I’m a total Pittsburgh history buff. I love this city, and one of the things I love most about it is how everywhere you go, everything has a story. From the old steel mills lining the rivers, to the families who have lived in the same neighborhood for 5 generations, to the dinosaurs that pop up in museums and on street corners, everything is steeped in history. More than any other city I’ve been in, Pittsburgh makes its past a part of its present – we remember the way things used to be, and we incorporate that into the way we live our lives today, and the things we plan for our future. In no other city do people routinely give directions based on landmarks that don’t exist anymore. In most places, that would be ridiculous – how do you turn left “at the corner where the Hornes used to be”? But it works for us, because we love to remember.

My favorite thing about showing people our Cityhopper cards is hearing their reactions to the places Erin has drawn. Everyone has a story: one friend just started a new job in PPG Place, with a gorgeous view from one of the towers; another spent 10 years as a docent for the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, giving walking tours that included the County Courthouse. Yet another friend always met her mom and sisters at the Kaufmann’s Clock when they came into the city to do their Christmas shopping. The more people I talk to, the more stories I hear – and with every one of them I love our city more and more.

I want to share this love and history, and these stories, with all of you, so over the next few weeks I’ll be doing a series of posts about the history behind each of our cards. If you’ve got a story to share, leave it in the comments here, or drop me an email. If it’s about a landmark in one of our cards, I’ll share it in my post; if it’s not, you might just be the inspiration for our next card line!