Pittsburgh.

When in Rome do as the Romans do. So first a quick word about our sponsor today.

The Home Depot, (Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Warehouse) kindly supplied a base to leave the RV at whilst we travel into Pittsburgh by public transport - namely bus. All in all they have been astonishingly helpful, even down to supplying the free WiFi signal with which this post is made…

The staff have been most friendly, as we are sure you will find them when you shop at one of these wonderful stores. Remember, The Home Depot, (Pennsylvania's Home Improvement Warehouse) for friendly service.

We thought Annie was big - but she does blend in with her surroundings.

To achieve our aim of catching a bus to downtown Pittsburgh needed research, and a little picking of local brains. Public transport in the US is not as easy to find as in Europe. We first assumed we'd find a train station and commute in and back. This resulted in a fair amount of sucking of teeth and shaking of heads from the locals. So it was to be by bus. Then we had to find the parking lot, which seemed to have different addresses depending on which source was consulted. Then a timetable and bus number, which was the easiest bit due to very friendly staff answering the phone at Westmoreland County Transit Authority. So at the unusual time (for us) of six fifteen in the morning we just missed a bus. Another was along fifteen minutes later though, and we chatted with another passenger all the way into Pittsburgh - where nothing was open...

We enjoyed walking around though, getting a feel for the city as it woke up in the morning sun, and our first impressions were very favourable. A city which has three rivers to boast of is indeed blessed, and it is this geography which defines the city.

 If you remember your earlier history lessons, the French had Fort Duquesne here, where the rivers meet. The Brits made such a nuisance of themselves that eventually the French burnt the fort and left. So now the Brits could control this vital junction, and control trade to the South. Believe it or not, this water flows all the way down to the Mississippi - and of course the French had Louisiana named after King Louis XIV. The Fort was renamed after Pitt the Elder who was Prime Minister of England at the time - and so later was Pittsburgh. (The burgh bit, with the H, was Scottish, like Edinburgh. What history in names eh?)

The original old blockhouse at Fort Pitt.

Now being experts in North American history, we instantly realised the significance the name over the door of the oldest building in Pittsburgh…

Remember Bushy Run?

We also had some satisfaction of seeing a certain name still over the entrance to a department store…

Remember Fallingwater?

We took the funicular up to Mount Washington to get an overview of the city, and then a boat trip to see the place from another perspective. it was good to relax and avoid museums.

It's great funicular.

The architecture is a motley collection of the inspirational, the impressive and the insane. Spot the one inspired by the Houses of Parliament…

Can you see it yet?

There seems to be no attempt to hang on to the best of the old, and one view here will soon be gone as a new building in front of these fine old skyscrapers grows taller.

Old and interesting.

It really is a melting pot of any and every architectural style possible. But possibly the same could be said of London, Birmingham or Manchester in the UK.

All the local people we talked to loved their city, and had great pride in it. And we can understand why. It's a very friendly place, the centre is small enough to easily walk across and plenty of money has been spent on ensuring the river frontages are an integral part of peoples live here. For example all the stadia built here have to have one side open to the shore, so that everyone gets a grandstand view of their city: no one here turns their back on Pittsburgh.

Andy Warhol was born here and apparently hated the place. He left and never went back. So now the biggest museum in the US devoted to one artist, Andy Warhol, is here in Pittsburgh.

 

 

No one turns their back on Pittsburgh...

Where on Earth next?