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The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-First Century
This isn't so much a history of Pittsburgh as it is a biography. Sometimes we're so afraid of what others think, we're afraid to declare who we are. This city is not midwestern. It's not East Coast. It's just Pittsburgh, and there's no place like it. That's both its blessing and its curse.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryEssays
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 18, 2013
Pittsburgh is a fascinating city -- a culturally rich metropolis set amid the steep hills of a region often associated with industrial blight, poverty, and hard times. No doubt it is for that reason that Brian O'Neill calls this portrait of the city The Paris of Appalachia. Pittsburgh is a beautiful, pleasant, eminently walkable city, filled with delightful restaurants and museums and music clubs; the "Paris" reference, in that regard, is not far off. At the same time, it is undeniable that Pittsburgh is located within the northern reaches of the Appalachian region as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Of the 420 counties within the thirteen-state region that the ARC officially calls Appalachia, the only one with more than a million people is Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, home of Pittsburgh. Hence that nickname of "The Paris of Appalachia," which O'Neill reports that "some have called Pittsburgh derisively" (p. 13), has some distinctively non-derisive applicability to this important American city.
The book's subtitle -- Pittsburgh in the Twenty-First Century -- likewise captures O'Neill's intention of conveying life in Pennsylvania's second-largest city at a point in history by which the industrial heritage that gave the NFL Steelers their name is a distant memory.
O'Neill, whose columns have been a staple of Pittsburgh newspapers for some time, draws his portrait of Pittsburgh through a series of vignettes, illustrated with a helpful map of the city's neighborhoods, and with an abundance of photographs that capture both the challenges that modern Pittsburgh faces and the indomitable spirit of its people.
At first, the manner in which O'Neill moves from one anecdote to another seems almost random -- pleasant, but discursive, to the point that one almost starts to wonder why Carnegie-Mellon University Press chose to publish this seemingly non-academic book. But then, starting with a chapter memorably titled "I Love Pittsburgh Like a Brother (and My Brother Drives Me Nuts)", O'Neill incorporates serious scholarship to dramatize the challenges that Pittsburgh faces. Looking at tables of the ten most populous cities from 1910 through 2000, and at population per square mile for those cities, O'Neill points out that, while younger and growing Sun Belt cities can simply annex surrounding areas and thereby move up in population registers, Pittsburgh cannot do so, in large part because of Pennsylvania's arcane state laws. O'Neill also suggests that Pittsburgh's traditionalism, a mindset that has much to do with the citizens' pride in their city, could also interfere with the city moving forward through the 21st century.
Sports fans, fear not: there is a chapter titled "Pirates and Steelers." (As a hockey fan, I was concerned about the Penguins not being mentioned, but Pittsburgh's three-time winners of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup do get a respectful mention near the end.) No book about Pittsburgh would be complete without a mention of the sports teams that are so central to the city's identity.
The Paris of Appalachia is a short book -- only 145 pages -- but is an engaging and perceptive read. Read it the next time you're enjoying a Primanti Brothers sandwich; and if you find yourself feeling sleepy afterward, remember that what's making you sleepy is the heavy, gooey, delicious, French-fry-laden sandwich, not the book.
The book's subtitle -- Pittsburgh in the Twenty-First Century -- likewise captures O'Neill's intention of conveying life in Pennsylvania's second-largest city at a point in history by which the industrial heritage that gave the NFL Steelers their name is a distant memory.
O'Neill, whose columns have been a staple of Pittsburgh newspapers for some time, draws his portrait of Pittsburgh through a series of vignettes, illustrated with a helpful map of the city's neighborhoods, and with an abundance of photographs that capture both the challenges that modern Pittsburgh faces and the indomitable spirit of its people.
At first, the manner in which O'Neill moves from one anecdote to another seems almost random -- pleasant, but discursive, to the point that one almost starts to wonder why Carnegie-Mellon University Press chose to publish this seemingly non-academic book. But then, starting with a chapter memorably titled "I Love Pittsburgh Like a Brother (and My Brother Drives Me Nuts)", O'Neill incorporates serious scholarship to dramatize the challenges that Pittsburgh faces. Looking at tables of the ten most populous cities from 1910 through 2000, and at population per square mile for those cities, O'Neill points out that, while younger and growing Sun Belt cities can simply annex surrounding areas and thereby move up in population registers, Pittsburgh cannot do so, in large part because of Pennsylvania's arcane state laws. O'Neill also suggests that Pittsburgh's traditionalism, a mindset that has much to do with the citizens' pride in their city, could also interfere with the city moving forward through the 21st century.
