Pittsburgh in October

Living in middle Georgia, I hardly get to experience fall weather and the changing color of the leaves. I mean, it does get colder and the leaves do turn orange a little bit, but it's not nearly as sectacular as further north. I had the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh last weekend and it was really amazing. I love the hills in and around the city and the beautiful bridges that are all over. I never imagines Pittsburgh to be a very nice city. The name and reputation as the steel city just sounds dirty and gloomy.

I probably went on the best possible weekend of the entire year. The leaves were at their peak colorfulness. The weather was gorgeous - sunny with highs in the low 60's. The city was alive and excited about their sports teams. Maybe it is that Pittsburgh doesn't have as much stuff overall going on as Atlanta or New York or Chicago, but the people are crazy about their sports. The Penguins played Friday and Saturday night and I got to go see the game Saturday, my first hockey game ever, in fact. They really stunk it up that night but I could really tell the fans are passionate about supporting their team. Saturday afternoon U Pitt hosted South Florida and Forbes St. around campus was lively with Pitt students' faces painted blue and gold. And the biggest game of all was Sunday when the Steelers hosted Favre and the Vikings at the beautiful Heinz Field.

Pittsburgh has a unique setting. There is a steep mountain some 500 feet high above the water, right along the south bank where the 3 rivers (Monongahela, Ohio, and Allegheny) meet. There are 2 inclines - steep railways that take you from the base to the top of Mount Washington - that are old and seem rickety. But it's actually very safe and it's the place to go if you go to Pittsburgh. There are several restaurants with views of the Pittsburgh skyline and the rivers and stadiums. We ate at a steakhouse next to the Duquesne Incline, which was very good and filled with people, even on a Sunday afternoon during a Steelers game. There is another incline about 2/3 mile away, the Monongahela Incline. This incline is newer and easier to get to from downtown because there is a pedestrian bridge to downtown from the base of the incline. Personally, I would recommend walking the path between the 2 inclines. It only takes 20 minutes, even at a leisurely pace, and you get the beautiful views, changing slightly as you walk.