Explore French Creek in Venango County
About a 90-minute drive north of Pittsburgh, in Venango County, there’s a new, beautiful, forested Western Pennsylvania Conservancy-owned nature preserve — great to visit for getting a sense of the French Creek watershed. French Creek is an ecologically important and beautiful stream, whose branches meander from Erie County in northwestern Pennsylvania and from southwestern New …
AMERICA, GASLIGHTER
AMERICA, GASLIGHTER what would you payfor remembering? in the lockdown against deathhow much I loved:night surfingsexy abecedarysilencelaughterthe junkyard warbler a bulldozer’s sleep traumaproof an unknown source sings in my mouthin a dark time broken bell reaching for outer landsvows to seeask how are youhungry reasons for staying *All words in this poem are taken from titles …
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy at 30
When we talk about quality of life in Pittsburgh, we often point to neighborhoods, schools, or cultural institutions. But for me, it begins somewhere simpler — and more profound: access to our parks. Access means different things to different people. For one person, it’s a peaceful morning walk beneath tree canopies. For another, it’s experiencing …
Flying South With A Broad-Winged Hawk
Imagine a migrating Broad-Winged Hawk, crossing Pennsylvania from northeast to southwest. Along the way, steep climbs, dramatic drops, and ridgelines with spinning wind turbines mark its route. Born in a large, unbroken tract of mixed forest, high in a nest of sticks, the bird emerged from one of four eggs incubated for a month, mostly …
My Football Story
Not everyone in this football-crazy city has to have a football story, but I do. And after 41 years here, maybe the time is right to finally tell it. After all, at this time of year, is anyone in Pittsburgh not thinking about football? My story begins just downriver from Pittsburgh, in a little town …
A Man Named Branch: A Great-Grandniece Remembers Branch Rickey
In 1947, filled with courage, skill and determination, Jackie Robinson changed history by becoming the first African American player in the major leagues. But how did this happen? Who thought of this idea for great social change? The answer comes from a man named Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers — and …
Walsh, Harris, Mosley, DiSilvio, Wagner, Jonas, Unico, Agras
Larry Walsh, 84Larry Walsh was a big man with a big heart and a booming voice and laugh, which rang out often. He was a consummate newspaper reporter, covering City Hall and the County Courts for The Pittsburgh Press, seeming to know everyone in town and eager to help young reporters. He was a 6-foot, …
All Aboard! The Burgh Train’s on the Move
After all the success of the NFL Draft, many Pittsburghers wanted to keep the momentum going. And it is. For the past year, Pittsburgh Tomorrow has sought to coalesce a dozen disparate economic development groups, each with its own conference and small pitch competition, into one big conference with the mass and gravity to attract …
The Fall 2026 issue:
What Does America Mean to Me?
On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we asked a group of leading Pittsburghers to consider and answer that question. We thank them for giving their thoughts on this important occasion. MARK WIEDMAN, PRESIDENT, PNC America represents the promise that where you start doesn’t have to define where …
What’s Ahead in the Second Half for Markets?
Editor’s note: We asked a group of leading Pittsburgh-area wealth managers to give their answers to this question: “So far, 2026 has been treacherous for investors. What do you expect for the second half and where do you see opportunity?” DAMIAN MCINTYRE, FEDERATED HERMES Investor outlook in 2026 has been shaken repeatedly by conflicts and …
Glasco’s Biography Examines August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Origins and Voice
In 1918–19 in Zurich, Switzerland, English painter Frank Budgen found himself often drinking wine while enjoying long talks about writing with James Joyce, author of the controversial novel Ulysses. It was during one of those discussions that the self-exiled Irish writer shared his vision on getting the detailed setting of that masterpiece right: “I want …
Pittsburgh Tomorrow
With Pittsburgh Tomorrow turning two years old, a citizen might ask: What is it and what is it doing? I publish this magazine, and I also started Pittsburgh Tomorrow, working with a great team to improve this region’s future. Pittsburgh Tomorrow is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) non-profit funded by Pittsburgh citizens — wealthy people and working …
Mystery and Reverie
“Do not (repeat: DO NOT) attempt to cross the creek during periods of high water. This is a significant waterway and the current can be very strong.” So said the Guide to the Quehanna Trail tucked in my backpack. But exactly how high was “high water”? Yes, it was spring, but it hadn’t rained for …
A Wintry Forest Trail Walk in Lawrence County
About an hour’s drive north of Pittsburgh in Lawrence County, Plain Grove Fens Natural Area is a wonderful place to visit. It’s just a few miles from the Slippery Rock exit off I-79, and once you’re there, you’re greeted with a 400-acre preserve featuring a hiking trail, hardwood forest, vernal pools and woodland stream. The …
20 Years of Interviews
Editor’s note: Since late 2005, we have interviewed many of the most interesting and noteworthy people in our “city-state of Pittsburgh” as my old editor and friend John Craig used to call this area. The number of interviews that have appeared in this magazine reaches well into the hundreds (writer Jeff Sewald alone has interviewed …
No One Claps For The Critic
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.” — Lincoln, First Inaugural Address (1861) I have always felt that the sentence most essential to democracy — and to free expression — is the 1906 quote, often attributed to Voltaire, but …
What’s Ahead in the Second Half for Markets?
Editor’s note: We asked a group of leading Pittsburgh-area wealth managers to give their answers to this question: “So far, 2026 has been treacherous for investors. What do you expect for the second half and where do you see opportunity?” DAMIAN MCINTYRE, FEDERATED HERMES Investor outlook in 2026 has been shaken repeatedly by conflicts and …
What Does America Mean to Me?
On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we asked a group of leading Pittsburghers to consider and answer that question. We thank them for giving their thoughts on this important occasion. MARK WIEDMAN, PRESIDENT, PNC America represents the promise that where you start doesn’t have to define where …
The Future of Pittsburgh History
As the nation marks its 250th anniversary this year, the importance of understanding our shared past has never been clearer. Here in Pittsburgh, that moment of reflection is taking shape in a tangible way, as the Senator John Heinz History Center is set to embark on a major expansion that reflects the organization’s remarkable evolution …
A Crowning Achievement
It’s hard to escape Pittsburgh. Everywhere I go it’s always there, in one way or another. The Statue of Liberty is no exception. At the behest of my 7-year-old grandson, Henry, we booked a visit to climb to her crown. Since the bookings must be made six months in advance, due to her popularity, and …
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