Owning a website is great. I’ve gotten all kinds of things since I took over Blitzburgh. I got a sweet new phone, some solid inroads to NFL online betting if I ever decide to turn my encyclopedic knowledge of special teams into cash, I’ve inherited like 8000 Twitter followers, and I’ve made some really great connections with other sports fans on the internet and in real life.
Most recently, I was invited to join a Pittsburgh Sports History Tour through Pittsburgh Tours & More. They asked me to come along and write about the tour.
So let’s cut to the chase: It was great and you should do it.
The tour started at the top of the Duquesne Incline, overlooking the Point and our beautiful city. Our guides asked us all to introduce ourselves and explain our interest in the tour, which made for an intimate experience in which we all felt comfortable talking amongst the group. There were only about a dozen people there, so it didn’t get too chaotic. We were invited to share stories or trivia about whatever sports history was being discussed, and many of us did. All of the guests contributed to an expertly guided discussion throughout the day by two tour guides who sound like your dad telling you what Bill Mazeroski was like. The atmosphere was tremendously comfortable.
After the view from Mount Washington and an overview of where ball parks used to stand on the Allegheny shore, we boarded a tour bus to get the party started. The drive down from the summit isn’t exactly riveting, so they showed us a video montage of great people and great moments in the history of Pittsburgh sports. Like any good montage, it sends chills down your spine as you recognize the legendary footage and the unmistakable audio of incredible moments you may have witnessed in your life.
From there, and I won’t spoil everything, we traveled through various Pittsburgh neighborhoods, as our guides explained the significance, good and bad, of all kinds of landmarks in all sorts of neighborhoods. We stopped here and there for pictures at places like the site of The Immaculate Reception or the wall from Forbes Field in Oakland.
There were small trivia games along the way, and yours truly won a Steelers shot glass for naming the most quarterbacks from Western Pennsylvania (everyone forgets about Jim Kelly from East Brady). I consider myself something of an NFL history buff (could you tell?) but I still learned things I never knew and broadened myself as a sports fan because of it. And though it’s hardly the defining factor of the experience, the chocolate cake balls they passed out to the guests were phenomenal.
If you have any interest in the history of sports in this city, or even the history of the city in general, as the two are closely tied, you should do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this tour. No matter how much you know about Pittsburgh sports, you can learn some more. You’ll be glad you did.
If sports aren’t your thing, 1. why are you here? and 2. Pittsburgh Tours & More offers other tours of the city covering things like movies, food, and beer! There a lot of great activities these excellent people offer, and you’d being doing yourself a disservice not to consider attending!
Also if you need some regular NFL stuff in this post, Dri Archer is great. You’re welcome.
