New Years in Steel City

Choosing to spend the holidays locally this year, this has been my (quiet) world for the past few weeks:

Therefore, I was beyond thrilled for the chance to escape when my friend invited my to celebrate New Years in Pittsburgh.  

I arrived in the city less than an hour before midnight.  We headed straight downtown, where rumor had it there would be fireworks at midnight.

The waterfront was quiet, though plenty of people were waiting at the edge for the big display.  Right before midnight, people began to yell out the countdown.  Then sirens and music went off, and the sound of fireworks could be heard, not over the water, but right in the middle of downtown!  We all ran toward the noise, only to find a huge celebration downtown, complete with live music.

After ringing in the New Year, I realized I was famished after my long drive.  My host had been telling me about a legendary sandwich shop (there is even a Travel Channel mini-documentary about it, you can check it out here), and so we headed there for an epic meal.

We toasted to the New Year with Pittsburgh Iron City beer while we waited for our sandwiches to be crafted.

If only there was a way for you to see the sheer size of this behemoth of a sandwich!  It's called the Cap and Egg, and its piled with ham, cheese, french fries, tomatoes, and house-made slaw...and don't forget the fried egg on top.  Each half is a meal in itself.

In addition to being gigantic, it is also terribly good.  The place that serves these up is called Primanti Bros., located down in Pittsburgh's Strip District. 

After a breakfast of fresh-baked scones and specialty bacon the next morning, my host thought we should first check out the city from above.  I wasn't quite for sure what this entailed...

We went to a historic landmark, known as the Duquesne (pronounced "Doo-cane") Incline, where you ride a little boxcar up the side of a incline cliff for some of the best views of the city.

In the little brick station at the bottom, you drop your fee money into a collection box and then wait for your car to arrive.  The red and green light system lets you know when a car is ready to go.

After taking a seat in the car, the doors make a huge racket as they slam closed, and the car begins its slow but steady climb upwards.

Don't look down!

The views from the top really were fantastic, and riding the car, while at times a little terrifying, was lots of fun.  I'd say if you are ever in Pittsburgh, this is a must.

It being New Year's Day, most museums were closed - but not The National Aviary.  This is where we went to next.

The aviary is home to birds from every continent except Antarctica, and of course included our national bird, the bald eagle.

There were also plenty of penguins.

And even newly-born penguin chicks in the bird hospital.

The aviary is divided up into biomes, which included a rainforest

As well as a wetland full of squawking flamingos. 

We had lots of fun seeing how many birds we could spot in this painting - I found 14.

I unfortunately couldn't stay for much longer, but got an express tour of some of the most famous sites in the city plus learned a bit about its fascinating history.  Many of the public buildings were donated by highly successful Pitssburghers, such as Heinz (of Heinz ketchup)

This is my wonderful host in front of the red doors of Heinz Chapel.

And also, of course, there is Andrew Carnegie, the famous steel tycoon.  This is a scarf-sporting dinosaur outside of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.  According to my host, Carnegie had an interest in dinosaurs, and so amassed an impressive collection which he then donated to the city.

Pittsburgh is made up of many small neighborhoods, each of which have their own character.  This one is called Squirrel Hill, a funky hipster-esque neighborhood where I grabbed a late at the local Pittsburgh coffee chain, Coffee Tree.  It was one of the smoothest lattes I've ever enjoyed.

There is the Strip District, an area of markets and fun shops which also used to be a major transit route for truck drivers.  To the left you can still see rows of old warehouses.

And there is Fox Chapel, where we visited another sandwich shop (sandwiches are big in Pittsburgh it seems).  This one is called Uncle Sam's, and seemed to be a local favorite for cheesesteaks.

This time, the fries weren't actually stuffed inside the sandwich!  While not as epic as my first Pittsburgh sandwich (how can you beat that?), it was still satisfying.

As the sun began to set, I set off back east toward Ithaca.  While a small city, Pittsburgh is full of history, unique food, and fun, and I loved the way some parts of it seemed to transport me back in time to a bygone, booming American industrial age.  

Happy 2014 everyone!  May your year be your best yet, full of new opportunities, plenty of adventure, and spent among those you love!