Off to Pittsburgh/The Unheard Music (Volume XXXVI)

I'm off to Pittsburgh this week, try not to be jealous.  Actually, it's to visit Jeff R. who's finishing up a Masters Degree with some coursework at Carnegie-Mellon.  And even though Jeff will be coming through the Chicago area in June for one day, him being it Pittsburgh gives me a chance to get outta town for a few days and see a town I've only traveled through by rail and wouldn't have had any reason to visit otherwise.  I mean, no offense to Pittsburgh or anything but unless they were going to visit family, friends or were attending a sporting event, have you ever heard of someone planning a vacation to Pittsburgh?  Other than me? Really?!  Since I'm visiting a friend--and squeezing in a trip to PNC Park where we'll see the Pirates play the Braves--it's a twofer visit.  Of my baseball superfan friends who've been, they rank PNC Park among the greatest baseball parks in baseball, one even ranked it above Wrigley, blasphemy.

I've actually been doing some research about Pittsburgh and maybe I've been selling it short.  No other U.S. city has two funiculars.  I hope to ride at least one.  As would be expected of a town at the confluence of three rivers, Pittsburgh boasts the most bridges of any U.S. city (I'm guessing Venice boasts the world title)  Before conducting my research, I always assumed Chicago had the most bridges, which they do but Chicago has the most movable bridges in the world, Pittsburgh still wins for sheer volume. Again, having three rivers will do that.  The cities' colors are black and gold (Go Hawkeyes!) and every sports team in town is in chromatic lockstep with that scheme.

So I put it to you now.  Who's been to Pittsburgh?  I've already planned on a trip to the Warhol Museum, a night at PNC Park and plan on bringing home a bunch of Tastykakes (reminders of my youth, when you couldn't get them anywhere other than Pennsy).  What else is cool to do and see in Picksburgh?

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And because I like symmetry, an Unheard Music from a Pittsburgh artist.  This one's a bit of a cheat though because even though his name may not ring a bell for everyone, chances are if you're over 30, you've heard at least one Donnie Iris song.  He's Pittsburgh's local rock hero; when you need a local rock star in Pittsburgh to sing the National Anthem at a playoff game, Donnie's your guy. Upon seeing the album cover for Iris's "Back on the Streets" a friend of mine declared him "The Eugene Levy of Rock". And seeing as how Eugene Levy looks more like your accountant than an actor, it's fitting that after a rewarding career in rock, Iris now owns a mortgage brokerage in suburban Aliquippa, PA.  Among his underrated catalog is this gem, "Ah Leah!" an AOR staple from the early 80's.  And if that one's too obvious, here's another Donnie Iris gem "Love Is Like A Rock".  Have a great week/weekend, enjoy the music.

Comments

[Jeff]

Looking forward to your visit! I've seen very little of Pittsburgh so far, but I gotta say I like what I've seen so far. It's college-y enough to be young & hip, but urban enough to have an edge - and there's some serious hilly terrain here...

Having the stadium right on the water must help in its ranking - it looks great!

[Carly]

Brad's brother and his wife live in Pitt so we actually go there too. They both work at Carnegie-Mellon. There is some good restaurants there.

[Carly]

There ARE some good restaurants there. Every since I had the baby my spelling and grammar have been awful!!

[Jay]

Ah Leah! is the jam. Makes me want to feather my hair and keep the comb in my sock. The song was featured in a roller skating party Kent and I were involved in a few years back at the Playdium in Glenview.

What struck me about Pittsburgh was the strange layout and the number of hippies that live there. My band played Garfield Artworks on "no car day" and they were in full force. It was greener than I expected too.

[mattbarr]

Me: "Donnie Iris? Who's that?"
Me: "Ah Leah? That sounds dumb."
Me, after first 5 seconds of Ah Leah: "oh YEAH! This song is awesome."
Thanks for the sweet tune, Ken.

[dj]

I'd have to guess Stockholm has the most bridges as it's a city on 14 islands. But again, that's just a guess.