Welcome To Pittsburgh: The Greatest City In America

This morning, I rolled out of bed to a barking puppy ready to piss, an ice-cold cup of Blueberry Muffin Stella Blue Coffee, and to my surprise, a video from RoneDotCom and the man Rone himself ripping me to shreds for my choice of Pittsburgh as my favorite American City.

Titled Bad Takes from Good People and tagged the podcast Bold American Pod, for which I am the producer (subscribe please), the legendary battle rapper, content creator, prankster, and father of two dissected my pick line by line, bar by bar. The wise would advise me would be to shut up, agree, tip my cap to the goat, and move along. Fuck that though, I picked Pittsburgh for a plethora of reasons and I'm here to defend the wall.

I know going into this and as I type understanding that Pittsburgh is CLEARLY not an obvious choice to the question "Favorite City In America?" but to be frank, the answer is opinionated and subjective. You could ask 1,000 people that and get back 1,000 different cities in return. My answer is skewed to my memories of that city. I could've picked San Diego, like our co-host Rob did, simply for the fact that I lived there for 6 years and enjoyed every second in the 20-minute city, but I'd be lying. I fucking love Pittsburgh and here are some reasons why I chose it as MY favorite city in America.

P.S. The look on Rone's face when he hears Pittsburgh come out of my mouth is hilarious.

The first thing Rone goes at me for is pointing out that Pittsburgh has a beautiful baseball stadium. I've only been to 4 baseball stadiums in my life, Comerica Park in Detroit, Oracle Park in San Francisco, Wrigley Field in Chicago, and PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Of those four that I've actually been cheeks in seats for, PNC Park is by far the most beautiful.

You could argue it's 1A and 1B with Oracle but not me, no way. Overlooking the Allegheny River, Pittsburgh's downtown skyline, and the historic Roberto Clemente Bridge you find yourself frequently distracted by the pure unfiltered scenery that's been painted behind the park for you to enjoy. It stands as an apology from God and the city itself because the Pirates are an absolute embarrassment of a baseball organization so taking in the views helps you deal with the disaster taking place on the field. Seriously though, Bob Nutting needs to figure it the fuck out before he wastes any more of Paul Skenes career. There may be 29 other stadiums to watch a baseball game but if we're not considering the on-field product and basing it off of scenery alone, I'm picking PNC Park 10 out of 10 times.

Now onto my second point where my bias kicks in even harder. Heinz Field.

Again, the location and scenery surrounding (Acrisure Stadium) Heinz Field is second to none. Whether you want to trek through the city of Pittsburgh and get yourself some merch on Steeler Ave or along the river right up to the stadium, the choice is yours, and you won't be disappointed. I'm a lifelong fan of the Steelers and as that carried into adulthood, I've made memories in that city and stadium that will last a lifetime.

My first game in Pittsburgh, I was on leave from the Navy to attend it with my Mom who's also a die-hard for the Black and Yellow. It was a week 17 overtime victory against the Browns with our backups in and Michael Vick under center. The gentleman seated to my left that day was a part of Steelers Nation Unite and after chatting all game helped my mom and I sign up and get access to the field post-game. I kneeled at the 30-yard line and whimpered like a child then lay in the endzone staring at the Pittsburgh stars recognizing how blessed I am to be a fan of the greatest Football team in NFL history.

Since my first game, I've been to a late-season game every year. I usually attend the Terrible Tailgate and have become friends through Twitter with Kevin Adams. I've met Le'veon Bell and Brett Keisel, both Steeler legends. I attended Ben's last home game, shedding tears while Najee broke away to bury the Browns, screaming THANK YOU BEN as 7 circled the stadium for one last wave goodbye to the Yinzer faithful. Every experience I've had in that stadium holds a memory I'll never forget.

Hell, I even root for the Penguins and Sid The Kid because the Black and Yellow color scheme has become synonymous with happy feelings and good vibes for me.

A few ancillary things I love about the 'burgh would be a sandwich from Primanti Brothers, stacked high with slaw, french fries, and spicy sausage. Taking a railway up Mount Washington to take in the view and see the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers connect as one. Finding one of their few dive bars that still allow ripping darts inside, and though I don't smoke cigs, having one anyways because that shit hits different. Having a Steel City Brew and listening and appreciating the Yinzer accent of the ole boy next to me talking about nothing. I find joy in how much Yinzers love their city and its history.

"Pittsburgh's got character, Pittsburgh's got steel, Pittsburgh creates real Americans with thick ankles who can down pints of Beer. There's great fucking bars in Pittsburgh." -Adam Ferrone

Brother, you made my point for me. Everything you said there is accurate, why I love that city, and why it's my favorite city in America.

I'm not sure if Rone remembers, but we've had beers after The Dozen Trivia while stuffing straws in PFT's pockets in Chicago. So I propose a trip to Pitt, we can rediscover why Yinzer culture is the best there is, and why Pittsburgh is the greatest city in America.