Sports fans, fear not: there is a chapter titled "Pirates and Steelers." (As a hockey fan, I was concerned about the Penguins not being mentioned, but Pittsburgh's three-time winners of the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup do get a respectful mention near the end.) No book about Pittsburgh would be complete without a mention of the sports teams that are so central to the city's identity.
The Paris of Appalachia is a short book -- only 145 pages -- but is an engaging and perceptive read. Read it the next time you're enjoying a Primanti Brothers sandwich; and if you find yourself feeling sleepy afterward, remember that what's making you sleepy is the heavy, gooey, delicious, French-fry-laden sandwich, not the book.
January 3, 2010
O'Neill is a very good newspaper columnist, and this book reads like it. The unifying theme is his perspective on the city, but beyond this unifying theme it reads like a whole lot of nice snapshots cobbled together. Some snapshots depict the charm and others depict the less desirable aspects. But he's sharp and he definitely understands the place, good and bad. It's an easy read, funny where he wants to be, and thoughtful about the historical and political issues facing the city and region.
In fact, I kind of feel a connection with O'Neill, since both of us are middle aged, and both of us can say we spent half our lives in Pittsburgh, which gives us both an understanding of the city and perspective on what makes it different. (Although he has spent his adult life in the city, where I spent my formative years there, which obviously makes a difference.) And he's even a Pirates fan, bless his heart!
It took de Tocqueville to understand American exceptionalism, so why not look to an outsider to understand Yinzer exceptionalism?
Really though, I liked reading this book for all the good parochial reasons. On that note, I think O'Neill would want me to finish by reflecting on what the typical member of the Pittsburgher diaspora might have to offer in discussing the best strategies for the region's continued social and economic development, so I will oblige.
Go Stillers!
(Sigh. I get homesick sometimes.)
In fact, I kind of feel a connection with O'Neill, since both of us are middle aged, and both of us can say we spent half our lives in Pittsburgh, which gives us both an understanding of the city and perspective on what makes it different. (Although he has spent his adult life in the city, where I spent my formative years there, which obviously makes a difference.) And he's even a Pirates fan, bless his heart!
It took de Tocqueville to understand American exceptionalism, so why not look to an outsider to understand Yinzer exceptionalism?
Really though, I liked reading this book for all the good parochial reasons. On that note, I think O'Neill would want me to finish by reflecting on what the typical member of the Pittsburgher diaspora might have to offer in discussing the best strategies for the region's continued social and economic development, so I will oblige.
Go Stillers!
(Sigh. I get homesick sometimes.)
June 21, 2022
interesting subject, not a massive fan of the writing style. too much like a newspaper article (which is the author's day job)
June 28, 2011
I would not necessarily recommend this book to anyone who has not lived or spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh, but it is an interesting study of the city both from a cultural and from an urban development perspective. Definitely made my heart grow fonder for the old 'Burgh.
September 22, 2025
My new favorite tradition is to grab a book related to the city I'm traveling to, and this was no exception. I picked it up at the oldest of the 26 independent book stores in Pittsburgh. It's hard to describe the otherworldly feeling of that city, but this book does a pretty darn good job at capturing it. I shed a small tear leaving that city and I shed another small one closing this book. This short collection of stories and reflections about the city reaffirmed the idea that I'll be back to Pittsburgh one day :)
January 5, 2012
I thought this book was actually going to make the point that Pittsburgh has things in common with Paris (other than city steps). Oh, you silly yinzer. The title is more sarcastic: Pittsburgh's the closest thing to Paris you're going to find in Appalachia, which ain't sayin' much. Actually the book is kind of a love letter to Pittsburgh, but from a frustrated lover who sees his beloved ruining her life. And it was interesting to learn why we ended up with so many little municipalities in Allegheny County, with a weak, nearly-bankrupt city in the center.
January 8, 2011
He hit the nail on the head. We love the city, but it drives us crazy.
December 28, 2015
Pittsburgh at its finest...
May 24, 2025
This wasn't quite what I expected, and a bit dated, but still an interesting read for anyone who lives in/grew up in Pittsburgh, especially before the influx of tech money and revitalization of Downtown and the city more broadly in the 2010s. O'Neill has the benefit of being both an outsider and an insider - a transplant living on the North Side and writing for the Post Gazette. This makes his love letter to the city feel more authentic and interesting - he's able to better pick out the things that make my hometown such a special place than a native Yinzer with nothing to compare it to or a yuppie transplant not fully embedded in the community.
