Growing up in a city like Pittsburgh is comparable to telling someone a story and then finishing it with “you had to be there." It’s incredibly hard to cover a childhood of adventure into one story and make people understand. As someone who has spent her fair share of time in the city of bridges I can easily say, with a bias, that Pittsburgh was - well is - the best place to grow up.

Pittsburgh has this unidentifiable charm to it. Outsiders either don’t understand it, or they completely embrace it. Below is a list of my favorite attractions, if you will, that will forever remind me of my home city.

1. PNC Park

Also known as the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is my absolute favorite thing about Pittsburgh. My heart feels content when I walk through the gates of PNC Park on opening day knowing I have a whole season of baseball ahead of me. There is no feeling like the one shared with 38,362 other people who have the same passion for the Pirates.

2. The Strip District

Being in a family that owns a pizza shop meant I spent an incredible amount of time in the Strip District – just about every Saturday actually. We'd typically check out Pamela’s for breakfast before making our way to Pennsylvania Macaroni and Restaurant Depot. On our way home, if we had time, we’d stop at Benkovitz Seafoods for lunch.

3. Heinz History Center

I’m super big on history and interesting historical artifacts, so naturally I frequent the Heinz History Center when I notice a cool exhibit opening up. Just recently there was a World War II exhibit – side note, WWII is my favorite historical period – and I spent a good two hours roaming around reading everything. That’s not the only thing available, though. Other hot spots include a Heinz exhibition, sports history, and storage of artifacts.

4. Carnegie Science Center

I went to the Carnegie Science Center every year for a field trip. During those 12 or so years I definitely picked my favorite spots to hang out, the first one being the SpacePlace. Much like history, I am a huge space buff and being able to explore a walk-in replica of the International Space Station is super cool. The Omnimax Theater is my other favorite attraction. Personally, the Titanic documentary shown there was the best thing I’ve seen. Tons of other exhibits are available for kids – well, maybe even adults, too.

5. Carnegie Museum of Natural History

More history! I’ll be honest, when I go the the museum there is a small part of me that hopes all of the displays and figures are going to come to life just like “Night at the Museum," but sadly I’m never there late enough to find out.

6. The Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium

Much like the Carnegie Science Center, there were dozens of field trips taken here throughout school. Although the zoo is quite large, I spend most of my time being enthralled by all of the aquatic creatures in the aquarium. The zoo really made my day a number of years ago when they unveiled their new shark exhibit - sharks are my favorite fish by the way.

7. The Rink at PPG and Light Up Night

Ice-skating at PPG is definitely something my family and I look forward to every year. Typically we go around Thanksgiving and after we skate we make sure to check out all the Santa Claus displays and gingerbread houses. Is Light Up Night Pittsburgh’s equivalent of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights? Yeah, pretty much. You never really notice how cold you are when you’re packed into a crowd with hundreds of other people waiting for a massive tree to light up. Luckily there are tons of places to get some hot chocolate.

Oh, and yes I put french fries on my salad, call soft drinks "pop," and wear black and gold any chance I get. I would not have wanted to grow up anywhere else and all of this means I get to call Pittsburgh my home and I wouldn't have it any other way.