Pittsburgh certainly has one of the most distinctive personalities of all the cities I have been to, yet it was not until I attended college here that I have realized this. My personal view of Pittsburgh has always been that of an industrial city, with little commercial significance. This, however, is certainly not the case. Although Pittsburgh’s history does seem to have many roots oriented in industry, namely steel, there is few to none of that left in any aspect other than the culture. What I have found, however, is a commercially and socially developed city that is on par with any other large city in America. Of course Pittsburgh has a large portion of its cultural roots connected to sports as well, and who could blame them? They are home to world class football and hockey in the forms of the Steelers and Penguins (Baseball may not be Pittsburgh’s strong suit, but at least they try). However, even the sporting aspect of the city now seems a little overdramatized. Sure, there is a passion for the city’s teams, but not to the point where they would kill you if you wear a brown’s jersey downtown (although most people would probably be thinking it).
Pittsburgh’s size itself is impressive, as well. I never expected the city to have as many tall buildings as it does, but mostly pictured smokestacks and whistles going off everywhere. There does seem to be a fairly significant railway network, which I also expected. The city is also geographically different from what I pictured. Having only been to eastern PA prior, I imagined Pittsburgh would be similar, with rolling hills and plains, but the geography seems to be almost mountainous, and looks quite a bit like Germany.
All in all, Pittsburgh is physically different from what I expected, but going beyond that, it has far deeper a culture than I anticipated. I pictured a city of smokestacks and conveyor belts, but instead found a sophisticated city, well rooted in its history, and proud of what it is.