A lot of the book's early Obama-era policy proposals are dated at this point. There are the typical Stronger Towns conservative YIMBY stuff (more walkable neighborhoods, more appreciation for the city over the burbs, the promise of the Pittsburgh Promise, etc.) - nothing objectionable, but nothing particularly new either. The critique of the proliferation of municipal boundaries and their attendant inefficiencies was interesting - I had never thought about the fact that the City of Pittsburgh is tiny geographically relative to newer Sun Belt cities and the inefficiencies that scale creates. With this in mind, the city of Pittsburgh is actually remarkably dense, even if the greater "Pittsburgh" I spent most of my time in was car sprawl.
The ironic thing is that O'Neill's vision for the city, government reforms aside, has mostly come to pass. Urban areas are gentrifying, young people are moving into the dense neighborhoods, the universities are bringing in young people and relatively affordable housing/network effects are keeping them here in high-paying jobs. But I don't know if 2008 O'Neill would be fully satisfied by the results. The legacy of the UPMC, PNC, and Google crowd is, in my opinion, at best mixed. I often joke that Pittsburgh became "cool" right after (or maybe because) I moved away to college, but while I'm excited to go home to breweries and indie bookstore and streets full of people my own age, I sometimes worry that we lost a lot the friendly, down-to-earth, old world culture that I grew up with. While Pittsburgh is still certainly more affordable than most cities, the longer-term residents who built the city run don't seem to be benefitting from the prosperity that the new transplants enjoy and are being priced out from the urban core. While it's not impossible to be a teacher or a cop or a plumber in Pittsburgh, as it most certainly is in New York, San Francisco, or DC, it's certainly becoming a lot harder. And a city of neighborhoods is still one segregated by race and income. Of course, this might also just be my view from the Yinzer diaspora - just like refugees and immigrants, we tend to venerate an older, simpler era.
O'Neill both venerates and pokes fun at Pittsburghers for being insular, and rightfully so. Let's hope we don't lose what makes the city special in the process of making it better.
A lot of the book's early Obama-era policy proposals are dated at this point. There are the typical Stronger Towns conservative YIMBY stuff (more walkable neighborhoods, more appreciation for the city over the burbs, the promise of the Pittsburgh Promise, etc.) - nothing objectionable, but nothing particularly new either. The critique of the proliferation of municipal boundaries and their attendant inefficiencies was interesting - I had never thought about the fact that the City of Pittsburgh is tiny geographically relative to newer Sun Belt cities and the inefficiencies that scale creates. With this in mind, the city of Pittsburgh is actually remarkably dense, even if the greater "Pittsburgh" I spent most of my time in was car sprawl.
The ironic thing is that O'Neill's vision for the city, government reforms aside, has mostly come to pass. Urban areas are gentrifying, young people are moving into the dense neighborhoods, the universities are bringing in young people and relatively affordable housing/network effects are keeping them here in high-paying jobs. But I don't know if 2008 O'Neill would be fully satisfied by the results. The legacy of the UPMC, PNC, and Google crowd is, in my opinion, at best mixed. I often joke that Pittsburgh became "cool" right after (or maybe because) I moved away to college, but while I'm excited to go home to breweries and indie bookstore and streets full of people my own age, I sometimes worry that we lost a lot the friendly, down-to-earth, old world culture that I grew up with. While Pittsburgh is still certainly more affordable than most cities, the longer-term residents who built the city run don't seem to be benefitting from the prosperity that the new transplants enjoy and are being priced out from the urban core. While it's not impossible to be a teacher or a cop or a plumber in Pittsburgh, as it most certainly is in New York, San Francisco, or DC, it's certainly becoming a lot harder. And a city of neighborhoods is still one segregated by race and income. Of course, this might also just be my view from the Yinzer diaspora - just like refugees and immigrants, we tend to venerate an older, simpler era.
O'Neill both venerates and pokes fun at Pittsburghers for being insular, and rightfully so. Let's hope we don't lose what makes the city special in the process of making it better.
January 12, 2025
- Pittsburgh’s population decline can be attributed to multiple factors:
- The construction of massive highways between and through the city’s neighborhoods during the Eisenhower years leveled neighborhoods and displaced thousands. They also encouraged and made easier moves to surrounding suburbs.
