cool areas to explore in pittsburgh? (Washington, Carnegie: home, neighborhoods, transport)

[ajl777]

i was thinking of doing some photography and exploring the city a little more than i do now outside of certain neighborhoods-hell i even bought the moon guidebook. anyway, what are some cool underseen areas/sites of pittsburgh and the surrounding area?

[BrianTH]

This area is full of interesting areas to explore, so I will just mention one: the Duck Hollow area. It is a little pocket along the Mon across from the Waterfront, with a seawall where people fish, a short trail long the river, a railroad bridge next to a road bridge across Nine Mile Run where it enters the Mon, and a tiny little neighborhood that feels like it was transported from somewhere in Central PA. Here are some directions if you are interested:

LocalHikes - Steel Valley Trail - Duck Hollow

[jmantra]

Ditto to Duck Hollow also check out Panther Hollow lake in Schenley Park.

[ctoocheck]

this question is so incredibly vague.... it depends on what you like. i don't know of anything in particular that is amazing and underseen. Personally, I find old factory towns interesting. fortunately we have about a million. Maybe take a look on Google earth, maybe check the Panoramio photos others have uploaded, you might find something interesting. Really EVERYTHING is interesting in one way or another. who knows what photo ops there might be?

[jmantra]

another place you might want to check out that's near Duck Hollow is Carrie Furnace:

Carrie Furnace - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I believe it can be accessed via the Steel Valley Trail near Duck Hollow


Edit: Also take a ride under the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh, it's quite an impressive structure you have to see for yourself:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Westinghouse_Bridge

[BrianTH]

If you are into old steel mills, bridges, and history in general, I also recommend driving along Braddock Avenue through Braddock to Turtle Creek. Along the way you will pass the enormous US Steel Edgar Thompson Plant, originally Andrew Carnegie's first steel mill. It is also the site of Braddock's Field, where French and Indian forces out of Fort Duquesne defeated General Braddock's British column in 1755 (mortally wounding Braddock in the process--a rear guard for the retreating forces was organized by one Colonel George Washington) AND also a rallying point for the Whiskey Rebellion before it marched on Pittsburgh in 1794. You'll then come around a bend and see the George Westinghouse bridge, a gorgeous concrete arch structure (in fact, at one time the center span was the longest concrete arch in the world). There are Art Deco deep-relief pylons on both ends of the bridge, depicting local history including the aforementioned defeat of General Braddock and Edgar Thompson Works, plus depictions of electricity and the works of George Westinghouse, in honor of the once home of the Westinghouse Electric Company in the valley below (now an industrial park).

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jmantra

Edit: Also take a ride under the George Westinghouse Bridge in East Pittsburgh, it's quite an impressive structure you have to see for yourself:

George Westinghouse Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hah--you added that just as I was making the same recommendation--we must be right!