Pittsburgh Panorama - The Murals of Maxo Vanka

PIT T SBURGH
panor ama
Doing the town
right in 72 hours
Ascend Mt. Washington on the Duquesne Incline for
sweeping views of downtown, including Point State Park.
By Randy Mink
T
hree days in Pittsburgh—just enough time to savor its
The steep ride up Mt. Washington, in an antique wooden car
essence. It was my first visit and I wanted to see what
traveling at 6 mph at a 30.5-degree grade, is a Pittsburgh must—for
makes Pittsburgh, well, Pittsburgh.
the views, history and sense of adventure. The restored cars and
My first thought: a panoramic overview was in order. And since
hilltop station are originals, built in 1877 for workers going to and
the postcard image of a boxy red cable car rising above the river
from their homes high above the city. Residents still use the railway,
had always colored my visions of Pittsburgh, I practically sprinted to
one of the two remaining inclines of the 19 that once existed.
the lower station of the Duquesne Incline soon after checking in to
In simple exhibits under glass, the upper station’s waiting room
the Sheraton Station Square on the south bank of the Mononga-
displays vintage postcards and photographs of Pittsburgh and of
hela River.
other famous funiculars around the world. You can also eyeball the
40 April 2014
LeisureGroupTravel.com
picnic on the lawn, check out historical markers, and perhaps catch a festival or other special
event.
After Point Park, I crossed the Allegheny via
the Roberto Clemente Bridge to see what is
considered one of America’s great baseball arenas—PNC Park. It was off-season, but at least
I got some good peeks of the field and up-close
to the statues of Pirates legends Clemente,
Willie Stargell, Bill Mazeroski and Honus Wagner outside the stadium.
The Andy Warhol Museum, a few blocks
from the ballpark, showcases works by the
Pittsburgh native (1928-1974) who made his
mark in pop art. Everyone knows his Marilyn
Monroe portraits and Campbell’s soup cans.
My juiciest experience in Pittsburgh was
prowling The Strip. No, it’s not what you might
think, just a narrow strip of land between the Allegheny and a rocky hillside. Close to downtown, The Strip District brims with ethnic flavor
in a hodge-podge of shops and eateries along
cables and gears of this engineering marvel.
And don’t forget the little gift shop.
Penn Avenue, the main drag here in the gritty
wholesale market area for purveyors of produce, meat and fish.
I joined a ’Burgh Bits & Bites walking tour
But it’s the sweeping cityscapes that really
that takes small groups to family-owned shops
captivate visitors who pay $2.50 to ascend Mt.
in The Strip. Our foodie foray started by sam-
Washington. Spread out below are the sky-
pling homemade prosciutto and Genoa salami
scrapers and bridges of downtown Pittsburgh,
at Parma Sausage Co. and then crossed the
along with landmarks like the Pittsburgh Pirates’
street for fresh-made hummus at Labad’s
PNC Park, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Heinz Field and
Mediterreanean Cafe and Grocery. We also hit
Point State Park—a grassy piece of land at the
a biscotti bakery (30 flavors, from banana wal-
confluence of three rivers—the Allegheny,
nut to traditional anise almond) and a Polish deli
Monongahela and Ohio. Drink in the views and
for cheese pierogis sauteed in butter and
watch the river traffic from the station’s obser-
onions. Other tour highlights: Sampling cheese
vation deck.
at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company (founded
Later I walked across some of the bridges
and visited Point State Park, the strategic
in 1902) and pepperoni rolls at Sunseri’s, both
Italian groceries. (burghfoodtour.com)
chunk of real estate where Pittsburgh had its be-
Lidia’s Pittsburgh, also in The Strip, pro-
ginnings as a French and later British fortifica-
vided my best restaurant meal. Pasta and the
tion. I poked my head into the Fort Pitt Block
flavors of Italy reign supreme at this bright, airy
House, the city’s oldest building (1764), and
gourmet temple with a strong Italian accent. In-
toured the Fort Pitt Museum, which tells the
deed, it should rise to gourmet standards—the
story of Western Pennsylvania’s role in the
woman behind it is Lidia Bastianich of public TV
French & Indian War and American Revolution.
fame. I still haven’t stopped thinking about the
Here at the Forks of the Ohio, at the very tip of
wild boar ravioli and apple cake topped with but-
downtown, you can admire the park’s majestic
tery caramel sauce. For a more down-to-earth
fountain, walk along riverside promenades,
meal one evening, I visited the famous Primanti
Eat your way through The Strip, a centrally
located neighborhood full of flavorful food finds.
Bros. in The Strip, giving my jaws some exercise while tackling the signature cheesesteak
April 2014 41
Photos courtesy Visit Pittsburgh
Two Pittsburgh landmarks: Carnegie Museum
of Natural History and the Pirates’ PNC Park
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Loads of attractions await groups in
Washington, Pa., a short drive from Pittsburgh. Visit http://tinyurl.com/n7whmnx.
sandwich—a hunk of Italian
In the eclectic Oakland
bread (cut in half) stuffed with
neighborhood, dominated by
meat, french fries, coleslaw and
two tomato slices.
My favorite Pittsburgh museum—I could have used two
extra hours there—was the
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:
Pittsburgh’s Botanical Bounty
On Leisure Group Travel’s website,
learn about the brand new botanical
garden coming to Pittsburgh this
summer and get acquainted with the
landmark conservatory that’s been
around since 1893. Log on to
http://tinyurl.com/lyp6uer.
Senator John Heinz History
the University of Pittsburgh, I
discovered more treasures revealing the city’s ethnic fabric.
Worth a peek are the Nationality Rooms in the university’s
42-story Cathedral of Learn-
Center. Occupying a former ice warehouse in
ing—29 museum-quality classrooms de-
The Strip, the Smithsonian affiliate offers five
signed with artwork and architectural touches
floors of exhibits on Pittsburgh-area history,
representing groups (from Austrian and
sports and industrial heritage. I liked the Heinz
Croatian to Syrian and Turkish) that settled
57 exhibit, which chronicles the packaged
southwestern Pennsylvania. The day in Oak-
foods company best known for its ketchup.
land also included Heinz Chapel, Phipps
Neighborhoods are such a part of Pitts-
Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and
burgh—it has 89 of them—that I wanted to
the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural
get away from the city center. So I ventured to
History.
Millvale and St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic
My 72 hours in Pittsburgh ended all too
Church. Set high on a hill, it’s more like the
soon, but I’m looking forward to the day when
Sistine Chapel than a neighborhood church.
I can explore more neighborhoods, see more
Visitors go out of their way for tours of Croa-
museums and sample more of the culinary
tian artist Maxo Vanka’s 22 sanctuary murals
bounty of this pretty, gritty American city.
depicting the Virgin Mary, social injustice and
the immigrant experience in America.
For more Pittsburgh pearls, log on to visitpittsburgh.com. LGT