We and another couple, all about 80, took a day trip from Cleveland to Pittisburgh. I had grown up in a Pittsburgh suburb; their son had gone to Pitt for a graduate degree.
We started with a ride up the Duquesne Incline and lunch in the Steel Mill Saloon. Awesome views of Pittsburgh from the top, with lots of structures new since our time.
The highlight of the day was our “Fire in The Valley” tour up the Monongahela Valley to learn about the steel industry, pass through its historic locations, and see a few remaining relics here and there. George, our tour guide, was about 5 years younger than us. His father had been a truck driver, mostly working the steel industry up and down the Monongahela, often taking son George along and telling tales. George gave each of us a loose-leaf binder full of pictures to hold. As we reached each site, he told us to turn the page and see images of what was once there. We saw so many cool things that I only vaguely knew about during my time growing up near Pittsburgh. We saw locations of everything from blast furnaces to finishing mills for both J&L and USX. We also got a lot of peripheral information about Pittsuburgh. I will never forget the day. A special memory was seeing the repurposed building of a J&L rolling mill, where I knew that a friend's father father had worked.
I will never forget the day. If you get a chance – DO IT!