Pittsburgh from the Rivers

River tours around Pittsburgh are pretty common.  This is The Point as seen from the headwaters of the Ohio River.  It's nice to have the fountain back; it was out of order for four full years.

 The new skyscraper that PNC Bank is adding to the Pittsburgh skyline is being called "the greenest skyscraper in the world."  It'll only be thirty-three floors tall, but will exceed criteria for a "platinum LEED certified building."  I like the way the rising tower already dwarfs my favorite Pittsburgh skyscraper, the much smaller Arrott Building on Fourth Ave.  Built in 1902, it's only 18 stories.  This view is from the Monongahela River, where the boat ride begins.

 The Duquesne Incline is one of two uphill / downhill passenger trolleys that transports people between Mt. Washington and the downtown area.  It's basically a large street car built on a steep slant, and commuters really do use it.

 A graceful fountain marks the spot where the city began, at the confluence of two rivers that gives birth to a third.  The two greatest empires of Europe once vied for control of this spot, thinking they could use it to launch ships westward into the uncharted continent.  Ironically enough, the only boats here today are pleasure boats.

 The Allegheny County Courthouse, which was once one of the tallest buildings on the Pittsburgh skyline, is hidden away among the knees of taller skyscrapers.  It's the one with the triangular roof that looks vaguely ecclesiastical.

 A rare view from the Allegheny, the river of my life, of my homeplaces, and my childhood.  Like me, the Allegheny drifts down here from up north, but you can sense that its heart is still up in the highlands and woods of its northerly origins... Or am I projecting?

This shot is also taken from the Allegheny River.  The city's tallest tower, the ominously black US Steel Building--which is largely occupied by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center--stands vigil over several of its lesser colleagues: The faded old Gulf Tower is the 30s-looking structure just to the left of the black behemoth.  Much shorter but statelier is the old Koppers Building, with the green roof.  The newish looking silver tower a bit to the right is called One Oxford Center, I think.  It's a loveless, nondescript contribution to the city's skyline that went up in the 1980s.