An Urban Hike through Pittsburgh

After a cold, rainy week, yesterday's weather was downright balmy for January (65°F, 18°C). We took a 10-mile hike through Pittsburgh: South Side, the Point, and Mt. Washington, then returning to the South Side.

We started on the South Side and took the GAP/River Trail to the Point. This is the Liberty Bridge across the Monongahela River.

A view of the Fort Pitt bridge as we crossed the Mon on the Smithfield Bridge.

The Fort Pitt Bridge from the Point. Entering Pittsburgh through the Fort Pitt Tunnel displays one of the most dramatic cityscapes in the world. It's a total surprise the first time you come through -- even better if it's at night. (If you can't get to Pittsburgh in person, you can see this view in the 2012 movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower.)

From the Point, we walked across the Fort Pitt Bridge (didn't know you could do that!) to the Duquesne Incline. (An "incline" is a "funicular" for those who are more familiar with European terminology.) The next post will be about the two inclines on Mount Washington.

A view of downtown and the Mon River from the top of Mt. Washington. The yellow bridge is the Fort Pitt Bridge. The next bridge to the right is the Smithfield Bridge. It really is a spectacular view.

A view down the Mon from Mt. Washington. The left-most bridge is the Smithfield Bridge, followed by the Panhandle Bridge (trolleys only), the Liberty Bridge, the 10th Street Bridge (yellow), and the Birmingham Bridge (blue) in the distance. A coal barge is heading downriver.

A view the South Side from Mt. Washington. The Liberty Bridge is in the foreground.

St. Mary of the Mount is a prominent feature of the Mt. Washington skyline.

The owners of this duplex couldn't agree on a color scheme, so it's divided right down the middle.

Look closely, and you can see that this is one of Uber's self-driving cars -- the sensors are mounted on the roof of the vehicle. Pittsburgh is the test site for Uber's efforts in this field.