Op-ed
Jessie Sutton
February 23, 2023
The lens through which I perceive my conditional environments is influenced by the time I spent growing up in my small hometown. Having only ever lived in the quiet sheltered valley of an upstate NY town for the entirety of my life I perceive the majority of urban city life from the perspective of a somewhat clueless tourist. First exposures to large metropolitan urban areas were through infrequent trips to various destinations-- one of which included Pittsburg, PA.
Like most typical white American rural families, mine would partake in watching American football and the team we root for is the Pittsburg Steelers. My visit to Pittsburg was for the purpose of watching one of these NFL football games at the Heiz stadium but what I experienced was more than just the entertainment. The exposure to aspects of a city that I was completely unfamiliar with, coming from a ‘dairy-ville’ background, left a lasting impression on what I understood about urban environments.
To give some context-- when I say I’m from a small town I mean an actual small town, like, so small that Ithaca was a big transition for me when moving to college. Where I am from, everyone knows everyone and everything about you- there's an overwhelming sense of security from this constant surveillance. The ‘biggest’ thing to do within a 30-mile radius was to visit the only Walmart in the county or attend a sporting event a the local high school. A picturesque quaint town that I’m reluctant to call county (the local economy is very much so supported by the dairy farms that surround us). Our town reflects the remnants of a once booming industrial canal city that has experienced a rapid economic decline and is left behind is a declining population that is majority of elder people in a location that is of no interest to anyone or of any industry. So yeah, Pittsburg was a big deal.
Venturing throughout the city of Pittsburg was my first exposure to mass public transportation, and to ridesharing apps like uber (we were so skeptical of uber, and thinking back about this now as a college student is so funny to me). Our visit to the strip district of Pittsburg was the first time I had ever seen a grocery store whose name was a language that I didn’t know. The fusions of culture and the abundance of different people were so exciting and unfamiliar. It was reassurance that life outside of my small hometown was something that I now aspired to achieve and that there are many corners of the world that I can explore.
What was also very apparent was how Pittsburgh's economy worked. During my visit, I experienced the two faces of a city that hosts an NFL team. It seems the entire town was braced for game day, or maybe that's just how we were supposed to feel as tourists.
The current healthcare, banking, and high-tech corporate industry operates in the architectural skeleton of an indusial powerhouse. The rows of brick patchwork buildings and cobbled streets are a testament to the industrial city that preceded them. Pittsburg upholds its authentic image through its efforts of historical revitalization and preservation which my house renovating hobbyist parents had the pleasure to geek out about during our visit.
From my time in Pittsburg and the occasions I have returned to visit this city, I am always appreciative of the perspective of what an economically stable urban area can be. Pittsburg has been able to reinvent itself in order to adapt to the changing world and shifts in industry over time. No longer a source of steel or coal it thrives from an economy supported by services such as healthcare and entertainment. For someone who had little exposure to any city life Pittsburgh's welcoming and promising atmosphere made it seem possible for me to picture myself one day living somewhere other than in the rural countryside landscapes I had grown up in.
Separated by the Ohio River this city is stitched together by steel bridges that dazzle in the night. Without its rich industrial history would Pittsburg be what it is today? And what does the future hold for it? But Pittsburg has also given me an appreciation of where I am from. A town that centers its focus on community rather than economic preservation and I have come to realize that I perceived Pittsburg in a strategic way-- through the constructed historical narrative that the city’s planners and architects have designed its historical narrative.
And as a tourist to whatever place you may be, there is only a mere fraction of the city for you to experience. What is intangible to outsiders is an awareness of that city’s heartbeat that you can only grasp from being fully emersed by the place you live. And so whenever I return to my small hometown, I am always grateful to be able to hear its heartbeat.