Long exposure of Pittsburgh downtown skyline and Roberto Clemente bridge, on a sunny afternoon, as viewed from North Shore Riverfront Park, across Allegheny River.

I had never heard this description of Pittsburgh:

“Pittsburgh is a lot like going on a blind date, and when you get there, you find out your date is Robert Redford.”

That was made in 1991, when Redford, of course, was the Hollywood heartthrob of the era. It was pushed by two of Pittsburgh’s “image doctors” from the former Greater Pittsburgh Office of Promotion, who had come to Washington, D.C., as part of a multi-city tour to promote this “most livable” and “most listable” city.

I stumbled on this information when reading about the recent death of Mary Kay Poppenberg, 85, a dynamo who was the former president and CEO of that Office of Promotion. In that role, she launched a major fundraising effort to get the Pittsburgh Film Office off the ground — to attract more movie and TV production to the region.

On that trip to Washington D.C., Poppenberg and a colleague were seeking as much positive publicity as possible. A Washington Post reporter, who interviewed the duo, described their mission as an attempt to “plant a seed in someone’s mind that Pittsburgh is not the shambling, smoking, polluted, crime-ridden, trash heap of a city from hell you thought it was, if you thought about it at all.”

Wow. It was clear that Pittsburgh in 1991 was still the butt of jokes — and a hard sell. But today, there are so many positive advances to publicize about the Steel City. We’re on the cusp of hosting the NFL Draft that will bring up to 700,000 to a rapidly reinvented Downtown. We’re becoming a hub for AI innovation and energy — and we’re about to open a sparkling new airport terminal.

Pittsburgh Magazine strives to cover all aspects of the city, and our Visitors Guide this month, beginning on page 26, spotlights some of the lesser-known attractions that bring depth and richness to our region.

I’m embarrassed to say I’ve visited only three of them. It’s exciting, however, to know there is a lot more to see and do as the city continues to transform. We hope you’ll be inspired to do the same.

Also in our August issue, we’ve used a new survey company to compile our list of Top Dentists, which you’ll find on page 57. Because so many practices have incorporated cosmetic services, we no longer highlight those specialties. In our print edition, we list the dentists’ names and their practices or town; you can find their addresses, phone numbers and websites by using our QR code or visiting pittsburghmagazine.com/top-dentists-2025.