Today we had the opportunity to visit the Hill District with Terri Baltimore, who is a resident of the area and an expert in the history of the Hill District. We heard about the difficulties faced by the community, especially in the past. The area was a largely segregated community for a long time, and it is somewhat separated from the city of Pittsburgh- which made it difficult for many residents to travel freely. A major struggle in the area was: food deserts. Due to the physical boundaries that separated the Hill district from much of the city, and the lack of a supermarket in the Hill district, a food desert was created- so everyone had to travel to outlying grocery stores, often times taking the bus for a round trip that lasted longer than 2 hours, not accounting for shopping time. There was a Shop’n’Save that was built in the area, and it lasted for many years before closing it’s doors; at the same location as the former grocery store, a new one was put in: Salen’s. The grocery store was not as successful as one would think in a food desert, while it offered a closer grocery store, it did not offer a lot of basic items, so many people would have to go to another store to shop for the week- which many were unwilling to do. During our tour we heard about some of the struggles, but we also heard about many successes in the neighborhood, and we talked to many residents who shared some of their successes. For example, in the community there is a major effort to provide housing for young people, as well as provide housing for artists- there is a lot of new development in the area for that sole purpose. Additionally, there are new community centers and buildings being built by residents in the community, as well as other contractors. Overall, we gained insight into a new area of our community, that’s not so far outside of Pittsburgh. One takeaway from today that will likely be helpful to keep in mind in Carrigart, is the idea of a renewal and a revival by magnifying the best parts of the community.