- Pittsburgh hasn’t grown (in land area) in the same way America’s current large cities have. It’s still only about 55 square miles, and that’s hardly changed since 1950. Compare to places like NYC (which annexed the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) and Philadelphia (which in the 1850s significantly increased its land area by annexing the rest of its county) and cities in the Sun Belt (Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego). Expansion has allowed cities to appeal to folks with things like malls, single family homes with yard space, and other post-1960 construction projects. It’s also allowed these cities to expand their tax base.
-Pittsburgh needs immigrants (read: Latinos).
“On the morning our first child was born, I held Curran up to the window high in Allegheny General Hospital, where the Golden Triangle gleamed across the river on a bright, late-winter morning.
I told her, "Girl, that's your city. That's Pittsburgh. Someday this will all be yours."
A nurse laughed and said something like, "I see you have high hopes for her."
She didn't say whether she meant my daughter or Pittsburgh, but in either case, the answer is the same.
I do.” (145)
- The construction of massive highways between and through the city’s neighborhoods during the Eisenhower years leveled neighborhoods and displaced thousands. They also encouraged and made easier moves to surrounding suburbs.
- Pittsburgh hasn’t grown (in land area) in the same way America’s current large cities have. It’s still only about 55 square miles, and that’s hardly changed since 1950. Compare to places like NYC (which annexed the Bronx, Queens, Staten Island) and Philadelphia (which in the 1850s significantly increased its land area by annexing the rest of its county) and cities in the Sun Belt (Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego). Expansion has allowed cities to appeal to folks with things like malls, single family homes with yard space, and other post-1960 construction projects. It’s also allowed these cities to expand their tax base.
-Pittsburgh needs immigrants (read: Latinos).
“On the morning our first child was born, I held Curran up to the window high in Allegheny General Hospital, where the Golden Triangle gleamed across the river on a bright, late-winter morning.
I told her, "Girl, that's your city. That's Pittsburgh. Someday this will all be yours."
A nurse laughed and said something like, "I see you have high hopes for her."
She didn't say whether she meant my daughter or Pittsburgh, but in either case, the answer is the same.
I do.” (145)
January 9, 2023
Maybe a tad better than 3 out of 5 stars, but this was a bit of a misdirect for me. I live in the Pittsburgh area and consider myself a Pittsburgher (go Steelers!). This is more of a read of a small section of the city and not really a history of the city.
Also, I agree with other reviews that each chapter reads like a newspaper article, which the author is for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That in itself is not a bad thing, but due to that, no true depth came out of all of his anecdotes. Some of his kernels of story were truly interesting, but fizzled out because it read like news copy and I was left wanting more.
Two notes of caution:
1) If you want a history of the city, this is just a side piece, not your focus
2) If you are not from the area, this is not as truly indicative of the Pittsburgh culture, citizen, and area as the author may have you believe.
Also, I agree with other reviews that each chapter reads like a newspaper article, which the author is for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That in itself is not a bad thing, but due to that, no true depth came out of all of his anecdotes. Some of his kernels of story were truly interesting, but fizzled out because it read like news copy and I was left wanting more.
Two notes of caution:
1) If you want a history of the city, this is just a side piece, not your focus
2) If you are not from the area, this is not as truly indicative of the Pittsburgh culture, citizen, and area as the author may have you believe.
August 7, 2024
Nice little book about Pittsburgh. As it was written by someone who moved to the city in adulthood (just like me) and settled on the Northside (just like me), it was great to read the anecdotes and stories about what makes Pittsburgh unique.
As for the main argument of the book in that “if Pittsburgh doesn’t merge with all these communities than it will fail”, I disagree. While I concede that clerically the many municipalities cause headaches with jurisdiction and maintenance, I don’t think the answer to Pittsburgh’s woes is to just increase the tax base. Centralizing the tax revenue and the authority to spend it is great for efficiency and getting things done, but that’s only if the people in charge are competent and foresighted enough to do an admirable job. And Pittsburgh lacks that kind of leadership; and the taxes are already too damn high!
As for the main argument of the book in that “if Pittsburgh doesn’t merge with all these communities than it will fail”, I disagree. While I concede that clerically the many municipalities cause headaches with jurisdiction and maintenance, I don’t think the answer to Pittsburgh’s woes is to just increase the tax base. Centralizing the tax revenue and the authority to spend it is great for efficiency and getting things done, but that’s only if the people in charge are competent and foresighted enough to do an admirable job. And Pittsburgh lacks that kind of leadership; and the taxes are already too damn high!
