Pittsburgh: The City That Holds On

Every skyline has its storms, every street its small mercies.

Somewhere between the glint of sunlight on glass towers and the slow shuffle of traffic beneath, Pittsburgh quietly shapes you. This past year drew me here more times than I ever expected — first with Bella’s long ICU stay and all those days in rehab, then again when Tabby suffered strokes and started her own journey of recovery. The hospital halls, the late drives home, and the comforting promise of coffee in the Strip District have stitched the city into my daily life. Sometimes, the city feels like a companion when the hours get heavy, offering fierce resilience and gentle grace, all wrapped in steel and sunlight.

There’s a rhythm here that carries you through both triumph and trial. I’ve watched fireworks burst over PNC Park, heard the roar at Heinz after a Steelers touchdown, and felt the hush of concert crowds waiting for the Eagles or Kenny Chesney to take the stage. Each moment feels brighter in this place, whether it’s a field trip with my kids, new discoveries in old neighborhoods, or the familiar drive up Mt. Washington to catch the skyline shining back. Yet, for every celebration, Pittsburgh has been witness to deep struggle, too. Some days you lift your spirits with a good meal in the Strip, other days you’re just grateful you made it back across the river.

Pittsburgh teaches a kind of perseverance that doesn’t ask for applause. It’s found in weathered faces, silent prayers, strangers sharing directions, and the strength of family simply showing up again tomorrow. The transformation happens slowly, like rust on your favorite truck or the steady thrum of tires on wet pavement — you don’t notice until you’re through the worst and realize the city helped you hold on. Loving Pittsburgh means reckoning with its contrasts: celebration set against conflict, light against shadow, all of it reflecting off glass and water with stubborn hope.

This week, write about a place or memory in Pittsburgh that stayed with you. Maybe it was a landmark, a quiet street, a day that began in hardship but ended in relief. How did the city’s spirit help you through? Which moment made you feel at home, or reminded you to keep going?
Write for yourself, not perfection — what did the city teach you about holding on? Where do you see the mercy in its streets?

Sometimes, just making it to sunrise is the biggest win. In Pittsburgh, every day feels worth showing up for — rain or shine.