Pittsburgh

The sleek skyline of this university town unfolds along the confluence of the three rivers of Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela. A city that underwent a cultural renaissance after World War II, Pittsburgh was known for its booming steel industry that flourished through the sixties, only to collapse in the following decades. A few vestiges of the city's steely past still manifest in landmarks like the U.S. Steel Tower, a vertiginous skyscraper that compellingly reminds one and all about its once-thriving industry. Unfazed in the wake of its steel industry's unfortunate decline, Pittsburgh moved its focus to other industries and services like education, medicine and technology. Today, Pittsburgh's diverse cultural scene is fueled by eminent universities like the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Mellon University that draws students from around the globe. Pittsburgh also hosts an eclectic array of architecture, from turn-of-the-century stone structures and government buildings, to semblances of Gothic Revival architecture immortalized in landmarks like the Heinz Chapel and the Cathedral of Learning. Besides a colorful history and a volatile industry past, Pittsburgh boasts of a wonderful cultural milieu that spans a vibrant arts and music scene, a bevy of museums, a riveting culinary tenet and an undying passion for local sports.