November 6, 2017
This is a wonderful book about Pittsburgh, in particular, the Northside. O'Neill, adds a human touch to his exploration of the history, culture, present, and policy of the Pittsburgh region. He also has great columns in the Post Gazette that are very similar to his writing style in this book. Note, some chapters do read like he pulled them from his columns at PG. But he adds a lot more than just reprinting his PG columns.
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October 19, 2021Brian O'Neill's book serves as both a tribute to his adopted home as well as a blueprint for some of the ails he sees in Pittsburgh. Those are mostly centered around how the city, and its suburbs, are incorporated.
The book is over 10-years-old, so not all of its observations or suggestions are still relevant.
O'Neill was a long time columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, so he needs the city and its woes. His writing is fluid and easy to read.
The book is over 10-years-old, so not all of its observations or suggestions are still relevant.
O'Neill was a long time columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, so he needs the city and its woes. His writing is fluid and easy to read.
January 4, 2024
I love the author’s sarcastic sense of humor and I felt like I picked golden nuggets of knowledge on public policy.
However, it was hard to discern if he made a solid case of selling people on moving to the city. At the end of the book, I felt more turned off from moving there than going into reading this book.
However, it was hard to discern if he made a solid case of selling people on moving to the city. At the end of the book, I felt more turned off from moving there than going into reading this book.
August 18, 2019
An interesting ode to a city I just moved away from.
September 19, 2020
Made me homesick for the Yinzerhood.
September 22, 2024
Learned a little bit about what it would have been to live in Paris
December 21, 2024
If you believe in pedestrian-friendly cities, large-scale annexation, and the Steelers, this book is for you.
March 20, 2011
The author, a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist, obviously loves Pittsburgh. This smallish book can be approached in several ways: 1. as a Pittsburgher, 2. as a Pennsylvania taxpayer, and 3. as a data source. I have lived in Pittsburgh for 34 years and enjoyed his meanderings, warts and all as noted in another review, about Pittsburgh. His political asides relating to the most expensive state legislature, Pennsylvania, in the USA should raise a taxpayer's ire. The author's comparison of Pittsburgh with other large cities, together with a legally mandated restrictive growth process, was enlightening and answers some questions. One can educe from his observations that having non-profits such as universities and hospitals as major job growth engines is a mixed blessing, e.g. they do not pay taxes and, as in the case of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, sometimes act in a contrary manner as when it moves much of its investment portfolio offshore to avoid taxes (this latter point was not made by the author, but was reported in the Post-Gazette). I was born, raised and schooled in Southern California and never in my wildest dreams could I have foreseen living east of the Mississippi much less in Pittsburgh. However, here I am and I, like the author, love it.
May 11, 2010
Brian O’Neill has written a love letter to his adopted city. He’s right, of course. Pittsburgh is manageable, walkable, green, and full of things to do. The hills, the rivers, the bridges, the sports. What’s not to like?
Love isn’t blind, however, and O’Neill notices a few warts. The distinctly 21st-century challenges for Pittsburgh might not be so different from many other political entities, especially those which have lost whole industries and struggled to revive themselves. In other words, the Rust Belt.
A particular irritant to O’Neill includes the overflow of tiny and inefficient communities around Pittsburgh which cannot agree to merge their needs for essential services, a move which would address a lot of financial issues. He longs for metropolitan consolidation. Somehow the rough-and-ready American who once grappled energetically with adapting has a very great difficulty making changes today. Sigh.
Love isn’t blind, however, and O’Neill notices a few warts. The distinctly 21st-century challenges for Pittsburgh might not be so different from many other political entities, especially those which have lost whole industries and struggled to revive themselves. In other words, the Rust Belt.
A particular irritant to O’Neill includes the overflow of tiny and inefficient communities around Pittsburgh which cannot agree to merge their needs for essential services, a move which would address a lot of financial issues. He longs for metropolitan consolidation. Somehow the rough-and-ready American who once grappled energetically with adapting has a very great difficulty making changes today. Sigh.
August 29, 2010
I don't generally read non-fiction, but sometimes I forget that a non-fiction book can still be a narrative. This one tells the story of Pittsburgh, and so my boyfriend gifted me with it as we planned for a trip to his hometown.
O'Neill reveals late in the book that he was originally thinking of calling the book "I Love Pittsburgh Like a Brother (and My Brother Drives Me Nuts)." This title would have been far more telling of the books content. While much of it does make the reader (or at least, this reader) fall in love with the Steel City, O'Neill has no delusions about it. He lays it all out there, the good and the bad, and he does it in a way that's easy and fun to read. It was a nice introduction to Pittsburgh, although I'm guessing it's enjoyable to a native or resident as well, perhaps in different ways.
