Ever been to Pittsburgh, PA? There are 456 bridges there!
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
Eugene, Oregon
April 28, 2016 11:49am CST
I have never been there either, but was listening to some interviews on the day of the Pennsylvania primary (Hillary's Big day).
I was quite surprised to learn that this 56th largest city in the US has three rivers and 456 bridges to cross them. The interviewer remarked that all the downtown bridges are painted "yellow." He was quickly corrected by the city official, who said the color was "Aztec Gold," since the downtown area is the "Golden Triangle."
Another fascinating fact is that the first Ferris wheel was designed and built by George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., an engineer from Pittsburgh, using bridge building technology. It was built in Chicago in 1893 for a World Expo.
Cities we have never visited can still be quite interesting and each one has unique qualities.
What cities do you find interesting? I know London, Paris, Venice and Istanbul top my list.
17 people like this
16 responses
@sallypup (57869)
• Centralia, Washington
28 Apr 16
@JamesHxstatic The Tacoma Narrows bridge is my particular nightmare. Not joking.
1 person likes this
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
28 Apr 16
@JamesHxstatic I actually do have bridge anxiety as well. I never realized it was such a thing until a few years ago
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Apr 16
They talked about bridge anxiety too. It is a problem for many.
3 people like this
@Chellezhere (5363)
• United States
28 Apr 16
Nope! I'm from Philly. Our bridges are better (says yours truly, a direct descendant of Pittsburgh's Mayor, Matthew B. Lowrie). 
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Apr 16
Yes, maybe, but how many does Philly have?
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Apr 16
@Chellezhere Makes me wonder how Pittsburgh counts theirs to come up with 456.
2 people like this
@Chellezhere (5363)
• United States
28 Apr 16
@JamesHxstatic, that depends on how many people have had dental work done , and how many footbridges and other smaller bridge types might be around, But, as for major bridges, we have at least 25.
1. Benjamin Franklin Bridge
2. Betsy Ross Bridge
3. Chestnut Street Bridge
4. Gerard Point Bridge
5. Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge
6. Passyunk Avenue Bridge
7. Platt Memorial Bridge (Penrose Avenue)
9. South 34th Street Bridge
10. South Street Bridge
11. Tacony Palmyra Bridge
12. Walnut Street Bridge
13. Walt Witman Bridge
14. Falls Bridge
15. Green Lane Bridge
16. City Avenue Bridge
17. Roosevelt Expressway Bridge
18. Ford Road Bridge
19. Gerard Avenue Bridge
20. Spring Garden Street Bridge
21. Kelly Drive Bridge
22. Vine Street Expressway Bridge
23. John F. Kennedy Blvd Bridge
24. Market Street Bridge
25. Columbia Bridge (Train)
, and how many footbridges and other smaller bridge types might be around, But, as for major bridges, we have at least 25.
1. Benjamin Franklin Bridge
2. Betsy Ross Bridge
3. Chestnut Street Bridge
4. Gerard Point Bridge
5. Grays Ferry Avenue Bridge
6. Passyunk Avenue Bridge
7. Platt Memorial Bridge (Penrose Avenue)
9. South 34th Street Bridge
10. South Street Bridge
11. Tacony Palmyra Bridge
12. Walnut Street Bridge
13. Walt Witman Bridge
14. Falls Bridge
15. Green Lane Bridge
16. City Avenue Bridge
17. Roosevelt Expressway Bridge
18. Ford Road Bridge
19. Gerard Avenue Bridge
20. Spring Garden Street Bridge
21. Kelly Drive Bridge
22. Vine Street Expressway Bridge
23. John F. Kennedy Blvd Bridge
24. Market Street Bridge
25. Columbia Bridge (Train)2 people like this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
28 Apr 16
I love London, Quebec City and yes Pittsburgh. I have been their on press trips 3 times and it is a surprisingly fascinating city with great museum and entertainment and yes, lots of bridges. It is at confluence of 3 rivers and was an important outpost in the French and Indian war.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Apr 16
Yes, it was quite surprising to hear that interview (NPR again).
2 people like this
@sallypup (57869)
• Centralia, Washington
28 Apr 16
@JamesHxstatic I missed that interview. Enough political flap. Give me something besides who said what nasty to whom ever.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
28 Apr 16
@sallypup That was on "Here and Now," a show I try to catch, along with "The World."
2 people like this
@Luke35 (81)
• United States
22 Jun 17
If you have never been to Pittsburgh (or if you have and have never entered the city from the west side), be sure to visit downtown by approaching from Interstate 376 (also routes US 22 and US 30 which join up with it). This is the way you would approach if coming from the airport. In addition to the 456 bridges, Pittsburgh also has several tunnels which cut through the surrounding hills - including the Fort Pitt tunnel which is at the bottom of a steep hill just outside of downtown on I-376.
After you come down the hill and through the tunnel, the entire downtown and all three rivers immediately greet you as you exit the tunnel - extremely spectacular view on a sunny day as you emerge from the darkness of the Fort Pitt tunnel!
There are some videos of it floating around on YouTube, but nothing compares to doing it live.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
23 Jun 17
I have no plans yet to visit, but it was interesting to hear about the bridges.
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
28 Apr 16
Whenever I pee in my stream I am pleased that that water eventually flows through Pittsburgh! :)
We have the starting point of the Allegheny river up here, and it's still a little river flowing through my town. Up north it starts to get bigger. (it flows south, west, then north, west, then south, and then south-southwest until it gets there) If it goes east at all it isn't very far, but it is a multi-directional river!
1 person likes this
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
28 Apr 16
I have not, but my husband visited his brother there a few years ago & said it was a pretty neat city.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306216)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Apr 16
That's great info about Pittsburgh and things I would never have known otherwise. Cities I find fascinating would be Tokyo, Sydney, Paris, Anchorage, Singapore, and Rome. I'm sure there are many more, but those were the first to come to mind.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Apr 16
I would like to visit Pittsburgh some day to visit the Andy Warhol Museum and see the Pirates play,
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
28 Apr 16
Because of their great music scene 's, I am interested in Manchester, England and Austin, Texas.
1 person likes this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
29 Apr 16
I am so not into cities anymore. But when I was travelling with students, it was the smaller cities, like Heidelberg, Salzburg and Les Baux de Provence. You could really get your head around them.
