This hotel had introduced the third different variation on breakfast…grab and go bags full of nothing of interest and I was still rather full from the Cracker Barrel the night before so it didn’t take long to get the cargo loaded and be off on my way.
Thanks to a wonderful idea from Suzette to check out one of the most scenic locations in her hometown, I found myself making my way from the airport which is well outside of the city to a mountain just south of downtown Pittsburgh.
The summit of Mt Washington is about 1,200 ft MSL or 365 m…whilst not as high as Mount Lookout, it is still a breathtakingly impressive view of the confluence of the Monongahela River and the Allegheny River which come together to form the headwaters of the mighty Ohio River which we had previously crossed on our way into Illinois near Metropolis.
Grandview Avenue along the northern summit is so appropriately named and is not to be missed! And as luck would have it, the parking meters respect the Christian Sabbath and keep it holy by not requiring feeding for parking. Score!
There are several scenic overlooks along the Avenue between the two funicular incline railways (the Duquesne and the Monongahela) which give an impressive view of the city. As you’re looking north, the Monongahela River is closer and the Allegheny appears from the NW and the point at which they converge to form the Ohio is the footprint of the old Ft Pitt.
The geography of the Pittsburgh area is simply stunning with plenty of mountains and valleys carved out of the landscape by ancient glaciers long since receded.
But what was most amazing was just how clean and beautiful the city is compared to the bad old days I remember when passing through in the mid 1970s and the big steel mills were belching out enough black smoke that you could hardly see your way round, much less breathe. Ever since the collapse of the steel industry, Pittsburgh has done a marvelous job of diversifying their economy and likewise have done a massive job cleaning up the environment.
There are still challenges that remain…it was shocking how few flights were operating at the airport as I remember when it was a US Air hub and one of the busiest in their system but after various mergers, the hub was pulled down in favour of Philadelphia which given their proximity to the congested hubs at DCA, BWI, and LGA was a huge mistake, IMO.
But looking at that rugged terrain and how much of a challenge it is just to get round the place, much less survive in the face of a challenging environment…I think I understand why Pittsburghers are so proud of their city.
They certainly have many reasons for that pride! 🙂
