I start every blog a few weeks early, with visions of eloquent prose flowing from my fingertips.  Sadly, my writing and my brain is nowhere near as talented as J.R.R. Tolkien nor have I had as many adventures as Bilbo Baggins.  I had a hard time choosing about what to talk about this week, November was a hectic month for most people and there were a lot of things to talk about. Ultimately I decided to write a little story on a trip I took in November and all that it taught me.

Early in November I got the opportunity to visit Pittsburgh, a city that I have only heard stories from those close to me. Off to the turnpike I headed and had a scary realization that you don’t really leave the turnpike until your destination (so if you are hungry or need gas – plan ahead).  I finally arrived in Pittsburgh on Saturday and went on a full grand tour of the city.  I explored the downtown, enjoyed the rivers, and strolled through the many neighborhoods like Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, the South side, and Lawrenceville.

My knowledge of Pittsburgh was based solely on first-hand conversations as well as articles about its history as well as its future.  There is talk of it being called the next hip (hipster) destination with a great culinary and arts scene, a thriving new hub for the tech industry and medical industry and one of the most livable cities in America.  While driving into the city we passed by small neighborhoods that used to be large economic centers and now are struggling with the decline of industry. My first thought was, who is telling this story of Pittsburg?  It was then I realized how fortunate I am to have this opportunity to tell more of Detroit’s little known or publicized stories.

Comparing my short visit in Pittsburg and to my time living in Detroit is impossible.  These are two very different cities with very different histories.  The similarities that I did realize are; there is more to a city than what media and articles tell you, every city has more neighborhoods than just its downtown (and all are equally as important) and the “success” story of one city does not mean that it is the formula for all.

I have lived in a lot of different places and enjoy parts of all of them – the good with the bad.  Right now if you asked me where would I live if I could live anywhere in the world, my answer would be Detroit.  If the next question is why?  You will just have to move here to experience it for yourself 🙂