Pittsburgh Bike Trails
So this isn't much of a trip (compared to a backpacking adventure) but I had a blast exploring Pittsburgh's bike trails today! I took my DSLR along too to snap some pictures of the scenery. Today was a beautiful early fall day - cool, sunny and clear - and it was a great day to see Pittsburgh in all its glory.
I headed out along the Homestead Grays bridge which lets you off on the south side of the Monongahela River near the Waterfront District. The views from the bridge were excellent - the Homestead waterfront area (according to the informational signage posted along the trail) was a huge steel manufacturing area which peaked during and immediately after WWII. You can still see smoke stacks from the smelting furnaces and there is an old gantry left standing by a Marriott hotel.
I followed the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail east along the Monongahela towards downtown. The trains were running on the tracks parallel to the trail. It was a pleasant ride listening to the train chugging along and watching the river roll by. The counterpoint of nature and man was enjoyable because it felt balanced; the frenzy of industry that had existed during earlier decades is gone. Now there is a peaceful sense of history in watching the train and the old barges on the river, and a sense of excitement for what will replace the steel industry in Pittsburgh.
My journey towards downtown was like rolling forward in time. South Side is a revitalized part of town, and new construction from the University of Pittsburgh popped out of the trees and surprised me. I passed the training grounds for the Steelers and continued on past a beer garden where a wedding was taking place. The buildings became more modern and the trail grew busier. I decided to stop at the Color Park, where graffiti covered dividers sat in the foreground and the city rose up in front of my on the other side of the slow moving Monongahela. The late afternoon sun glinted off the skyscrapers.
Turning my bike around, I headed back to the Hot Metal Bridge and rolled over it to the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, and onwards to Schenley Park. I love Schenley Park, and that side was covered by cute brownstones that looked like they'd seen many years of students come and go. It felt genuine, you could tell that ordinary life had been going on there for many years. I was also surprised to see some abandoned businesses off Saline Street. In southern California, land is too valuable to leave a business standing when the ground it stands on is so highly in demand. But here there's enough room for everybody, and Proctor's Garage will continue to sit for a while, I imagine. I like that.
