Pittsburgh 1: Views from Mt Washington

[wyliepoon]

First thread showing photos from my weekend trip to Pittsburgh PA.

Here are some photos showing the famous Pittsburgh skyline from the Mount Washington lookouts. Being from Hong Kong, I can't help but compare between the experience of going up Mount Washington on the Monongahela Incline with taking the Peak Tram to Victoria Peak in HK. The two are really different experiences. In Hong Kong the skyscrapers are taller, and so are the mountains, but at Victoria Peak you are too far away to hear and feel what is going on in the city. At Mount Washington not only can you see the skyline, but also hear the sounds coming from the city... trains rumbling along the bank of the Monongahela River, cars honking, boats in the river, etc.

Pittsburgh's mass of downtown skyscrapers makes it look bigger than a city with a metro population of 2.3 million. At the same time, the hills in the surrounding suburban area are covered in vegetation, which seems to make the city look small and compact.

These residences at the top of Mt Washington have the best views of the city.

View towards Oakland and University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning

Night Shots

*****

Video: Going downhill on the Monogahela Incline

 

[flar]

Great shots Wyliepoon. Pittsburgh is an amazing city both geographically and architecturally.

 

[Zephyr]

In my motor trip across America this past week, I arrived in Pittsburgh after leaving the Chambersburg/Harrisburg areas. And I could only stay one night and one day in a wooded area just inside the city off US60.

I've been in this city many times over the years, and although people look at me strangely when I mention it, this place often reminds me of a poor man's San Francisco, with its hills and vistas - although nowhere near as tidy and a wasteland for good restaurants.

In fact I had to stop at the Original O's over in Oakland to get my fix of junk food, and take my customary walk up to Pitt/CM to see what has changed and what has remained the same. The urban crumble was all around but this patch of green, and the bustling UPMC, are somehow suspended in time and place.

These photos capture what I saw, so I'll be incorporating them with mine, if you don't mind. I have a few very gritty one's myself of the Allentown area which I got lost in on my random run of bridges in and out of the city.

 

[smuncky]

the last time i was in pittsburg was maybe 10 or 11 years ago for a taekwondo tournament. even though i was 9 or 10 years old, i do remember it well. the waterfront area where the rivers meet is quite nice. nice park area and a great big fountain as well. too bad it was winter when we went and it was quite cold as the winters there are comparable to toronto's.

i hope i'll be able to visit it again soon as those pictures look great and there seems to be some great architecture.

thx!

 

[Observer Walt]

Very good pictures Wylie! I was in Pittsburgh about 12 years ago, for a seminar over a period of three days. We went up the Duquesne Incline (one of two still operating), at night, and got pictures similar to a couple of yours.

Over the years Pittsburgh has had 15 "inclines". Only two still remain, Monongahela and Duquesne.

It's an interesting city. The bridges are a dominant feature, and there is a good deal of attractive architecture.

 

[syn]

Great pics Wylie (all threads). Pittsburgh seems very underrated.

 

[khris]

It really is a beautiful city. It's a shame that when you walk around downtown anytime after 5pm, you feel like you're in a dead zone. Why are there no big hotels or condos downtown? It's so strange. I guess a lot of US cities are like that though.

 

[urbandreamer]

Zephyr did you take many photos of chambersburg? Having lived there as a wee little thing I'm curious about that area. gotta do a road trip there when i buy a car.

 

[Zephyr]

Zephyr did you take many photos of chambersburg? Having lived there as a wee little thing I'm curious about that area. gotta do a road trip there when i buy a car.

My main reason for being in Chambersburg was because it was nearby to Gettysburg and a short distance away from Harrisburg. So my pictures were mostly of the latter two. However, I deliberately stayed overnight in Chambersburg, because I like the people there, and I love a particular seafood restaurant known as The Orchids.

Chambersburg as you know is a charming little town with no pretentions, and it has become quite the distribution centre of late. I've heard that story about how the town was burned down by Confederate soldiers who ventured north, and found the town too unwilling to go along with their programme to be tolerated, so they punished them this way. The road that leads west from Gettysburg to Chambersburg is filled with trees and one can see the rolling beauty of the little Pennsylvania farms that are still there. I hope you get a chance to get back as soon as you can, it may not stay this way indefinitely.

 

[Long Island Mike]

Grandview Boulevard: One of PGH's best views!

Wylie: Grandview Boulevard is a great stop on a PGH visit-you can do both inclines using one up and one down as an example. You get a great feel of PGH up there as I know. The Monongahela Incline is a PAT Transit service while the Duquense Incline is operated by a preservation society. PGH does not get much better than this area! LI MIKE