A Walking Tour of Pittsburgh
Anxieties. We all have them. One silly thing that gives me anxiety is public transportation in foreign cities. Not knowing the routes, the ticketing process, and even where to sit once onboard makes me incredibly nervous for a good 10 seconds. Who knew, an avid traveler could still, after years of travel experience, be nervous about something as simple as getting on a bus?
I rushed around the Pittsburgh airport, trying to find the bus stop, and after asking several airport employees, found my way to the stop to take the 28X into downtown Pittsburgh. Sitting in the silent bus full of travelers with their suitcases, calming my nerves after my silly bus encounter, I was reminded of the very first time I rode a public bus.
It was the summer before I began attending college and I had never ridden public transportation on my own. That fall, I would begin my freshman year at University of Washington all while living with my parents in the neighboring city. So my mom set out to help me figure out the route I would take to get to school. One day, she handed me some cash, drove me to the nearest bus stop, and told me to jump on the bus. She followed behind the bus and told me to “pull the cord” when I was prepared to get off. Incredibly nervous for the entire experience, I kept my eyes peeled at my fellow passengers to watch and learn the process of deboarding. Looking back it seems silly, and honestly pretty embarrassing that at 18 I didn’t know how to utilize public transportation, but growing up in suburban America, I never needed to.
Hopping off the bus in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, I made my way to my AirBnb only a couple blocks away. After a couple hiccups with retrieving my keys from the AirBnb host, I finally made it into the dorm-style apartment. Desperate for some food, I quickly dropped off my belongings, and began the short walk to Market Square, a bustling central square to grab some dinner and a beer.
It was on this walk I realized how small downtown Pittsburgh is.
Day 1
I arrived a day earlier than my friend Olivia, so I decided that I would work remote on Friday. I found a darling coffee shop in the neighborhood of Lawrenceville just northeast of downtown, so I hopped on the bus and made my way to Constellation Coffee. The spacious cafe with big tables provided for a great place for people to study and work, and the handful of groups that came in to work on projects together provided some background noise to break up the silence.
A lunch break called for a short adventure to check out a local restaurant. I stopped in at “The Vandal“ and enjoyed a cold brew coffee along with my salmon lox on toast.
I continued up Butler street to a cafe called “The Abbey on Butler Street“ and was drawn to the outdoor patio that provided a great space to work. At a good stopping point, I moved on to one more coffee shop at the other end of Butler Street called “Espresso A Mano“. Here I met a street photographer, and enjoyed a great conversation about camera gear and our respective photography journeys.
I got a message from Olivia that she was approaching the Airbnb, so after finishing up the last of my work, I packed up my belongings and made my way back downtown.
As two indecisive individuals, finding a convenient place for dinner was a difficult task. With many great options that were too far away, and only a handful of good options a reasonable walk from our Airbnb, we landed at Bae Bae’s Korean Kitchen in upper downtown. This adorable restaurant decorated in plants and string lights was tucked away on a bustling, downtown street, and had a creative selection of the Korean-American fusion options that caught me by surprise.
Olivia was attending a concert of one of her favorite bands, so I had the evening to myself. With plenty of time left in the day, I decided to wander through the Strip District - a neighborhood many people told me I had to visit. Based on the descriptions and excitement, I was expecting this street to be filled with people and late night festivities, but I was very mistaken.
It was 7pm on a Friday evening and the strip district was empty. This street felt very cold. The text on the brick buildings had faded over years of wear, and half of the buildings were abandoned. Sandwiched between the abandoned buildings were small restaurants that held a handful of guests, and it felt as though a mass exodus emptied out the neighborhood and the remaining few were holding on to a life that once was.
I made my way to Church Brew works - an old cathedral that was made into a brewery. The sacrilegious act of drinking alcohol in an old catholic cathedral kicked a rebellious fire in my soul. As I walked out of The Church Brew Works, I got to witness the beginning of a beautiful sunset. Still a couple miles from downtown, I decided to wander around the hillside neighborhoods of Pittsburgh to get a better feel for the livelihood of this east coast town.
