Welcome to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a city of bridges because it was built at the convergence of two major rivers, the Monongahela and the Allegheny, which meet at the point to form the Ohio. As a visitor to the city the bridges can’t be missed as almost every view from the triangular point faces a river.

To showcase the rivers and in keeping with our theme “Bridging the Centuries, A New Era for Extension” the welcome committee has planned a brief boat trip across the river to Station Square.  Long ago, people came to the site now known as Station Square to meet passengers arriving on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad. Today, people come here to meet people passing through our nightspots and for shopping, especially at  Hometown Sports for Pittsburgh Steeler, Penguin and Pirate souvenirs. Check out the web site: http://www.stationsquare.com.

Nearby Station Square is another unique Pittsburgh attraction, the Monongahela Incline which was built in 1870. Its lower station is across the street from the Station Square's Freight House Building. 

This cable-powered incline was designed for transportation between the river valleys and the communities on top of the overlooking bluffs. At one time Pittsburgh had about fifteen inclines. Today the incline still provides service to Mount Washington for residents and a historic voyage for tourists wishing to sightsee some of the most breathtaking views of our panoramic skylines.

The cars are not self-powered, and do not even have operators on board. Instead, they are pulled up and down the inclined track by a cable driven by an engine in the upper station, where the operator works. The cars operate in pairs, permanently attached to opposite ends of a single cable, with one going uphill and the other going downhill simultaneously. The cars therefore counterbalance each other, so the engine needs to provide only enough power to overcome friction and the difference in the weight of the passengers in the two cars.

This is one attraction you won’t want to miss when you visit Pittsburgh in September.