The United States is a vast country with a diverse landscape and vibrant cities
dwelling within. It's very common that places are deemed underrated
compared to others. Hello and welcome to travel overlooked! No matter what type of
traveler you are, we strive to inform you of the most overlooked travel
destinations, as well as, a different perspective of the most touristed areas
of the world! In today's episode, we'll be talking about Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This city is often glanced over in favor of its sister city, Philadelphia, but what
if I told you that Pittsburgh has the same to offer, if not more, than
Philadelphia. You get the same quality as Philly but with a lower number of
tourists. Located westwards of the Allegheny Mountains, roughly 300 miles
west of Philadelphia, this city was once the industrial capital of America. All
the way from coal mining to steel production. Pittsburgh has quite the
extensive history. Pittsburgh's history started all the way
back in the 18th century when Europeans first began settling the region,
specifically the British in the French. The French made their first appearance
here and soon after the British joined. During this time, they fought over this
crucial piece of land with the British emerging victorious and successfully
conquering over the region. Not long afterwards it was turned over to the
American colonists. Sometime later, Pittsburgh coined the name as "The
Gateway to the West" due to its unique location situated between three major
rivers that are today known as the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers. Did
you know that in 1804 Lewis and Clark used these rivers for their famous
expedition to the west? They, in fact, began their journey right in the heart
of Pittsburgh! In 1816, Pittsburgh was officially announced as a city and since
then Pittsburgh has accelerated in growth immensely, mostly in part of it
becoming a commerce and industrial giant. Many immigrants from all around the
world would flock to this city in search of opportunities.
So much so, that they became one third of the population! Due to the sheer amount
of people that came to the city, you can still feel the effects of these
immigrants carved into the city to this very day! In the early 1900's, Pittsburgh
transformed into an industrial behemoth, due to the abundance of coal in the area
and its up-and-coming metal industry. Factories started to spring up all over
the city burning coal and making steel almost non-stop everyday, because of this
Pittsburgh, once again, gained a new nickname known as the smokey City due to
all the smog. The city had a long list of misfortune during this time; frequent
flooding, housing issues, and smoke pollution. The city's officials began to
worry for their current citizens as well as their future ones. They soon created
many projects to revitalize the city, such as regulations for air pollution,
flood control, revamping the city's Midtown, creation of numerous parts and
building up its infrastructure. Because of all of these, Pittsburgh yet again
made another name for itself, "The Renaissance City!"
Decades later, the city went through many difficulties and hit a decline. The steel
mills began to shut down, making unemployment a major issue but a new
project was made to expand the medical, educational, and computer science
departments of the city. Eventually, the city replaced the old steel mills of the
past and replaced the void that it left with a bright new future for its
citizens. Now the city has a thriving technological center with exceptional
healthcare and several universities within the city.
Pittsburgh truly is a Phoenix of a city, rising from the ashes repeatedly
and growing ever more radiant each time. Pittsburgh is known for their many
splendid attractions that don't fall too far behind Philadelphia. One of their
notable attractions is the "Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG aquarium." The Pittsburgh Zoo
is one of just six significant zoo and aquarium combinations in the entirety of
the United States. Situated in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Highland Park, the Zoo has 77
acres of land with 4,000 creatures across 475 species, including 20
critically endangered animals call home! This Zoo is the perfect place to
take your family and enjoy the majesty of Mother Nature.
Next are the dozens of museums named after Carnegie. You'll notice a common
trend that many of the museum's, and several of the buildings are named after
Carnegie. This is because Carnegie was a huge contributor to the city's
development in the steel industry Carnegie Institute maintains four
major museums in all of Pittsburgh; the Carnegie Museum of Natural History,
Carnegie Science Center, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Andy Warhol museum. All these
museums have a little something for my history enthusiasts out there. Now for
the nature lovers! Pittsburgh has many gorgeous parks to indulge yourself in,
but two of them surely take the cake. Schenley Park has 456 acres of hiking
and biking trails, botanical gardens, and even a golf course! Located within this
park is the "Phipps conservatory and Botanical Garden." Over here you can enjoy
either a Victorian-Style garden or a tropical jungle, all contained within
greenhouses! Or you can even explore their outdoor gardens filled with all
types of flowers, bushes, and trees! Another outstanding park is "Point State
Park." Located in downtown Pittsburgh, the 36 acres and surrounded by the Riverside
and it was even deemed a National Historic Landmark. "Point State Park" is one of
those few places where you can enjoy both nature, city, and history all in one!
Personally, this is one of my favorite biking spots to enjoy the refreshing
breeze of the river, as well as the gorgeous cityscape views all around me.
This park also includes the two remnants of the two of the oldest structures in
all of Pittsburgh. Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne! These two forts commemorate the
struggle of the french-indian war, as well as being a significant battlefield
for the country. These are just a few of the many notable attractions of
Pittsburgh. There are so many more that I could list, but I could only fit so much
into one video. Ah but no travel could be complete without amazing food! Pittsburgh
is certainly diverse with their restaurants. You can get classic American
cuisine, flavorful Argentinian, spicy Caribbean and more! "Butcher and The
Rye" is a rustic American restaurant known for its mouth-watering menus and
award-winning whiskey selection. This restaurant has quite the vintage and
old-school American feel to it. Its saloon style decor certainly displays
this old-world feeling. They have a wide selection of cocktails and amazing
burgers, pastas, and steaks. This is definitely the place to come to when you
wish to kick back with an ice-cold whiskey in one hand and a scrumptious
burger in the other! If you're looking for authentic wood-fired steaks and a
colorful assortment of food then "Gaucho Parrilla Argentina" has your back. Each
bite of their flavor-packed food will make you feel as though you're in the
heart of Argentina. Their menu consists of steaks, delicious sandwiches, crispy
empanadas, camarones, and so much more. If you're craving food that's spicy and
warms you up instantly then check out "Kaya." This restaurant takes culinary
inspiration from the Caribbean islands, South America, and the Pacific. They're
diverse and Tropical menu has made them an award-winning dining spot for over 20
years! The dishes they serve here are from so many parts of the world, such as jerk
chicken, paella, Cuban sandwiches, flank steak stir-fry with saffron rice, red
sangria, and fanguitos. "Kaya" has a vibrant menu that is sure to blow you
away! Philadelphia isn't the only place known for its food, Pittsburgh has so
much to offer in terms of food as well, but I leave that for you to discover.
I decided to do Pittsburgh for my first video because it's truly an underrated
city compared to its big sis, Philadelphia. Pittsburgh only gets around
12 million visitors or less a year, meanwhile, Philly gets around 42 million
every year. That's a staggeringly low number if you
think about how its second most important city in Pennsylvania. Hence why
I wanted to give it a bit of a spotlight this time to show off its natural beauty to
all of you. Thank you so much for watching and please support us by
subscribing, liking, and commenting on how we can improve our videos for you all!
Stay tuned for the next video. We're uploading every week!
Take care! <3