Yinz Jealous?
Once upon a time Buzzfeed posted a list of reasons why Pittsburgh is the greatest city on earth, and while it was nice that a site with such a global audience was addressing our wonderful little haven, they did a really pitiful job recognizing the qualities that truly make Pittsburgh great. So in light of my holiday pilgrimage, I will struggle through my poor command of the English language and do my very best to illuminate our city's best traits.
(just fyi, I wrote almost all of this before the huffington post article...so...screw you, big press)
As you can tell it's a very comprehensive list. We even have "Hogwarts at Christmas!"
We may not have Hogwarts, but Pittsburgh is a mecca of scholarly pursuits. The University of Pittsburgh has had its series of letdowns in the ACC championships, but is 21st in a ranking of public institutions. Carnegie Mellon University has, for generations, led the nation in computer science, technological development, and engineering. Also, for all you pop culture idiots, CMU's drama school has produced our leading Hollywood heartthrobs Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Patrick Wilson. (Ted Danson, for all my 40+ readers.) Is that it, Stephanie? Oh did I mention Duquesne, Point Park, Carlow, La Roche, Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Chatham, Slippery Rock, Robert Morris, plus a dozen more institutions less than an hour from the city? That's just higher education. Pittsburgh k-8 schools rank among the best in the state and in the top 98% in the nation. We may not be able to say "downtown" to the rest of the country's standards, but we'll whoop your ass in standardized tests and high school graduation rates. *see pittsburghese
Buzzfeed: They have a lot of bridges.
Yes, we have a lot of bridges, more than Venice, Italy, in fact. Our bridges are more than a quirky trivia answer though, they are an attestation to the history of our city's industry. The steel produced along the banks of our rivers is the literal foundation for our country's icons.
Steel, I am your father. Is this even the right movie reference?
I would venture to guess that most of my readers fall between fourth and fifth generation immigrants and many have had a grandfather or great grandfather who worked in the mills. At the very least, we've grown up driving past the smoke stacks and hearing stories of the Donora Smog. The legacy of our loved ones shaped the nation, and our bridges are a constant reminder of their hard work and sacrifice.
Smoke rising from the river below Kennywood Park.
In the decades since the last mills closed, our city has had its share of struggles, but has emerged once again as a thriving community. We may no longer be producing steel, but we're producing world-class doctors and healthcare, as well as tech start-ups and financial services. Sure, we all have opinions about large corporations (my parents are in healthcare so say a prayer for my aching ears), but companies like UPMC, PNC, BNY Mellon, and West Penn are more deeply rooted in this city than the trees in Frick Park. We are a city bound by our history, common interests, and a strong value system.
Look no further than the Rooneys for proof of this notion. Before I address the performances of our sports teams, I will first remind you that the greatest franchise in all of American sport's history has been owned by a FAMILY for as long as it has been in the NFL. Although percentages of ownership have been parceled off, control of the team is still maintained by the Rooneys. Not surprisingly, the remaining owners all hail from within the region. Some outsiders think we're too insular, but there are shared ideals we like to keep close to home.
Insert your incest jokes [here] coastal nimrods who think we're West Virginia.
Here are the things Buzzfeed had right:
*note: I don't fact check so get off my case you sport snob jagoffs
As for the Steelers, well six Super Bowl championships speaks for itself. The Steelers are one of the most polarizing teams in the NFL and for good reason. They are a team that is consistently strong with some of the most passionate players in the league having appeared in 27 playoffs since 1947. However, they are an aggressive team with even more aggressive fans, making them much hated group in rival cities. Try going to school in Ohio with three AFC North teams in a 200mi radius and see how many friends you make while waving your Terrible Towel. Nonetheless, no one can deny the fervor with which both the people and players stand behind their team.
Sure the Penguins are in tenth place when it comes to hosting Lord Stanley, but they were nearly fifty years late to the game. I don't need to make excuses for them, they are still, like the Steelers, a constant powerhouse in their league, boasting seven division, four conference, and three Stanley Cup championships since 1990 when Hall-of-Famer Mario Lemieux joined the franchise. The amount of talent this team has on the ice is enough to make any hockey fan melt (this one especially). Nine current players were shortlisted to participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics and individual players have, themselves, racked up a number of individual trophies. Not to mention, the team has made it to the playoffs for seven, likely to be eight, consecutive seasons. Yet, what is most impressive and inspiring about this team above other Pittsburgh sports teams is the interest of its players to remain in Pittsburgh. League all-stars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Pascal Dupuis, Kris Letang, etc. have all expressed not only desire to stay in this organization, but taken tremendous cuts in pay in order to do so. The quality of the the team's management and ownership, as well as the relationship to the fans and city is unlike any I've ever heard . In all fairness, I don't get out much.
 |
| Throwback to 2008. Miss you, Igloo. |
The Pirates are somewhat of a different story. I can't speak with as much confidence to our beloved Buccos, but I can assure you that the people of this city, regardless of the team's performance, still love them. For all they naysayers who want to bitch about people jumping on the bandwagon when this past season was finally a success, f*ck off. For twenty years we've had no choice but to support a losing team; don't mistake people's excitement for finally having to the chance to to pour as much passion into baseball as they've been dishing to football and hockey for decades. Not being a huge baseball fan myself I'm afraid I'm coming up short in this department, but you can certainly thank this team for the absolute delight that is PNC Park and the Pierogi Race.
