2016-05-29

【Aiden in English】

        Pittsburgh is a great city in Pennsylvania that is commonly overshadowed by the great Philadelphia. Come to think of it, the City of Champions is just as good if not better than the City of Brotherly Love. Pittsburgh has fabulous architectures and spectacular skyline, as well as the old money and natural resources. Not to mention sports teams that actually are meant to play in the major leagues. In fact, every team in Pittsburgh holds a strong force in its sports league, such as the Steelers who have won six Super Bowls, the Penguins who have qualified for five Stanley Cup Finals, and the Pirates who have a victorious percentage over 0.500 in the World Series. Much better than what our Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies have. Pittsburgh, although a great city of sports, also has a very intriguing location in the US.

        Sitting next to the Appalachian Mountains, the City of Bridges is a gateway to the rest of North America. At the confluence of both Allegheny River and Monongahela River, the Ohio River is formed as the largest tributary. It drains through the city, which then connects to the Mississippi River and the rest of the continent. This place was where Louis and Clark set off their expedition. The area also has many natural resources like lumber, iron ore, coke, and petroleum. Such evidence can be found in the second Industrial Revolution where Pittsburgh was transformed into a town of steel mills, hence the name “Steel City”. The pollution of the time was horrendous, hospitalizing many people as well had been lethal to a few. Nevertheless, money was pouring through the city, and our tour guide George referred to it as “old money” that made Pittsburgh the third wealthiest city on earth back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Pittsburgh, believe or not, is much richer than Philadelphia, since the old money has been carried over and gone unspent for half a century. Many landmarks were built off of this money, such as Carnegie Science Center, Heinz Field, PNC Park, etc. The mangers can buy and sign good players, and with a good team, they require good stores. Our trip included a quick stop at a famous Pittsburgh sports shop, Yinzers in the Burgh, where literally anything you can buy has a Pittsburgh team logo printed on it. Shelves containing cards, mugs, sweaters, t-shirts, caps, water bottles, earbuds, computers, fans, pencils, notebooks, gloves, skateboards, and guitars lined the stone walls, and stepping around became a hazard. The store even had a restroom with many sports legends, such as Jerome Bettis. As we approached the check-out, George engaged in a conversation with the cashier. Apparently, about an hour before we arrived, the store was so packed that many had to wait outside. Unfortunately for the waiters, it started raining. The time of the thundershower was right at the scenic view of our tour. After being trolleyed up a hill by Duquesne Incline, we had a gorgeous look over the Golden Triangle. Of course, the typical mischievous storm cloud blocked the background valleys. I guess Mother Nature was trying to “steal” our fun.

        Pittsburgh is certainly better than it seems. With a large fan base behind a great city of sports, as well as a great view over three rivers, it can surprise many people. The Birthplace of America is our home, but the Steel Nation has many attractions that we will never have.

【红霞译文】

        匹兹堡是宾夕法尼亚州仅次于费城的第二座大城市，这个“冠军之城”一点不比“友爱之城”逊色，建筑美景都市奇葩可谓触目皆是，同时还富含世袭财产及自然资源，其球队屡屡闯入北美职联总决赛，各个实力雄厚，钢人队业已赢得六届“超级碗”橄榄球冠军称号，企鹅队曾经五次摘取“史坦利杯”冰球总决赛桂冠，海盜队在棒球“世界大賽”上获胜率超过一半，让我们家乡的老鹰队、飞人队和费城人队无地自容。匹茲堡的体育辉煌固然提高了其知名度，但得天独厚的地理位置确实为自身发展奠定了殷实基础。

        “山势萦回水脉分，水光山色翠连云。”匹兹堡紧邻阿巴拉契亚山脉，不仅享有“桥梁之城”的美誉，而且是通往北美其它地区的门户。阿勒格尼河和莫农加希拉河经此交汇并形成全国最大的支流俄亥俄河，俄亥俄河穿过城区，最后并入密西西比河，进而连通与河岸各地的交往，刘易斯与克拉克远征便从这里开始。匹兹堡自然资源丰富，盛产木材铁矿砂焦炭石油，在第二次工业革命中大力发展冶金工业，成为遐迩闻名的“钢铁之城”，当时空气污染严重，人们深受其害，住院就医的数量急剧增加，甚至造成几起死亡事件。尽管如此，大量金钱还是源源不断涌入匹兹堡，我们的导游乔治称之为“世袭财产”，正因为雄厚资本，自十九世纪末至廿世纪初，匹兹堡跃居世界第三位富裕城市。不管你相信不相信，匹兹堡真比费城阔气，凭借这些“世袭财产”，它可以吃香的喝辣的，悠哉游哉享受大半个世纪美好时光，不少标志性高楼大厦就是依赖这笔财富建筑而成，诸如卡內基科学中心、亨氏足球场、匹兹堡国民银行棒球场等等。球队经理能够出资招徕值钱的球员，而牛气的球队肯定要开设自己的品牌商店，我们的行程同样包括造访当地一家著名小卖部──“匹兹堡体育用品专卖店”，里面陈列的每样东西都印有匹兹堡球队徽章，沿墙货架上摆满了卡片、杯子、秋衣球裤、汗衫、帽子、水瓶、耳塞、计算机、风扇、铅笔、笔记本、手套、滑板以及吉他，出入这家商铺随时都有交互碰撞的危险。店内有一间厕所，四壁天花板到处都是像吉罗姆·百兹之类的传奇式人物留下的亲笔签字。我们手持礼品正准备付款，其间恰好听到乔治与收银员聊天，原来在我们抵达之前一个钟头，店里店外挤满了游客，可天公不作美，忽然下起了雷阵雨，不能不令服务生大失所望，当时我们正在观光途中。乘坐杜肯电缆车爬上山坡，眼前金三角景致秀美，而远处山谷则乌云密布，我觉得大自然试图“窃取”我们的快乐。

        匹兹堡看上去要比想象中好得多，如此非凡的体育之城必定离不开众多球迷支持，如此别致的都市风情自然少不了三条河点缀，所及这些无一不令世人叹为观止。我们以“美国发源地”自居，其实“冶金家族”许多独到之处都是我们可望而不可及的。