Over Pittsburgh

Jim and I are inveterate tourists. This was our first visit to Pittsburgh and we had looked forward to seeing a bit of the city as well as hear stories at the Three Rivers Storytelling Festival.
This may sound absolutely ridiculous but when Jim was discharged from the hospital we decided to take a look at Pittsburgh - beyond the tantalizingly vague view we had from his hospital room window. Seemed like a good way to shake off the tension of the past few days.

Since we thought one thing was our limit we settled on the "incline" to get a view of as much of the city as possible with one look . Before we came, my friend Pat, who once lived in Pittsburgh, had said," don't miss the incline." The Internet advised that the "Duquene Incline" is the #1 tourist attraction in Pittsburgh.

On a sunny afternoon, with clear visibility it was a stunner.


The cable line was built on the side of this steep hill 130 years ago and we rode up in an original car. The polished wood interior had decorative carving and faded velvet inset panels.

The surprisingly smooth ride as your are hoisted up on a cable is quite short and the view answered my question, why "Three Rivers".








At the end of that point, once the site of Fort Pitt, the Allegheny River (left) and the Monongahela River (right) flow together to become the Ohio River.

Not surprising Pittsburgh is a city of bridges. They form wonderful patterns as they cross over the rivers to connect all sections into a greater city. Most are painted yellow which makes for a very interesting visual between water, land and sky.

There is a small,interesting museum in the cable station at the top. Memorabilia and pictures which tell some of the story of the history of the city and the "incline" itself.
All for $1.75 one way; $3.50 round trip. Free to seniors.

Since this was our one stop for a tourist "fix" we decided to stay at the top and have dinner at the Georgetown Inn. The restaurant, adjacent to the cable station, perches on the top of the cliff overlooking the city. Three walls are huge glass windows which give an expansive view of the rivers and the city. We found the food more pricey than good but the view and the time to leisurely enjoy it was worth every penny.

Satisfied we returned to our hotel, more than ready for a lie-down before heading home.

Its all part of the story.