Pittsburgh; the grey and silver rainbow.
Life flows on within you and without you. George Harrison
I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA in the 1950s; we lived high up on the crest of a steep hill of which there are many in Pittsburgh. Looking out of my bedroom window I could see the mills along with the Monogahela as it wound its way toward the Allegheny.
After the passing of the decades I see a picture in my mind of the turbulent mills at one end of an arch, shaped like a rainbow and the Cathedral of Learning—the second tallest academic building in our hemisphere, I’m told— of the University of Pittsburgh at the other end. We all lived our lives under the rainbow-shaped arch but this “rainbow’s” colors were variations on grey and dull silver, not the 7-colored spectrum; industry + learning = Pittsburgh…?
Many Pittsburgh writers have tried—and are still trying, probably—to express the effects of Pittsburgh’s singular terrain on its residents. I also have been trying for 18 years, since I began my writing career.
Against Pittsburgh’s unique backdrop many odd sights, scenes, and architectural details stand out. Looking at a book of photographs of Pittsburgh I learned that there are more sets of steps connecting streets in the neighborhoods there than in any other city. The high cliffs that connect the streets of a neighborhood make steps a necessity.
The mill workers walked to work and back, using these steps; for many families cars were both unaffordable and inconvenient.
Pittsburgh is a beautiful place but beauty is impossible to define. Because I grew up there I wasn’t able to appreciate its loveliness, as often happens. Even while typing these words I feel inadequate. The city’s heart-stopping qualities can’t be described fully. Out of Pittsburgh’s bridges my favorite is the Smithfield Street Bridge. It connects downtown Pittsburgh with the newly-developed Station Square area; this was once a railway stop devoted to manufacturing, now a “restaurant and shopping” locale. People continually walk on this bridge, every day, all day. It’s only a bridge and quite convenient. But what makes me stare at photographs of it? Why does it intrigue me?
These are Pittsburgh questions..
Downtown (business) + Station Square (pleasure) = Pittsburgh?
lgmwriting 