Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. July, 2018

Let’s continue our family travels through the cities of America. This time, we visited Pittsburgh, the “City of Bridges,” and Philadelphia, the “City of Brotherly Love.” 

Pittsburgh is a small, charming city built on hills at the confluence of three rivers. It is famous for its many bridges, legendary sports teams, steel making heritage, and, apparently, the highest number of bars per capital in the United States!)) Philadelphia is a city filled with history. It was here that the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were adopted. The city is also known for its beautiful architecture, parks, museums, and even the world’s first penitentiary...

So, shall we take a walk through these cities together?

Pittsburgh

Day 1

It took us about five hours to drive from Toronto to Pittsburgh. We stayed at the Hyatt House Pittsburgh-South Side, close to downtown. And right across the street, we spotted the Cheesecake Factory. It is an American restaurant chain known for its huge and varied menu, as well as its wide selection of delicious — and very, very calorie-packed — cheesecakes. A few months earlier, the first restaurant of this chain had opened in Toronto, but there was still quite a long line at the entrance. So everyone was delighted to have a delicious dinner in Pittsburgh and then enjoy the very “culprit” behind the restaurant’s name. There are about 40 different kinds of cheesecake on the menu. Such a ridiculously calorie-packed slice...

After dinner, we took a cruise along Pittsburgh’s three rivers. It was called the Three Rivers Sightseeing Cruise. We sailed along the rivers and saw the city’s many bridges 

We saw several huge stadiums. Pittsburgh’s sports teams are well known for their achievements in baseball, football, and hockey. It was interesting to learn that the uniforms of all the players from Pittsburgh’s different sports clubs share the same colours — black and gold. From the boat, we could also see one of the city’s historic funiculars — the Monongahela Incline. The entire city is built on hills. Later, we would ride this funicular up the hill 

When it got dark, we took the funicular to the top of Mount Washington to see the city from above. Then we went back down and took a walk along the waterfront. By chance, we also came across some singing fountains 

Day 2

We visited the “Cathedral of Learning” — the Cathedral of Learning. It is one of the University of Pittsburgh’s buildings, constructed in the Gothic style. They say it is the second-tallest building of its kind in the world, after Moscow State University, and also the only skyscraper in the United States that houses an institution of higher education. This was probably the most memorable part of our trip. The building is beautiful both inside and out 

And the highlight of the Cathedral of Learning is its 26 Nationality Rooms, which are open to the public free of charge when classes are not being held there. Each room represents the culture of a different country during a particular historical period.

Here, for example, are the Ukrainian and Israeli rooms

Austria, Switzerland, and simply a beautiful, impressive study room 

It was hot every single day. We had to change some of our plans because it was simply too difficult to stay outside for long periods of time. So we headed to the National Aviary, where there were plenty of indoor spaces. The aviary didn’t particularly impress us. We expected something more, but we still enjoyed seeing all the birds 

We drove past PPG Place — a complex of beautiful office buildings, and in the evening we took another walk around the city. The kids also went swimming in the pool. I always choose hotels with a pool for some of our family members who love to swim)) 

Philadelphia

Day 3

And in the morning, Philadelphia was waiting for us. After a five-hour drive, we arrived right in the heart of the city. We chose the Home2 Suites by Hilton specifically because of its central location, although we sometimes had to take an Uber so we wouldn’t have to walk around in the 32°C+ heat for too long. We left our car in the parking lot, since constantly finding parking in different parts of downtown would have been quite expensive. This is what our hotel looked like, and right across the street there was a huge food market where we could grab a quick bite to eat

There we tried the famous Philadelphia cheesesteak. But the hungry kids didn’t wait for the photo session, so I’m simply borrowing a picture from the internet to show you what this dish looks like. A roll, finely chopped and fried steak, and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. And, if you like, various additions: mushrooms, onions, peppers — whatever you want.

And if you weren’t looking for a quick bite, there were plenty of interesting and delicious restaurants around the city. Many of them required reservations in advance, otherwise you would have had to wait in long lines. That day, our oldest son turned 20. We celebrated his birthday at a small and cozy Mediterranean restaurant called Barbuzzo. We sat right at the bar and watched the chefs skillfully create their culinary masterpieces. I don’t know whether I was simply very hungry or the food really was exceptionally delicious, but I hadn’t eaten anything that good in a very long time

It was already getting dark, but we had big plans and wanted to see as much as possible, so we headed out to see famous — The Liberty Bell — a symbol of the American struggle for independence from Great Britain. The bell is located within a museum complex, and during the day it isn’t always possible to get close to it without waiting in line and dealing with crowds of tourists. But in the evening, the area was completely quiet 

Day 4

It was a sunny morning in Philadelphia, and we were already strolling along the beautiful avenues. And here they are — the famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rocky Steps, where Sylvester Stallone ran in the movie Rocky. Apparently, they are the most visited attraction in Philadelphia)) The Rocky statue is right nearby. For a while, it actually stood on the museum steps, but the museum administration eventually moved it aside, frustrated by the fact that people were climbing the famous museum steps not to visit the museum, but simply to take pictures with Rocky. No big deal — we just moved over and took our pictures next to him too))

We drove past PPG Place — a complex of beautiful office buildings, and in the evening we took another walk around the city. The kids also went swimming in the pool. I always choose hotels with a pool for some of our family members who love to swim)) 

Wide avenues, beautiful architecture, and plenty of fountains 

And parks of love 

But, as they say, there is only one step from love to prison... And here we are already on the grounds of the world’s first penitentiary — Eastern State Penitentiary. The prison is almost 200 years old. At the time, prisons were used simply to punish criminals. This was the first prison to introduce the concept of not only punishing prisoners, but also trying to reform their immoral behaviour. The conditions in which the first inmates were kept were horrifying. They spent their time alone in their cells, in complete isolation and almost total darkness. But this was precisely intended to prevent prisoners from communicating with one another and forming gangs. They saw daylight only once a day, when they were taken out to special “balconies” between two walls. Whenever an inmate left his cell, he was made to wear a mask, and the guards were not allowed to know either the prisoners’ names or the crimes they had committed. The building was designed in the shape of seven long corridors lined with cells, with an observation post in the centre. Today, the prison is a historical museum. Here are a few photos 

The conditions in which the prisoners were kept certainly left much to be desired... By the way, one of America’s most famous criminals — Al Capone — spent 12 months in this prison. This is what his cell looked like in 1929. By that time, the prison conditions had already improved somewhat, and Al Capone’s cell could almost be called “comfortable”)) 

That evening, the kids chose a Mexican restaurant called El Vez. It’s really convenient to use restaurant review apps. They found some great reviews for this place, and when we saw the long line at the entrance, we knew the app had done its job)) And sure enough, the restaurant turned out to be very cozy and the food was delicious 

Another evening walk around the city, with a stop at the beautiful City Hall building 

Day 5

We had breakfast and got ready to head home to Toronto, where we could start thinking seriously about where to go next time))))