First Thought on Pittsburgh
Here it comes- are you excited?
I really love to visit Pittsburgh. Not to offend my west-coast chums, but if I could merge the downtown and weather of Portland with Pittsburgh, I would be in heaven. It’s just… beautiful. Ordinarily, I’d rack my brain to think of a better word, but beautiful just about covers it. The hills don’t ascend like they do in Oregon. They roll and ramble up to a sort-of peak, the slope gently back down until another one begins. The hills at my house are all too young, too full of pine-tree bustle and always hustling to climb up and drop back down. Pittsburgh hills, however, know where it’s at. They take the time to meander up and enjoy the view, to take in the shade under their leafy, oaken forests, to pause at the top and go, “Well, wasn’t that a nice walk”, before turning around to go back home for a bit of supper. I like that. It makes up for the more harsh weather of my former homeland.
Also, I like the rivers. Did you guys know (and QoW, I know you know this one already) that Pittsburgh is actually called the city of bridges? That’s because we’ve got to have enough crossings for three rivers- the Allegheny, the Ohio, and the Monongahela. (Fact: You can always tell which one is the Monongahela because it’s brown. Very brown.) Anyway, there are rivers everywhere- you’re always crossing some sort of waterway in western Pennsylvania. For those who know the Abhorsen trilogy, this makes Pittsburgh a good defense against malignant spirits.
Finally, I like the people. Okay, so everyone says that Pittsburghers are gruff and mean and impatient, but in only in certain ways. Some of the best acts of kindness in my life have come from Pittsburghers- from the bag lady at Giant Eagle who teased me about my curls to the old guys in the street who still smile at me whenever I wander around. I think I appreciate the kindliness more because it’s somewhat rarer.
Random final thought: A reason to wish it was 1963 right now- people didn’t move in the fifties and sixties unless they were in the military or were migrating. Hence, I would still live in da ‘burgh.
