Steel Away to Pittsburgh for a look at Industrial Heritage

Founded on March 18, 1816, the City of Pittsburgh is celebrating its 201st birthday. The city forged its history at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. In the early 1800s, the city garnered a reputation for its dramatic industrial development, boasting glass factories, breweries, iron mills and a steam engine factory. Enter Andrew Carnegie, who would help build the formidable American steel trade. Carnegie recognized the pollution of his billion-dollar enterprise and compensated by sharing his financial generosity. Carnegie helped establish libraries, institutions of higher learning, art museums and concert halls. The rivers that once birthed Pittsburgh are now like moving highways, transforming its identify and landing itself on National Geographic Traveler's list of the world's must-see places to visit. With its industrial past long concluded, this western PA city has reclaimed its natural assets, celebrated the artistic and cultural donations of Carnegie and other benefactors, and repurposed its industrial past. The rivers once polluted by mills and factories now mark a region driven by technology, science/health-care innovation and higher education. Pittsburghers now enjoy the perks of urban living amid a dramatic, reclaimed landscape as well as a rich arts and cultural tradition that bespeaks a much larger city. 

The city is home to:

• The Mattress Factory located in the Mexican War Streets historic district, a former industrial building is now home to a museum of contemporary art.
• The Andy Warhol Museum that houses an extensive collection of the often-controversial pop art pioneer.
• Primanti Brothers - a restaurant known for its sandwiches that include French fries on them.
• Inclines that are still operational - the Duquesne Incline and Monongahela Incline
• Station Square a complex of refurbished historic railway buildings now offers entertainment, specialty shops and iconic restaurants.
• Bridges - more than 440 with 30 bridges crossing the three rivers.
• The Point where the three rivers meet. 
• Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Three major sports teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• The Gateway Clipper that offers riverboat cruises around the waterways, natural resources, and vibrant communities that made Pittsburgh - a.k.a. the "Gateway to the West" - such an ideal industrial hub.

This is only a small sample of what Pittsburgh and the surrounding area has to offer. Visit www.visitpittsburgh.com for more information on things to do. Plan a stay at a nearby Bed & Breakfast.