My Portrait of Pittsburgh

Image via Wikipedia I've been living in Pittsburgh for a few months now, but it only took a few weeks for the Burgh to begin to reveal itself to me.

There were a few things I immediately noticed:

1. Pittsburgh is beautiful.
I've been impressed by city skylines before, but I never thought they were beautiful until I saw Pittsburgh. My favorite way to see it is from the Fort Pitt Tunnel. You come out and BAM. Welcome to Pittsburgh, baby. There's no introduction to a city like that anywhere.

2. The people are truly, truly friendly.
I've been to New York, I've been to Philly, I've been to Taipei, Sydney, Johannesburg—lots of different towns and cities all over. And I've stood around, staring at a map and looking lost in just about all of them. Nowhere has anyone ever stopped and asked if I needed help getting somewhere. They do here. I didn't even ask. They just stopped and said, "Are you lost? Need some help?" It baffles and delights me.

3. There are deer here.
Back home in eastern, rural Pennsylvania, there are deer aplenty. It makes sense. There are open fields and farmland and things that are conducive to deer and wildlife. I never expected to see deer in the streets of Pittsburgh. But I have. Several times. It would be just my luck to live in a rural area for 28 years and never come close to hitting a deer, but as soon as I move to an arguably urban area, I hit a damn deer.

4. It's cold and it snows a whole really lot.
It's been in the single digits a few days and it started snowing in late October. As much as I enjoy snow, I hope this is not normal.

5. Steelers are God.
Pittsburgh loves its Penguins and accepts that the Pirates are pathetic, but there is no love as pure as that of a Steelers fan. I first realized this on a Friday, when I went to the grocery store and realized everyone there, including the employees, was proudly flaunting their Steelers gear. The game was still two days away, but the entire city was ready for action, united in their fierce determination to win and never wavering in their faith that they would.

If there had been any doubt in my mind, it was erased when Mayor Luke Ravenstahl legally (and temporarily) changed his name to Steelerstahl the week before the big AFC Championship game against the despicable Ravens. The Steelers won of course, and now, as the Super Bowl draws nearer, there is a fever in the air. Steelers gear is everywhere, all the time, and God help you if you're caught wearing the other team's colors.

6. Pittsburgh blood runs black and gold.
I have no doubt that from satellite, the city of Pittsburgh has a black and gold hue—those are the colors for all of the city's major sports teams. I love that. It makes the city feel whole, like you're not just a fan of the Penguins or Steelers or Pirates, you're a fan of Pittsburgh. I've never seen so much black and gold. I've also never met anyone who loves their hometown more than people here love the Burgh.

It's not so hard to see why.

Comments

[Jen England]

I've been here since 1994, what feels like my whole "real" life. You really have captured some of what makes this a special place. I try to explain to my friends from back east that this is HOME when they try to lure me back but they just don't get it. I think coming from somewhere else helps you appreciate the parts of Pittsburgh that natives take for granted. I think I love this city more than some (SOME)"real" Pittsburghers. I laughed reading your post because things like "the people are friendly" I take for granted now, but I remember moving here from the Philly area and calling my mother to say "my god even the people in the DMV are friendly!" Welcome! Soon your blood will run black and gold too, its like a virus. I Love this city!

[Mandy]

Thank you!! And I'm glad you liked the post. :D