The Steel City, the City of Bridges, the City of Champions—these nicknames describe Pittsburgh’s storied history and distinctive urban design. However, as a part of the Rust Belt, those unfamiliar with the city may find it easy to dismiss Pittsburgh’s relevance in the modern world. As someone who has spent my entire life in both the city limits and the suburbs, I see Pittsburgh oppositely; much of what I know revolves around Pittsburgh, and when it comes to other cities, I know very little.
While my Vietnamese parents spent most of their days making a living, I spent my younger years in school or with my babysitter. This long-time Pittsburgher, a Polish-American woman, would spend her afternoons looking after my little sister and me while being the foundation of how I viewed Pittsburgh. She had all the essentials—a Pittsburgh toilet, a plethora of Steelers’ merchandise, frequent use of “yinz,” and a great love for pierogies. From her, I learned about Old Pittsburgh, when people mainly took the bus or walked to work, when people couldn’t see a hand in front of their face because of the smog, and when all the neighborhoods had their own distinct microculture. Her worldview consisted entirely of Pittsburgh, the good and the bad. was reminiscent of the PBS documentaries, narrated by Rick Sebak, about the history of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania—nostalgia for what the city was and pride for what it has become.
After my first semester of college, I was forced to Pittsburgh differently. For one, it was the longest I had spent away from Pittsburgh (before the longest I had spent away from the city was 10 days). I had spent my entire life in the city, only leaving for a couple of short vacations. How different would Ithaca be from the buzzing city of Pittsburgh? Additionally, many of the people I met either didn’t even know Pittsburgh existed or only heard of Pittsburgh because of Carnegie Mellon University. I was quite shocked. Pittsburgh, the first to win 6 Super Bowls. Pittsburgh, home of Fred Rogers, Wiz Khalifa, Andy Warhol, and Mac Miller. Pittsburgh, the birthplace of public radio stations and Duolingo. I knew Pittsburgh wasn’t as big as New York City or Chicago but surely the great city I knew wasn’t that irrelevant. I remember during one of the OURS board meetings, where they discussed where to go for the Fall Trip, someone said “What’s there to do in Pittsburgh?” Funnily enough, that’s where we ended up going.
Coming home for the OURS Fall Trip felt even more surreal. Even though I know Oakland like the back of my hand, I felt like a tourist walking around the neighborhood with such a large group of people who had never been to Pittsburgh. People were pointing and looking at the Cathedral of Learning, a building that I would study in nearly every other day while waiting to pick my sister up, in complete awe. At the same time, these bizarre feelings were accompanied by a renewed sense of pride. Hearing people compliment all these little things—the layout of Downtown or the view from Mount Washington—only validated my pride for the city, while encouraging me to appreciate Pittsburgh for these simple things.
So yes, maybe Pittsburgh isn’t as big as Los Angeles or as old as Boston, but it sure has a unique charm that makes it one of the most underrated cities in America.
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