Pittsburgh: Over the top

Opposite downtown Pittsburgh, Mt. Washington, formerly known as Coal Hill, rises over 400 feet above the Monongahela River. So as you drive up McArdle Roadway through the hilly neighbourhoods to Mt. Washington in the evening in Pittsburgh, you gear up to see "one of the Top 10 most beautiful views in the country" as listed by USA Weekend magazine.

While the daytime view of Pittsburgh from Mt. Washington is unparalleled too, one should not miss the night view of the city from here. The city, which sits at the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, is both mystical and magnificent from here after sundown.

During daytime you can also reach this point by the cable powered Monongahela Incline built in 1870. This incline is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the USA. Funicular is an inclined plane or cliff railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope.

Pittsburgh had built several cable-powered inclines for transportation between the river valleys and the communities on top of the overlooking bluffs. From 15, only two remain, including the one that provide service to the Mt. Washington for residents and a historic voyage for tourists wishing to catch a cinemascopic glimpse of the city's skylines.

While the night view is a high point of the attractions for tourists, the city of Pittsburgh itself offers much more.

According to Pittsburgh tourism literature, recorded history of the area begins in nearby Washington County more than 16,000 years ago at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter; the oldest site of human habitation in North America. As a result, the greater Pittsburgh area is full of Native American history in addition to U.S. history and historical sites.

Pittsburgh is also called the "Gateway to the West" with its navigable waterways and abundance of natural resources scripting an industrial growth story of the place. Scottish-born immigrant Andrew Carnegie, who was a self-made steel tycoon, actually modernized steel production here.

To know Pittsburgh's interesting past, a visit to the Senator John Heinz History Center is a must. This seven-story museum boasts of interactive exhibits that bring more than 250 years of Western Pennsylvania history to life with compelling stories. Here one can understand how the immigrants shaped the region. Pennsylvania’s largest history museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, a museum-within-a-museum located on the History Center’s second and third floors, celebrates Western Pennsylvania’s unsurpassed sports legacy comprising of games like football to baseball and hockey to golf.

The History Center is also the place to learn about the  250 years of African-American history of anti-slavery movement. Here you can learn more about the Underground Railroad ( Railroad that helped an estimated 100,000 slaves escape the Old South during the early 1800s)., and the impact of 19th-century activism on the quest for civil rights in Pittsburgh. Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by the slaves of African descent in America to escape to free states and Canada with the help of abolitionists and allies sympathetic to their cause.

Not to be missed is also the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History where you can see two famous museums in one visit. It boasts of the best dinosaur exhibits in the world ( a place for the kids), breathtaking gems and minerals and an extensive Native American gallery. 

Pittsburgh is also a great city to see birds. Across he Allegheny River from the History Center is the National Aviary. Here some 600 of the world's most incredible birds are displayed in naturalistic exhibits and walk-through habitats. In the bird zoo  you can find the tinniest hummingbirds or the giant Andean Condors, which is a large black vulture with a ruff of white feathers surrounding the base of the neck.

Pittsburgh is also known for the history of steel and the conflicts surrounding it. It is also called the City of Bridges since besides the major landmark bridges like Smithfield Street Bridge, which used structural steel in the design for the first time in America, it has more than 440 other bridges over the three major rivers, water bodies, the hills and ravines. 

Pittsburgh is also known as a city with several Hindu temples. So if on a visit to an American city, you want to check out how a diaspora temple is like, you can head for one like the Sri Venkateswara Temple in the eastern suburb of Penn Hill.

But on a sunny day, Pittsburgh can be best enjoyed with a walk through its beautiful parks. The city has an 1700-acre system of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

Or one can just explore Pittsburgh by walking aimlessly in the Oakland neighbourhood in the city's main area and then sit quietly in one of the benches in a park overlooking the Cathedral of Learning, which is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's main campus standing at 535 feet as the 42-storied gothic-styled building flexes its muscles as the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere since the 1930s.

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Bars, nightlife, eateries

Night life is exciting in Pittsburgh with several casinos. Rivers Casino located on Pittsburgh's North Shore is open 24 hours a day. Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort, Wheeling Island Hotel Casino & Racetrack are a few others.

Market Square is the place to grab breakfast and lunch in downtown Pittsburgh. A gourmet burger, a unique sandwich, or a healthy salad, there are plenty of great places to choose from.

The Strip District has tons of ethnic groceries, eateries, and vendors, with plenty of free samples.

Pittsburgh's South Side should not be missed. Even if you are unsure of your late night plans, just head to the South Side, it has something for everyone. 

On East Carson Street is a 15-block juggernaut of Victorian architecture filled with restaurants, bars, tattoo parlors, vintage clothing stores, theaters, galleries, antique emporiums, piercing palaces and coffee houses. This edgy mix is capped by the newer and more conventional SouthSide Works, where you can drink, dine and shop, then end the evening with a movie at SouthSide Works Cinema.

Where to stay

Downtown has the greatest concentration of hotels. While there are dime a dozen to choose from sites like booking.com or hotels.com, you can stay in somewhere like Red Roof Inn near the airport where a double bed room can be less than 90 USD a night.

How to reach

Pittsburgh International Airport is the main airport and from India almost all major airlines flying to USA has connections. A return ticket from New Delhi will cost around Rs 75,000. If you are travelling from within USA, you can reach there by bus (Greyhound) or Amtrak train. Or you can simply reach by car.

(Originally published in The Tribune by the writer)