Ambassador C.C.'s "It’s An Uptown Thang!" Ride

Uptown is a beautiful neighborhood in the Pittsburgh area that is southeast of the of the Central Business District and bordered by the Hill District and is close to Oakland and the Southside. This is the home of Duquesne University and Mercy Hospital and numerous other businesses. Uptown is filled with artists, university students, entrepreneurs, old-time residents, non-profits, and is a transforming community. The bike ride began in Uptown on Forbes Avenue and Stevenson Street, near Mercy Hospital and the Local 4 Fire Station. We checked our bikes, put our protective gear on, and off we went.

From Stevenson Street and Forbes Avenue, we rode to 5th Avenue past PPG Paints Arena and headed towards downtown Pittsburgh. Our first stop was on Second Avenue and Ross Street where we visited “The Legends of Pittsburgh” mural. This mural shows notable players from the city including members of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Josh Gibson of the Homestead grays. This mural is located underneath the Blvd of Allies at Ross Street and Second Avenue.

After viewing the mural, we rode down the Blvd of Allies, past Point Park University and made a stop at the PPG Place, better known as, “The Crown Jewel of the Pittsburgh Skyline”. PPG Place is in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh and is a 40 story office building that is made of all glass. In the plaza of PPG Place, houses a beautiful water fountain. This water fountain has 140 columns of water accented by underground multi-colored lights. It is beautiful at night!

From PPG Place, we rode past the Wyndham Grand Hotel and entered Point State Park. Point State Park is located in downtown Pittsburgh in which thousands of people visit every year. We rode around the perimeter of the Point and stopped at the fountain. The fountain is at the tip of the Point and serves as a station for the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile hiker-biker trail. We decided to stop and enjoy the cool breeze and take some pictures. From the Point, we rode up Forbes passing Duquesne University (Home of the Dukes) and ended back in Uptown. The bike ride was a fun and the weather was beautiful! While we faced some challenges along the way, we made it and rewarded ourselves with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory!