I’ve made several trips to Philadelphia, but it’s been years, so I’ll focus on a more contemporary trip: Pittsburgh. I stayed downtown, near the baseball stadium, with a day trip to a factory in Mount Pleasant.

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city after Philadelphia, with a metro area of over 2.43 million people. It’s known as “the Steel City” for its dominant role in the history of the U.S. steel industry. Deindustrialization in the late 20th century resulted in massive layoffs among blue-collar workers and a rather grim city, but things are looking up, with increased focus on healthcare, education, and technology industries.

My trip was quick, and I hope for a future visit to explore more. At a glance, the city is very clean, sports seem to be the main entertainment (major league professional sports teams include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Pittsburgh Pirates, and the architecture offers interesting sites. I saw a Pirates game at their riverside stadium, **PNC Park – new and extremely central.

Dining and Hotels:

• The **AC Hotel Downtown Pittsburgh is fine, central and with a big parking lot. The arrangement is odd (lobby at the top) and the rooms are typical for the class of hotel.
• *Alihan’s Mediterranean Cuisine was not my favorite. Overcooked food, rather empty, no liquor license.
• **Nicky’s Thai Kitchen was acceptable, on a street lined with restaurants. Legitimately spicy (if you ask for spice), and huge portions.