Western PA Road Trip – Part 1: Pittsburgh & Flight 93 National Memorial

There’s just some places that will never make my short-list of places to visit. Not necessarily because they’re bad, but because they have to compete with places like the Sierra Nevada, Wind Rivers, the CDT, the CT, and all the western U.S. national parks for that matter… Enter in Pennsylvania. It is such a place… not a place I dislike or have no interest in, but a place that just can’t compete with everything else on my bucket list. So when a work conference would be bringing me to Pittsburgh, I cued up my obsessive researching to see what I could get up to in two and a half days of personal travel after the conference. Here we go, five National Park Service units (including hitting my 100th at a place with a personal connection), a state high point or two, and all the Marriott-branded hotels (which isn’t a thing I really care about, I just thought my list needed three items!).

April 27-29, 2026
Pittsburgh was the destination for the conference I was attending, and it surprised me by ranking “up there” with the best cities I’ve had to travel to for work! The downtown area provided great restaurant options (always important!) and it was easy to walk to various sights. There were two main non-work activities my coworker and I did: the Duquesne Incline and Point State Park.

A panoramic view of Pittsburgh featuring a red funicular railway descending a hill, with the city skyline and waterways in the background. — The stereotypical view of Pittsburgh featuring downtown, The Point, and the Duquesne Incline

The Duquesne Incline is a 149-year-old funicular railway (a type of cable car) originally built to help transport cargo up and down Mount Washington, part of the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh (not to be confused with the really big Mount Washington in New Hampshire).

Originally steam powered, the Duquesne Incline was designed by Samuel Diescher, a Hungarian-American civil engineer based in Pittsburgh, and completed in 1877. The incline is 800 feet (244 m) long, 400 feet (122 m) in height, and is inclined at a 30-degree angle. Its track gauge is 5 ft (1,524 mm), which is unusual in the United States (but standard in Finland, Russia, and Mongolia).

Exterior view of the Duquesne Incline building, featuring a green wooden facade and a prominent red sign, with an American flag in the background.

Only two inclines still exist in Pittsburgh, with the Monongahela Incline being other (which is just a short ways from the Duquesne Incline). We took an Uber to the upper station, and enjoyed the famous view over downtown Pittsburgh. Then we boarded to ride the incline down to the lower station, where the fare is collected (as of 2026, it is $2.50 each way per adult).

Close-up view of a decorative ceiling with embossed gold panels and an artistic light fixture. — The lovely tin ceiling in the incline car!

Initially, after riding the incline down, we were going to walk back to our hotel, but the bridge was closed off. So we took a ride back up the incline, which was nice as we got the car to ourselves so we could enjoy the views better.

View from inside a funicular railway station, featuring a steep track leading uphill with a red train car on the right and greenery in the background. — The view from the lower station

A view from above featuring a red incline train descending towards a river, surrounded by green trees and a city skyline in the background. — One our way back to the top!

And from here… we took a 3-mile long urban walk back to the Westin, in the dark. My favorite part is when my coworker eagerly headed down the dark, overgrown staircase leading under an overpass, ha! Overall, it never seemed too sketchy and we made it back safely. And, we got to walk underneath the Monongahela Incline! I probably should’ve had better shoes on than brand new Birks, but then again, I had no idea we’d be walking back to the hotel.

The next day I suggested finding a restaurant close to our hotel, and then walking out to Point State Park, also known as “The Point” in Pittsburgh. This small state park marks the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers, creating the Ohio River. The park also includes the outlines and remains of two of the oldest structures in Pittsburgh, Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne. Unfortunately, nearly all of the park was closed during our visit, but we were still able to walk on the path along the rivers and visit the fountain area. (I am not sure why there was the closure… the NFL Draft? The Pittsburgh Marathon prep? No idea.)

Colorful oversized caterpillar decorations on a grassy area with trees and string lights. — Ogua, the river monster!

A colorful sculpture named Ogua, representing a river monster, with a sign describing it as a friendly character that slithers through the park. The sign encourages people to touch it and provides information about the artist and its inspiration. — Ogua, the river monster!

View of a river with a bridge in the background under a cloudy sky during sunset, featuring reflections on the water. — I was a little sketched out to be walking so close to the murky water! I’m too clumsy for things like this!

A sunset view over a river with reflections on the water, featuring a bridge in the background and a large stadium on the right. — Treated to a lovely sunset!

View of a hillside featuring a funicular railway track ascending through lush greenery, with buildings in the background, and a large advertisement sign. — Caught a view of the Duquesne Incline

Scenic view of a bridge over a river at sunset, with reflections in the water and a vibrant sky. — Looking across the fountain at Point State Park

A bronze seal embedded in the ground, depicting the 'Point of Confluence' with stylized representations of land and water, marked by the surrounding text. — Point of Confluence marker

Hilly landscape with lush green trees and a Gothic-style church tower in the background during twilight.

