Pittsburgh and Harrisburg Pennsylvania

After a stopover in Columbus Ohio we arrived in downtown Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

We actually crossed in to the state of West Virginia for a short while on our drive to Pittsburgh, three states in one day, might be our record.

What a surprise we parked near the market square and walked all over the downtown area which was well laid out and buzzing with lunchtime workers.

Smithfield Bidge

Station Square

Same bridge builder
as Brooklyn Bridge

We walked across the Smithfield bridge to have a look at the Monongahela Incline. The Monongahela Incline, built by John Endres in 1870, is located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh. It is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the USA. It is also one of two surviving inclines (the other is the nearby Duquesne Incline) from the original 17 passenger-carrying inclines built in Pittsburgh starting in the late 19th century.

Its lower station is across the street from the Station Square shopping complex, and is easily accessible from the light rail system at the Station Square station. Station Square is a 52-acre (210,000 m2) indoor and outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,United States. With 275,000 square feet (25,500 m2) of retail space, it features 65 stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, including The Ampthitheatre at Station Square and the 396-room Sheraton at Station Square.

Pittsburgh is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Baseball) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Football). The Pirates were playing the day we were in town they continued on their winning way beating the Cincinnati Reds.

On July 15, and again on July 18, the Pirates moved into first place of the NL Central. This marked the first two times that the Pirates were in first place this late in the season since 1997.

We stayed at the La Quinta Pittsburgh and headed for Harrisburg PA. We stayed off the interstate and were able to see some of the smaller places along the way. We crossed the Appalachian Mountain range but on the roads here it is hard to tell as all inclines and declines are so gradual. It not until you look behind do you realise how high you have climbed. Directly to the north of Harrisburg is the Blue Mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. Due to the heat haze it really was blue.

We stopped of for a break along the Juniata River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately 90 miles (145 km) long, in central Pennsylvania in theUnited States. The river is considered scenic along much of its route, having a broad and shallow course passing through several mountain ridges and steeply-lined water gaps.

We pulled into the La Quinta in Harrisburg and Ian said, “We have been at this hotel before” he pointed out where we parked last time. I checked the records and yes we did stay here in 2009 the only difference in 09 it was snowy and very cold and in 2011 it was 40 degrees and humid.

Parking space we were in 2009

After a restful night we headed to the Amish country to take a look around. We had been here before but due to the cold we didn’t get to see too much. It was pleasant and they take such pride in their home. All homes had some colour in the garden. Lots and lots of corn they grow it in any clear space even right up to the villages and homes. We visited the farmers market in Bird in Hand,

I tasted many cheeses and meat samples that are made available to to visitors. The food was so good I wanted to buy it all. We settled on a pretzel (me) and tropical smoothy (Ian). The pretzel was good but the smoothly was sensational, the best I ever tasted. It was made with banana, passionfruit, mango and yoghurt. The bakery also had some great pies and cakes, I particularly liked the birthday cake made out of cup cakes. The Cookie Monster was really well done.

We then made the three hour drive to Wayne New Jersey 24 miles out of New York, we are going to have a rest day here before heading into the big smoke’. Looking forward to going to a Yankees game on Monday,