Saturday started by missing the bus after we ran to catch it, not a good first city bus experience. However, we eventually ended up in the strip district after a quick Uber ride. The strip district was a vibrant change from Oakland; it was full of cute little shops set up on the sidewalks promoting their businesses. My favorite was the dog bandana shop, because I love putting my dog in cute bandanas. After we walked around the strip district, we went to Put Put Shack, which tested all of our golf skills, and needless to say, my skills were not very great.
From the strip district we caught a bus to the start of the Andy Warhol bridge, this was a much better bus experience than the first. From there we walked the Andy Warhol bridge and then continued to the Federal Galley for lunch. I had never been there before, but I really like how many different options you had since there were multiple restaurants all in one location.
After lunch we went to the bottom of Rising Main step which is were our city hike started. After the Rising Main stairs we went to the Fineview overlook and started our tour of Fineview which I found out was at one time called Nunnery Hill when the nun’s had a school located their before the area was developed into a town and renamed Fineview. We learned a lot about the history of the city steps and how they are symbols of resilience and ingenuity in the city. The steps show how Pittsburgh was able to adapt to the challenging geography naturally found. The Rising Main steps were originally built to connect the isolated community to public transit which shows the practical solutions the city came up with. Furthermore it shows how practical solutions created a quiet resilience because the communities naturally found creative ways to adapt to challenges.
After the city steps hike we went to the Northside Music festival were I got shaved ice to cool down from the hike and then we walked around and checked out the local shops that were on display in the park. I was intrigued by all of the different artists showing work for sale at the music festival. I saw a lot of artists that I would probably not have seen otherwise. From the music festival we finished our night with Roots for dinner in Oakland.
Starting the day we today we had a quick breakfast at Panera and then went to the Cathedral of Learning for a Nationality tour where I found out there are 31 room which I did not really know there were that many. Our tour guide told us the history of how the rooms were developed and when they were dedicated as well as any challenges that those rooms have faced since they were created. One of the notable challenges a room faced was the Japanese room which was completely redone after a pipe burst and totaled the room, this makes this room the most expensive room at $500,000 dollars to complete.
The nationally rooms show how Pittsburgh is a mix of many cultural identities which is another strength of the city. The rooms reflect the pride in heritage and collective effort to showcase cultural identity. The commitment by Pitt to honor immigrant legacy shows how Pittsburgh as a city has built strength by not erasing cultural difference, but by embracing them into the atmosphere of the city. The city steps and the nationality rooms showcase how the city honors working class citizens formally immigrants from the past, but still focusing on adapting to the present needs of the city. Both the city steps and the nationality rooms serve a functional and symbolic purpose. All in all what ultimately makes Pittsburgh unique is not the steps or the Cathedral of Learning, but people’s willingness to work with what they have and celebrate who they are and where they come from to work to a shared future as a city, the City of Pittsburgh.