Graffiti on a concrete pillar with motivational text that reads 'There will never be a right time. Stop waiting. Start doing.' — Underpass wisdom

A view of a hillside with a funicular railway, shops, and buildings at the base, surrounded by dense greenery. — The Monongahela Incline

Close-up of light purple flowers with brown centers on a branching stem, surrounded by green leaves. — A lovely Princess Tree in bloom

A life-sized decorative raccoon statue in a garden, surrounded by mulch and greenery under a cloudy sky. — Art’s Landing, a newly opened four acre park. Sadly it started raining on us, so I grabbed this quick photo before dashing back to the hotel.

To round up Pittsburgh part of this blog, I must highlight two of the great restaurants we ate at! First up is Nicky’s Thai Kitchen, which we ate at shortly after arriving (and before the big urban hike) with our friends from Indiana.

A colorful plate of seafood stir-fry with vegetables, garnished with an orange slice, served on a patterned dish, with additional dishes in the background. — I ate well in Pittsburgh!

A platter with four small dishes of various dips, including a creamy spread, a hummus-like dip, a yogurt-based dish, and a spiced grain salad with tomatoes, accompanied by stuffed grape leaves and a bowl of flatbread. — I ate well in Pittsburgh!

For my favoritest, Christos Mediterranean Grille is where stumbled upon into on our second night. I fell in love! Seriously, I could’ve swam in a pool of the hummus, and adopted Christos as my Greek grandpa! We split the cold combination appetizer for two, which included the said delicious hummus, plus pita bread, taramasalata, tzatziki, stuffed grape leaves, and tabouli. For my entree I got the chicken kebabs, which came with rice and a Greek salad, along with a side of potatoes “that are my grandmother’s recipe,” according to Christos. To top it all off, even though we were stuffed full of food, Christos convinced us to order a slice of his famous Onassis cake, which is made from “rice flour, four eggs for fourteen slices, light honey, and cinnamon!” It was amazing cake, very airy and light. I was so happy we found this place to eat at!

April 30, 2026
The final day of the conference was a half day, and before long I was headed towards the airport to pick up my rental car for two and a half days of exploring western Pennsylvania! I ended up with a Mazda CX-5 with Ontario license plates. Thank goodness my speedometer was in miles per hour (unlike the rest of everything… I set the climate control 18 degrees and decided that felt good enough for my American self)! All that was left to do was accomplish the two hour long drive to the Flight 93 National Memorial, the first place to kick off my road trip. Can we just lament for a moment about how it takes forever to drive anywhere on the east coast?! Two hours can get you 160+ miles down the road in Wyoming. The best I could do this day was barely 100 miles… I digress. I still cannot believe I managed to live three years in New Jersey…

A woman stands in front of the Flight 93 National Memorial sign, with green grass and a cloudy sky in the background. — Flight 93 National Memorial, NPS unit #97 for me! I debated my usual entrance sign selfie, as some units it doesn’t seem appropriate to take one (Manzanar National Historic Site is an example for me). Obviously, I decided on the selfie for Flight 93.

Under gray skies and chilly winds, I arrived at Flight 93 National Memorial, located outside of Shanksville. Usually I feel a sense of excitement when arriving at a new NPS unit, but overall I was somber.

The Flight 93 National Memorial is a memorial built to commemorate the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was one of four aircraft hijacked during the September 11 attacks in 2001. Of the four aircraft hijacked on September 11, 2001, United Airlines Flight 93 is the only one that did not reach the hijackers’ intended target, presumed to be either the United States Capitol or the White House, both in Washington, D.C.

I was a senior in high school just shy of my 18th birthday on 9/11, so I have incredibly vivid memories of the day of and the days after. I lost a classmate in the Iraq war that followed. Being almost an adult, I knew life before, and life after, remembering the time when you could just wander about the entire airport without being a ticketed passenger and just wander across the border with Mexico and Canada without a passport. So being at the crash site of Flight 93 stirred up a lot memories and emotions for me, including ones I didn’t even know I had.

A pathway leads between two large concrete walls with a grassy area on one side, under a cloudy sky. — Heading to the visitor center from the parking lot. In my opinion, this is a beautifully designed NPS unit. This path represents Flight 93’s flight path.

After scowling at the rambunctious 8th graders on a field trip and using the restrooms, I headed to the visitor center where I purchased some postcards and a patch. I then asked the ranger to confirm my plans of walking the two trails, which he seemed surprised I wanted to do because of the wind. I then looked at him and burst out crying, squeaking out, “I was a senior in high school.” I can’t explain it, but I hardly doubt I was the first to do that in front of him. The ranger was so kind, sharing a bit of his experience in the aftermath, and listening to me blabber on about the thoughts in my head. He had his talk to do with the 8th graders in the exhibits, which he invited me to join. I declined (I actually skipped looking at the exhibits all together, though I am sure they are fabulous), and headed to the windy solitude of The Allée in an effort to collect my thoughts and emotions.

