What I have always loved about Pittsburgh, and what I didn't really learn or fully appreciate about if until I left, is that it is one of the few cities that is very much it's own place.
What I mean by that is that has an unusual amount of traditions and customs and cultural attributes that are unique to the region and its people. Some of them are campy, some of them are annoying, and some of them are wonderful, but Pittsburghers simply do not care.
We have a lot of highly unusual sayings and slang terms. We have a bizarre accent. We do things without thinking about them that the rest of the country would crinkle their noses over.
I remember bringing a college girlfriend from Indiana to a wedding here and her being completely disgusted by a fire hall wedding and a cookie table. She thought they were both tacky and ridiculous. She's probably right. I didn't care though, because I'm from Pittsburgh and that's what you do here.
There are not many cities like that and it really is a major part of our culture and appeal.
Other cities that I found to be like that, very much their own places, include New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Milwaukee. Like Pittsburgh, the people in those cities don't really care about the outside world's view of them and that mentality serves them very well. There are others too but those are the ones that immediately spring to mind during my travels over the years.