I headed northeast into the Polish Hill neighborhood. It was a steep uphill walk to get to the main street, but the view I got of the city and rivers beyond was worth the climb.
My wanderings brought me to the base of a beautiful church that sit high on the hill, the tall ornate building standing tall, providing a beacon of hope and comfort to the neighborhood. While admiring the architecture, a group of older gentlemen sitting at the bar across the street called out to me and offered to share the history of the building. They told me that this neighborhood was called “Polish Hill” after the polish immigrants that claimed this area as home, and this cathedral was hand built as the central meeting grounds for the community.
The apricot colored brush strokes contrasted the soft blue sky effortlessly as I continued to move to higher ground to try to capture the skyline silhouetted by the pastel sky. I moved through the neighborhood, a quiet spectator, and was rewarded with a peek into the daily lives of the locals. A young boy and his neighbor friend ran around the street with a basketball and sparklers. The high-pitched boyish laughter brought an overwhelming joy into my heart as the taste of carefree childhood became momentarily tangible.
A couple blocks away, a group of high schoolers were putting together a short film to submit to the local film festival and their creativity and excitement for their project was evident as they all jumped in over each other to explain to me the plot.
Continuing on to higher ground, I stumbled across the fire station, where 7 local fire fighters sat in a circle playing cards. A kind greeting to the servicemen led to a fun conversation about their stories, and it was heart-warming to hear that 5 out of the 7 guys grew up in this neighborhood, and though they were’t necessarily friends in their youth, serving alongside one another in life-threatening situations has made their bond stronger than ever.
If it wasn’t for the fast-setting sun and a relatively long trek back to downtown Pittsburgh, I would have joined the firefighters for a couple hands of Texas hold’em. With a genuine word of caution, I continued on, walking back toward the city. The darkness quickly swept in, and I called a car share so I could safely return to my Airbnb.
The evening provided for a special look into the lives of the “yinzers”, but after much walking, I was ready for a good nights’ rest.
Day 2
Food is a pretty great motivator, but on any other day if you asked me if I would wake up at 6:30 am for donuts I would probably say no. But this wasn’t any other day and this wasn’t just any donut shop. Better Maid Donut in the Crafton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh was said to be the best donut shop in town - so good in fact, that sometimes they run out of donuts in the first hour of being open. Which made getting our hands on these special donuts a challenge since the shop opened at 7am on this fine Saturday.
Struggling to wake up in the morning, Olivia and I reminded each other that “we’re doing it for the donuts!“ and managed to get ready for the day and stumble out on the deserted downtown streets, dimly lit with the morning sun.
A 15-minute uber ride landed us in a quiet suburban neighborhood, and looking around at the houses that lined the street, we were confused as to where this shop was. A slight bend in the road reveled the white and blue shack that housed the infamous donut shop, and if it weren’t for the sandwich board out front and the line down the block, we may not have been able to find it.
It was a little after 7am, and we were already 10th in line, but luckily we arrived early enough to take part in this local favorite. As we bit into our cakey, deep-fried donuts, we were glad to have made the trip out to this little shop and Olivia, whose love of donuts proceeds mine, rated these donuts in the top 3 best donuts she’s had in her life.
We made our way to the Andy Warhol museum and arrived just as the doors were opening. As instructed, we began at the top floor of the museum and chronologically worked our way through the life of the famous Pittsburgh-born artist. The top two floors were filled with artifacts and anecdotes about young Andy Warhol, and I thought to myself what a strange concept it must be to have your life on display in this way.
As I looked at the childhood pictures of young Warhol and read the stories of his life, I wondered what he would say if he were here looking at his life through the lens of framed photos and museum placards.
Naturally, I thought about what a museum about my life would look like, and I was surprisingly excited about how it may turn out. I would have a difficult time sharing the stories of a challenging childhood and I would certainly cringe at the embarrassing photos of my adolescence.
