Greetings from the Greatest City in the World!

Hello everyone! If you are checking out this weblog, you are probably a Pittsburgher, a Pittsburgh sports fan, a former Pittsburgher, or just someone I badgered into checking this out to make sure it was working. This weblog is for anyone who is interested in Pittsburgh and all that it has to offer. We will discuss hidden treasures, great restaurants, great activities, positive events, what we love about the Burgh, and what we can do to make it better. No place is perfect, but after living in twelve cities around the country and visiting places around the world, this is my favorite. Of course, it is cold as hell right now, but you can't blame that on the city. This is just a brief introduction today, but we will be pulling in all kinds of valuable and fascinating info about our area. Over the summer, I wrote a book with my star pupil, Heath Curran, called
Pittsburgh, The Greatest City in the World. We will be pulling much of our info from that, because it was a ton of work and we have the research right there. We will try to update at least once per week, and I can't wait to see what everyone has to say. Since I don't have much time at the moment, I will include a list of Pittsburgh's #1 rankings, just as a warm-up. Thanks SO MUCH for your interest. -- Sean (Sean Elliot Martin, Ph.D. / Grandmaster)

Pittsburgh Rankings –

quoted from Pittsburgh, The Greatest City in the World (Amazon.com)

#1 most livable City in America – According to The Economist (2009) and Places

Rated Almanac (2007, 1985)

#1 greatest number of bridges of all world cities (446)#1 Best metropolitan area for

relocating families – Worldwide ERC and Primacy Relocation

#1 best place to raise a family among metro areas in the U.S. – Reader’s Digest

#1 transportation program in the nation to assist seniors and people with disabilities

#1 bike trails in the world – The Great Allegheny Passage Trail

#1 Best Mid-sized City for Art Lovers – American Style Magazine

#1 Poetry Series in the World – the International Poetry Forum

#1 installation art facility in the U.S. – The Mattress Factory

#1 most comprehensive museum dedicated to a single artist – Andy Warhol

#1 traditional amusement park in the United States – Kennywood

#1 riverboat fleet in America – Gateway Clipper Fleet

#1 largest inland regatta in the U.S. – The Three Rivers Regatta

#1 America’s Best Fries and Hot Dogs Original Hot Dog Shop - AOL City Guide

#1 “nation’s best Major League Baseball park” – Pittsburgh Pirates’ PNC Park

(USA Today, ESPN)

#1 "best all-time work of American architecture" – “Fallingwater” (American

Institute of Architects)

#1 bird zoo in the country – Pittsburgh’s National Aviary

#1 largest “green” building in the world – David L. Lawrence Convention Center

#1 most energy efficient conservatory in the world – Phipps Conservatory and

Botanical Gardens

#1 largest Silver LEED-certified green museum in the country – Children’s

Museum of Pittsburgh

#1 “Urban Adventurer” award from National Geographic magazine for outdoor

adventure opportunities available close to a city

#1 Transplant Center in the World – University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

#1 Conference and Exposition on laboratory science in the world – Pittcon

#1 largest and most comprehensive robotics exhibition in the world at the

Carnegie Science Center – Roboworld

#1 largest robotics research center in the world – Carnegie Mellon University

#1 world’s largest “science of sport” exhibition – The Carnegie Science Center

#1 collection of Jurassic period fossils in the world – Carnegie Museum

#1 airport in the country according to J.D. Power – Pittsburgh International Airport

#1 largest vintage auto race in America benefits the Allegheny Valley School and Autism

Society of Pittsburgh – The Pittsburgh International Vintage Grand Prix

#1 largest and most comprehensive inner city sports program for kids in the country –

BIG League Sports of Pittsburgh (Citiparks Summer Magazine 2009)

#1 lowest crime rate for any metropolitan area (Pittsburgh proper and surrounding area)

in the U.S. with over 1,000,000 citizens, according to the FBI

#1 American Football team of all time (six Super Bowl victories including 2009) – The

Pittsburgh Steelers

#1 football fans according to ESPN – The Pittsburgh Steelers fans

WE HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF!!!