitt Museum.

We spent some time in the museum, getting the history of The Point and Fort Pitt, and then we went back into the city, through the Cultural District, and back to Market Square for some late lunch.

 We got back on the light rail, returned to the South side, called the hotel and had the shuttle pick us up.

We had a quick turn around at the hotel, but this time, aided by our GPS, we headed out in the car to find the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden in Schenley Park.

This wonderful place will have to get it's own post sometime later.  I took way too many photos here.

Since we were close now, we drove over to the University of Pittsburgh, to walk around some impressive places.  They were all closed by this time, and the museum was closed on Mondays, which may have been a good thing, because we would never have had time to do it justice.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History/Museum of Art 

 Heinz Chapel at Pitt.

 The Pitt Cathedral of Learning.

We had one more destination, the South Side Flats.  This was where the workers lived back in the days of heavy industry.  Now it is a trendy neighborhood utilizing the old buildings that made up the southside village.

We were going there for dinner - to the Fat Head's Saloon and Brewing Company.

 They have lots of fun beers on tap, including many they brew.

 Tom ordered the Hippy Sippy Imperial Stout, which I have more than a few sips of.  It was wonderful.

 Tom had an enormous grilled shrimp salad.  

 I had MEAT and potatoes.  Yes, I ate most of it!

Tired as we were, after that we had to walk some more, so we checked out the South Side Flats.

 Typical tall, skinny houses of the working class stacked on the hillsides and on the flats.

One more walk along the river.  Now it's goodbye to Pittsburgh and thanks for a wonderful day.

And for the 400 photos I've had to sort through tonight!