Explore PA hits the ‘Burgh!

Of all my travels on Explore PA, I was most excited to finally visit the city of Pittsburgh. Since moving to the Chester County area over 13 years ago (yikes!), I have made many friends who originally hailed from Pittsburgh. And when these friends talked about home, I always sensed a great sense of pride for Pittsburgh. Of course, much of that pride surrounds their beloved sports teams, but even as a die-hard Philadelphia fan I can respect what it feels like to love your city.

What I really loved about Pittsburgh was the neighborhoods – in fact, it reminds me a lot of my original hometown of Boston. From the Downtown Cultural District to Little Italy in Bloomfield, Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods give it a small-town feel in the middle of a metropolis.

A few of the places I enjoyed were the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and PPG Aquarium – both were really impressive. But what I enjoyed the most was a behind-the-scenes opportunity to feed Zebra sharks at the PPG Aquarium! It was such a cool experience and likely a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pet and hold a live shark!

Of course, the theme of this particular Explore PA episode was a Pennsylvania Homecoming reunion in Pittsburgh. Specifically, we highlighted the 50th high school reunion of St. Benedict’s Academy. And what a delightful group of ladies and Pittsburghers we were able to meet. The ladies were all graduates of St. Benedicts who had returned to the area for the 50th reunion. I only hope I am as energetic and excited for my 50th high school reunion!
After visiting I can now understand first-hand why someone would be proud to be from Pittsburgh – it has a lot to offer in a nicely packaged city.