What Buzzfeed missed:
Sure we are a sports-centric city, consumed by the electric energy of our successful teams and unmatched spirit, but that does not make it our only interest. I hate when snobby New Yorkers try to tell me that there is no culture in Pittsburgh. Granted, Florentijn Hofman's giant rubber duck may have not been received as intended, there are plenty of culturally literate people in this city, with plenty of places for those people to go. Since 2013 is the year of lists, here are just some of the places you can visit: Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, UPMC Sports Works, The Andy Warhol Museum, The Mattress Factory, Phipp's Conservatory, The National Aviary, The Cathedral of Learning, Heinz History Center, The Frick Art & Historical Center, plus the museums which cater specifically to Pittsburgh's history (Incline museum, Fort Pitt Museum & Block House, etc.). I could list just as many theaters and art galleries, but one stop to the Pittsburgh City Paper listings page can tell you everything you need to know for the next six months to get your fix.
 |
| The duck. The Point. The place to be. http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wesa/files/201309/story_image.jpg |
We have incredible public spaces. It took the city a while to figure out what they were doing wrong, but in recent years the riverfront development is much improved. Point State Park is a bit overscaled for my taste, but caps downtown in an way that makes activities accessible, keeping them adjacent without removing them from the city. With the increase in bicycle use (thanks, hipsters), many more greenways have arisen along our perimeters, connecting downtown to further reaches along the Allegheny and Monongahela. The North Shore Trail, which connects the waterfront between PNC Park and Heinz Field is not only a hot spot for tailgators, but is a landscape showcasing the beauty of our city's skyline. Personally, my favorite space is not a park at all, but is Market Square, which has seen dramatic changes over the past few years. Closing of the square to thru-traffic and connecting it to PPG Place is one of the smartest things this city has ever done. Spend an afternoon there on a nice day and you'll start to understand what a good public space can do for a community. Additionally, Frick, Schenley, and Highland Park all have their draws, but it just takes a glance over a Google Earth image to realize this city ain't playin' when it comes to green space.
Very few people realize what sort of impact public space can make on the quality of living, but Pittsburgh's "Most Livable City" title isn't coming from affordability alone. The cost of living is low, our housing is cheap, our schools are fantastic, but most importantly as residents of Pittsburgh, we freaking love Pittsburgh.
Here is what Buzzfeed got confused:
Our signature sandwich has fries on it.
Well...yeah...I guess it's cool to combine the sides with the sandwich, but despite all its acclaim, Primanti Brothers has stayed only in Pittsburgh (because Fort Lauderdale does not count as a place). In all honesty, I'm not a fan of coleslaw so Primanti Bros is not my first choice, but I'm happy to brag about it right alongside the rest of you. I'm more interested in talking about Eat'nPark, Iron City, Isaly's, and Potato Patch Fries which are also some of our long-standing eating/brewing staples in the city. None of these places are exceptionally good--don't be mistaken there is amazing food in Pittsburgh--but they come from Pittsburgh, so we'll tell every single person we ever meet that he needs to try a Primanti Brothers sandwich because nothing in the world beats Pittsburgh. We have so much pride in our city and the things we produce that we'll celebrate it no matter its quality. cough*pirates*
We are a city of neighborhoods; they figured out that much. Yet Buzzfeed hasn't come to any great conclusion about why we should care. City Guide does a good job breaking down a number of them and listing each's characteristics ( http://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/Pittsburgh-Magazine/Best-Of/City-Guide/ ), but I think is still slightly off the mark. The neighborhoods are adorable and we certainly love adorable. Portlandia has made this all too familiar to us. The reason we love our neighborhoods is because within them is embedded the history of ourselves. Like all American cities, we have a rich history that none of us are really that far removed from. Pittsburgh is special in that even through massive developmental and economic changes throughout the years, it has been able to preserve it's history in the physical landscape of its city. Take a walk on Fourth Street downtown and realize that the Times Building (Frederick J. Osterling 1892) stands across the alley from One Oxford Center (HOK 1992) built one hundred years apart and both are still integral parts of the urban fabric. Our neighborhoods represent something more than valuable real estate. They are not relics of our past, but thriving parts of our present that serve as reminders of what our city has built.
Buzzfeed: We have our own lingo.
Most places do, we just happen to take more pleasure in vocabulary than most. We wear our dictionary on tshirts and we will fight any person that uses "soda" instead of "pop." However, what is most interesting about the language we speak is that we refer to everything in Pittsburgh as ours, or we, or us.
Most places do, we just happen to take more pleasure in vocabulary than most. We wear our dictionary on tshirts and we will fight any person that uses "soda" instead of "pop." However, what is most interesting about the language we speak is that we refer to everything in Pittsburgh as ours, or we, or us.
"How'd dem Stillers do?" "We'll do better next week."
If you were raised in Pittsburgh, every aspect of the city is a part of you and you refer to it as such. People from Pittsburgh have a pride that cannot be shaken. The blue collar values of our grandparents have been handed down to us; we maintain what they built and from it we refuse to be separated. This pride extends beyond our personal gains and is reflected in the joy we take from our sports teams, our history, and our community which is the heart of what makes Pittsburgh so great. Go ahead and make lists, Buzzfeed, but understand that you don't understand.
Consider this post my love letter to Pittsburgh.
 |
| Beat that. http://www.pittsburghbridge.org/pittsburgh.jpg |
No wait. Consider this my love letter to Pittsburgh:
Roses are red, violets are blue,
Pittsburgh, you're awesome.
I'll never leave you.
...except when I have to go back to New York...
...but I promise I'll come back when I graduate if someone gives me a job.
Don't be pissed.
Love, Stephanie
No comments:
Post a Comment