This surprising city was named top global destination by travel expert

Steelers country, let’s ride!

Pittsburgh, the western Pennsylvania home to steel, sports and sandwiches with french fries and cole slaw packed within the bread, is supposedly a top travel destination, says one National Geographic writer.

The newly released “Here Not There” by Andrew Nelson lauds the Rust Belt city of three rivers as an excellent alternative to fecal matter-filled San Francisco — a so-called destination dupe not worth the money or hassle, according to Nelson.

The author also boasted Detroit’s beach scene being comparable to Miami and that seeing a play in Cleveland, Ohio does “match the levels of New York City’s Broadway.”

“For those that haven’t been, Pittsburgh is a revelation — like San Francisco, it’s a mix of forward-thinking technology sectors mixed with some of the most historic and community-minded 19th Century neighborhoods found anywhere. And, of course, hills,” Nelson said, according to KDKA News.

Along with gorgeous views of the city’s promontories showcased on the Duquesne Incline cable car, Pittsburgh is also home to the nation’s steepest street — cobblestoned Canton Avenue.

After all, who needs the serpentine of Lombard Street when you can challenge gravity head to head?

Nelson also praised cultural institutions like the Carnegie Museums and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Pittsburgh also relishes in the honor of being home to the second-best-ranked food festival across the states thanks to Picklesburgh.

Although that’s a big dill in the black and yellow town, locals may suggest hitting the Italian or many other international, renowned markets in the Strip District. The city’s Andy Warhol Museum is another hit as well.

“We have worked hard to position Pittsburgh as a travel destination that will surprise and delight visitors, and this designation showcases our destination’s ability to do just that,” said tourism council VisitPittsburgh’s president and CEO Jerad Bachar.

“Tucked away in the heart of the East Coast, Pittsburgh is a place where tech meets rec, Warhol meets whiskey and unexpected adventures abound.”

Still, for years the steel town has been a sports lovers’ destination beyond seeing the six-time Super Bowl champ Steelers. After all, it raked in $6.4B in tourism bucks during 2023, the TV channel reported.

From April to September, ballpark chasers routinely trek to see one of baseball’s most beloved at the riverfront and skyline displaying PNC Park, home of Roberto Clemente’s Pirates.

Though, unlike outside the Giants’ home of Oracle Park in San Fran, it takes more bravery to kayak in the Allegheny River to try and hawk a home run ball.

Even without Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads to show for it, hockey diehards also get their fill in watching the dynamic duo of Stanley Cup winners Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin with the Penguins. They just haven’t beaten the New York Islanders in a playoff series for over a decade.

Add Duquesne men’s basketball to that citywide hype after they won the school’s first March Madness game since 1969 last month, too.