Seeing Pittsburgh as others see us

Pittsburgh's reputation is on the rise; the buzz is building. The recent openings of PNC Park and the Renaissance Hotel, along with a string of high-profile exhibitions at the Carnegie Museums, have attracted national and a smattering of international press attention, adding to a growing pile of positive articles about our fair 'Burgh and the area that surrounds it.

Invariably, once writers realize how much natural beauty, cultural variety and civic amenities the city has to offer and how great the disparity between the living reality and the smoky reputation, the story lines llow a familiar pattern.

Over the last six weeks, for example, Sunday travel sections in newspapers as geographically diverse as the Hartford Courant, Fort Worth Register and Salt Lake Tribune have featured laudatory articles about Pittsburgh.

The Courant headline calls attention as "A revitalized Pittsburgh shakes off its sweat and ash, blooming with confidence." Shades of "Flashdance."

Fort Worth Register readers found out about a "Steel Magnolia," blooming anew "by mining art as it once mined coal and producing museums as it once did steel." The Salt Lake Tribune observed "The New Pittsburgh, Rising out of Smoke and Rust."

In an April 15 article, The Toronto Star called Pittsburgh "one of the most beautiful small cities in the U.S."

The attention to Pittsburgh is by no means limited to newspapers. Magazines are running features about us, too.

Last September, National Geographic Traveler covered a "Steel City Renaissance."

The May issue of Travel Holiday ran a long article titled "Florence, Venice, Rome ... Pittsburgh," which highlighted our high-quality culture. "Sure, you've heard about America's Renaissance City. But who knew it was this good?"

That same month, Pittsburgh was the featured cover story of "Destinations," a glossy magazine for the Motorcoach Travel industry. The article, by local author Todd Erkel, provides an informed, entertaining and comprehensive look at the area, including ambitious itineraries for three-day tours around the city and out into the Laurel Highlands.

Looking through these articles gives rise to a variety of observations.

First, it's revealing how difficult it is to get all the details right. The articles inevitably misunderstand some nuance of local culture or lore. (In a caption to a photo of Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris, one English magazine, Sunday Business, claims the Pittsburgh Steelers "were a source of pride by winning five Super Bowl titles.")

Small errors, out-of-date images and cliches notwithstanding, it's also obvious that the city is exceeding these writers' expectations. While travel articles do tend to shine the best light on a place, it's certainly gratifying to be the subject of so much attention. Paraphrasing Sally Field's gushing Oscar acceptance speech for Places in the Heart, "They like us. They really like us."

People are applauding our culture, our entertainment scene, our cuisine, our topography, our straight-forward ambiance and our airport.

Of course, what they're just learning, we've known for years.

We're also confident that this is only the beginning, as a slate of other high-profile area projects near completion, from the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail to the new Steelers stadium and Convention Center.

Other cultural initiatives in the offing include a campaign to promote the 250th anniversary of the French and Indian Wars, in which this city and area played pivotal roles.

These PR hits haven't occurred in a vacuum.

Efforts to promote the city and its attractions have been building momentum for years, spearheaded by the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Over the last 18 months, the convention bureau's Office of Cultural Tourism, supported by area arts organizations and charitable foundations, have pioneered the packaging and promotion of a string of cultural getaways that combine arts events and area institutions.

These packages are promoted on the bureau's Web site, www.visitpittsburgh. com, along with updated details on happenings at the various museums and cultural venues.

In conjunction with ProArts, the Office of Cultural Tourism is publishing ArtSource, a nifty, bimonthly guide to Pittsburgh's Arts & Culture. Copies of the 30-page guides are placed in local hotels to give guests a sense of what's going on around town. Copies are also mailed to anyone interested. There's a $10 annual subscription for six issues, although individual copies are also mailed for free to out-of-towners.

Along with the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and Alcoa, walking tours of the Allegheny West area of the North Side have been organized. One-hour, guided tours start every Saturday at 10 a.m. (except Dec 8)at Calvary United Methodist Church on Beech Avenue and cost $3 per person. If that time isn't convenient, visitors can get a free pamphlet for self-guided tours.

Also Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., there's a Culture Caravan, a bus which shuttles visitors on two loop routes connecting 18 different museums, galleries and places of cultural interest in Downtown, the North Side and the East End. A pass good for the whole day costs $1.

Also, advertising for Pittsburgh cultural events now appears in regional markets,such as Cleveland, Steubenville, Erie, Morgantown, Johnstown and Altoona.

Most recently, to make it easier for area restaurants and retailers to get on the bandwagon, free kits of "Pittsburgh Shines" promotional materials: posters, buttons, tent cards, bill inserts or tray liners are available at no cost. For information about any of these Office of Cultural Tourism and Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau offerings, call 412-281-0482, Ext. 3133.

Next comes the really hard part: finding a place for all these visitors to park