Signage at an outdoor area displaying directions and information for the Visitor Center, Memorial Classroom, restrooms, and trails, with a cloudy sky and green landscape in the background. — The signage is plentiful and easy to follow

The Allée is a 1.2-mile trail which starts at The Flight Path walkway alongside the Visitor Center. Lined with Red Sunset maple trees the Allée passes the 40 memorial groves and continues over the wetlands bridge. The trail reaches the focal point, the crash site, and the debris field of Flight 93.

A winding gravel path through a grassy landscape, flanked by young trees, under a cloudy sky. — Heading down The Allée through the memorial grove

A modern, minimalist concrete building set against a cloudy sky and grassy landscape. — Looking back up towards the visitor center

Close-up of a tree trunk featuring a large, green lichen growth with a blurred grassy field and cloudy sky in the background. — I will always find a lichen to photograph

A Canada goose walking through a grassy field scattered with dandelions. — … And geese. I always find a goose to photograph.

A winding pathway leading to a bridge over a wetland area, surrounded by green vegetation and under a cloudy sky.

Curved walking path along a river, surrounded by green fields and cloudy skies.

The Allée ends at the Memorial Plaza, which is also accessible by car. This plaza includes informational signs about 9/11 and Flight 93, and leads out to the Wall of Names, where the seven crew and thirty-three passengers are memorized in a row along the flight path to the impact site.

Signage welcoming visitors to Memorial Plaza, with a map and information about the site, surrounded by greenery and a paved walkway. — Arriving at the Memorial Plaza

A sign at a memorial site referencing the September 11 attacks, featuring an image of a large smoke cloud in the sky over a rural landscape with farm buildings. — Informational signs dot the Memorial Plaza, explaining the events of 9/11

Informational sign detailing the events of September 11, 2001, including flight paths and timelines of the terrorist attacks in the northeastern United States. — Informational signs dot the Memorial Plaza, explaining the events of 9/11

A wide view of a memorial site featuring a long, sloping stone wall, surrounded by grassy areas and trees under a cloudy sky. There are empty benches positioned on a concrete path, inviting contemplation and reflection.

Flight 93’s impact site is marked by a boulder, and the area is closed to the general public. As I approached the area, I noticed four or five deer grazing near the boulder. It gave me pause. Nature marches on, and the deer see nothing but a silent meadow with some darn good grass to eat, unaware of the fiery tragedy of twenty-five years prior.

A deer grazing in a lush green field with a backdrop of trees in various shades of spring foliage. — The boulder and deer

Names engraved on a marble memorial wall in a solemn outdoor setting. — Wall of Names

A scenic view of a memorial site featuring a wall inscribed with names, a paved walkway, and a cloudy sky overhead. — Wall of Names, and the last bit of the flight path to the impact zone.

To wrap up my loop, I took the Western Overlook Trail back towards the parking lot. This trail gains elevation, but switchbacks gently.

The Western Overlook Trail highlights the location where the family members of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 first viewed the crash site after September 11^th, 2001.This 0.7-mile trail extends from the Memorial Classroom restroom facilities to the Wall of Names.

A modern architectural structure made of concrete and metal sits atop a grassy hill, under a cloudy sky. — Looking up at the visitor center observation deck

Close-up of two dried thistle flowers with spiky textures standing in a field with green grass and a cloudy sky in the background.

My little hike was 2.14 miles total with 187 feet of elevation gain. Luckily the rain held off, and I just dealt with a cold wind. I honestly liked that the weather fit the mood!

I had one last stop to make, and that was at the Tower of Voices, which is located near the entrance. This is a 93-foot tall structure that has forty wind chimes installed in it, one for each victim. I think I read somewhere that it takes wind speeds of 10-12mph for the chimes to ring, which fortunately I had on this day. I listened for a bit, but was overcome with an eery feeling after not too long.

A tall, modern concrete tower standing on a grassy hill, with a walkway leading towards it under a cloudy sky. — Tower of Voices

Whew. What an NPS unit. Not everything can be majestic alpine mountains in the park service, that is for sure. But I am very happy I was able to visit, even if I cried no fewer than three separate times.

I was going to be based in Somerset for two nights, so I headed on the short drive to Fairfield Inn. The sky ended up clearing, and the sun peeked out which was nice to see (I thrive on sunshine!). I ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday (I love me a salad bar), before settling in to plot the next day’s adventures. The next day would be a doozy, so stay tuned!