O'Neill reveals late in the book that he was originally thinking of calling the book "I Love Pittsburgh Like a Brother (and My Brother Drives Me Nuts)." This title would have been far more telling of the books content. While much of it does make the reader (or at least, this reader) fall in love with the Steel City, O'Neill has no delusions about it. He lays it all out there, the good and the bad, and he does it in a way that's easy and fun to read. It was a nice introduction to Pittsburgh, although I'm guessing it's enjoyable to a native or resident as well, perhaps in different ways.
January 14, 2010
This is my current favorite book! I've always enjoyed Brian O'Neill's columns in the Post-Gazette, but I was not an avid follower. However, reading this book may make me one! The book is interspersed with personal stories and facts and statistics. It is extrememly readable and there is much I could personally relate to.
I have now bought 5 copies of this book; one to keep and four that I have given or will give as gifts. Hint: If ordered throught the PG website, one can get a signed copy.
January 15, 2011
I just finished re-reading this book for January's book club. I loved it just as much the second time. I know that Carol and Jackie liked it also; I am anxious to hear what the other book club babes have to say and what types of discussions this book will promulgate.
I have now bought 5 copies of this book; one to keep and four that I have given or will give as gifts. Hint: If ordered throught the PG website, one can get a signed copy.
January 15, 2011
I just finished re-reading this book for January's book club. I loved it just as much the second time. I know that Carol and Jackie liked it also; I am anxious to hear what the other book club babes have to say and what types of discussions this book will promulgate.
October 8, 2010
I really enjoyed this book; it was interesting to learn about how Pittsburgh evolved and the changes that have occurred since the Civil war. I want to visit some of the neighborhoods that Brian O'Neill talks about. I will also look at Pittsburgh in a different light since reading this book; mostly, I will be more aware of how important it is to be grateful for all of the great things this city has to offer, such as its emphasis on the arts, its beautiful architecture and picturesque downtown along the rivers. I also plan on paying more attention to the issues that face this city and its surrounding suburbs. Oh, and his intereviews with some regulars were funny and revealing.
March 12, 2011
I really wanted to like this book, and in the beginning, I did. It filled in little bits of information, things I didn't know about places in the city I've never been. By the middle of the book, though, I kept thinking "OK, fine, I get it, you can walk there." Meanwhile, every time I try to cross a Pittsburgh street on foot, I feel like I'm playing Frogger.
This book was surprisingly full of typographical errors, which someone very helpfully marked in pencil in the library's book.
This book was surprisingly full of typographical errors, which someone very helpfully marked in pencil in the library's book.
October 6, 2013
This book reads like a long editorial about the value of Pittsburgh particularly the North Side where the author lives with his family. But I'm from the east end and live on the South Side so he was praising the wrong territory for me.
Even though the book isn't that old- 2009, I couldn't help be think that it is already outdated- Pittsburgh is still very much in flux and this book didn't seem to allow for continued growth.
Even though the book isn't that old- 2009, I couldn't help be think that it is already outdated- Pittsburgh is still very much in flux and this book didn't seem to allow for continued growth.
December 28, 2013
Starts off meandering, with the first two thirds mainly thin column-type rumination (not surprising, as the author is a longtime Post-Gazette columnist) on how great it is to go to local bars and get snow cones at the local park in the summer. The last third is a really interesting look at some of Pittsburgh's structural problems. That should have been the bulk of the book, with the column-type musings used at sparing intervals.
March 2, 2011
I don't remember who told me to read this but it's excellent so far!....
Loved it. Ok- to be honest- I loved the love letter parts more than the what's wrong parts- but he did a wonder job of walking through the statistics while keeping it interesting. Going to research that foot bridge more- thats some cool stuff.
Loved it. Ok- to be honest- I loved the love letter parts more than the what's wrong parts- but he did a wonder job of walking through the statistics while keeping it interesting. Going to research that foot bridge more- thats some cool stuff.
February 2, 2014
The author knows Pittsburgh very well and as a reporter has spent considerable time thinking about the city. Covers the good and bad of Pittsburgh much of which would apply equally well other other rust belt cities like Buffalo in particular.
March 25, 2014
A fun, light read, written by a local journalist, that gives a good introduction to the Pittsburgh of today. For what it's worth, I have this labeled as academic not because of the writing style or type of book, but because it will likely get used in a classroom.
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