Welcome to Pittsburgh! After Atlanta I flew to Pittsburgh to meet Mike’s parents and greet Mike arriving to the USA flying in from Valencia. We staying a in neat motel and decided to explore Pittsburgh a little. WOW, I came with no expectations and Pittsburgh scored high. What a neat little city. First thing we did was taking a ride on the Duquesne Incline to get a feel and view of the city.
Wiki explains:
The Duquesne Incline is a inclined plane railroad, or funicular, located near Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood and scaling Mt. Washington. It was completed in 1877 and is 800 feet (240 m) long, 400 feet (120 m) in height, and is inclined at a 30 degree angle. It is an unusual 5 ft (1,524 mm) gauge.
Originally steam powered, the Duquesne Incline was built to carry cargo up and down Mt. Washington in the late 1800s. It later carried passengers, particularly Mt. Washington residents who were tired of walking up footpaths to the top. Inclines were then being built all over Mt. Washington. But as more roads were built on “Coal Hill” most of the other inclines were closed. In the 1940s, only the Monongahela Incline and the Duquesne Incline remained.
In 1962, the incline was closed, apparently for good. Major repairs were needed, and with so few patrons, the incline’s private owners did little. But local Duquesne Heights’ residents launched a fund-raiser to help the incline. It was a huge success, and on July 1, 1963 the incline reopened under the auspices of a non-profit organization dedicated to its preservation.
[source]
FUN!
Some more incline pictures and views over Pittsburgh:
We love the incline planes in Pittsburgh. I’m originally from NE Ohio, about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh and we always loved visiting the area.
We’ve been up the Duquesne and also the The Monongahela Incline. The The Monongahela is apparently cheaper to ride and run by the port authority (who also run the transit system). It is located near a shopping centre as well.
Thanks for posting! Loved seeing the pics and reading about your visit, it really brought back memories.
Thank you guys for the comments…. I’m addicted to them.
I still have an other set of pictures from Pittsburgh coming up. We haven’t seen much but I loved the Strip District. I visited many other US cities but that area is heaven. Fresh stuff from all over the world! MAN!
Will keep the tips you gave in mind for the next visit. If Continental continues with the great offer on flights from Madrid to Pittsburgh we will be always flying into Pittsburgh.
Happy Thanksgiving.
8:39 pm
Glad you came away with a nice view of our little city. As a native, I truly have come to love it’s charm and oddities. Great choice by picking the incline though, it’s always a great starting point. Also, if you can, go up it in the evening and enjoy an outlook point with Mike. He’ll probably tell you that it’s very romantic.
Beautiful pictures, though, remarkable. Thanks for that!