My Parting Wishes for Pittsburgh
Long exposure of Pittsburgh downtown skyline and Roberto Clemente bridge, on a sunny afternoon, as viewed from North Shore Riverfront Park, across Allegheny River.
With this column, I’m wrapping up more than 45 years as a working journalist. I’ve been covering various beats and serving in various editorial roles in Pittsburgh for 40 years. I won’t dwell on how much the local news landscape has changed since I first arrived in 1985.
I will stress, however, how important it is to have strong, local journalism in our community. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “Oh, I hit the paywall, so I don’t know what’s going on.” At Pittsburgh Magazine, our web content remains free and accessible, but our print magazine is subscription-based — and every bit of support helps us continue producing exceptional journalism.
Point Park University’s Center for Media Innovation just hosted its second annual Newsapalooza, a festival celebrating local journalism that underscores the vital role it plays in building informed communities.
As I head into retirement, I’d also like to share a few wishes for how we can make Pittsburgh an even better place to live. Yes, the Steel City has earned global attention — named by two major travel guides as a top destination for 2025 and 2026. But for those of us who call it home, here are my hopes:
Lower the parking fees Downtown. With all this effort underway to bring more people Downtown, the garage and meter rates are way too high, especially during special events. Who wants to pay $35 or $40 to park in a garage — on top of paying for dinner and a show?
Increase and improve daily Amtrak service to Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; and New York City. And now that we have a new airport terminal, let’s expand our nonstop flights to more destinations.
Open a Wegmans within the Pittsburgh city limits. Sure, there’s one coming to Cranberry in 2027, but why does Butler County get all the good stuff?
Open an authentic New York deli with New York bagels.
Open more small boutiques Downtown to enhance the mix of retail that is sorely lacking since the major department stores closed.
Ask our incredible research institutions to come up with a more durable type of asphalt that prevents the creation of so many potholes.
Speed up the rehabilitation or replacement of bridges. The Fern Hollow Bridge over Frick Park was replaced in a year. It can be done. The Charles Anderson and Panther Hollow bridges — linking our universities and hospitals with the eastern neighborhoods and suburbs — deserve a higher priority.
That’s it for now. Thanks for all of your support and please keep reading!