But I hope the floor designated to my life in my 20s would be colorful and full of great anecdotes. I hope to continue living life in a way that makes it a story worth telling. And if I ever find my life story laid out in a museum, I hope it’s a museum worth attending.
We continued on to Randyland, a public art display in a casual neighborhood on the north side of the river. Out of his love for art and his desire to share it with the world, a local artist named Randy opens up his backyard into a public art gallery each day, allowing visitors to frolic among his whimsical creations. The brightly colored backdrops and unique antique props provided for a fun exploration of a world of creativity. Young couples and older folks alike took part in appreciating the intricate work of the artist. In classic Alisa-style, I couldn’t help but goof around and take some fun pictures.
Down the street from Randyland was the “Mattress Factory Museum” which is far from what it sounds. This exhibit featured many interactive modern art pieces and helped me step into a world of art beyond my understanding. A little less than a year ago, I had the opportunity to visit one of Yayoi Kusama’s “Infinity Room“ exhibits at the wndr museum in Chicago, and I was lucky enough to visit two more of her Infinity Rooms in the Matress Factory Museum. I also had the honor of experiencing the mind-boggling low-light exhibits of James Turrell.
I’ve always been an analytical thinker, and rarely found myself craving artistic expression. As I grow older and find more time for leisure and self-reflection, I’ve challenged myself to press into my artistic side to find better ways to express my thoughts. I’ve found enjoyment in the process of writing and photography to capture and share my thoughts, but interacting with the modern art pieces in at the Mattress Factory Museum gave me a humble look into the complexity of life of peoples of different cultures and backgrounds.
After spending most of our day exploring the art world of Pittsburgh, Olivia and I decided to head back to our Airbnb to rest. A quick 1-hour nap was enough to reenergize me for the remaining activities for the day. Sunset was fast approaching, so we took a fast-paced walk across the river to the Duquesne Incline and made our way via tram up to Mount Washington where we got a panoramic view of downtown and the junction of the rivers.
The beautiful panoramic city view and the fancy restaurants that lined Grandview Avenue attracted a crowd of well-dressed couples and families celebrating one thing or another. A young couple asked me to take their photo at the viewpoint, and I gladly jumped at the opportunity, hoping I would be capturing a snapshot of a sweet memory for the couple to look back on in years to come. A big family, celebrating their daughter’s graduation took up the entire sidewalk as they walked to the restaurant where an open table wait for their celebratory dinner, but I didn’t mind.
In our reflective silence as we independently enjoyed the views that lie before us, my heart was full at the love and happiness that reverberated in laughter and sweet whispers around me. And when all fell still in my heart, I thought of all of the important people in my life, and made a little more space in my heart for my future special someone.
We walked along Grandview Avenue to the Monongahela Incline and made our way back downtown toward our Airbnb. After a long day of walking, we were both quick to fall asleep.
Day 3
We took it a little slower on our last morning in Pittsburgh, and after packing up our bags, made our way to the Phipps Conservatory in the Carnegie neighborhood.
The Phipps Conservatory was a perfect activity for Olivia and I, whose love of plants far exceeds most. This was one of the largest conservatories I have ever been to, and the collection of plants were impressive. Some of the rooms were landscaped to replicate famous paintings of the late Van Gogh, and made walking among the plants much more thrilling, as the conservatory did an amazing job of bringing Van Gogh’s artistic vision to life.
With a couple hours remaining in the day, we ventured toward University of Pittsburgh where stood the tallest educational building in the country. The Cathedral of Learning was a massive 42-story building housing 31 ”Nationality Rooms” - classrooms dedicated to celebrating the history and culture of different ethic groups around the world.
Pittsburgh was not a city I had never envisioned traveling to as it’s not a particularly popular destination, so I’m glad the opportunity to visit presented itself. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve had very few opportunity to venture east, so the lifestyle of East Coast Americans was a complete mystery to me. I hope that this will be the first of many trips out to our Eastern states, and I look forward to exploring more of what these cities and people have to offer.
