Walking in Pittsburgh

I set foot on the North American continent with excitement. The delay of the plane did not have much impact on me. The moment I got off the plane, the great plains outside the window reminded me of the story of Columbus's discovery of the New World hundreds of years ago. Who would have expected that a land that was almost uninhabited hundreds of years ago would now be dotted with modern cities?

Pittsburgh is the destination of my trip. I will be doing a two-month vacation internship at Carnegie Mellon University. This is a city with profound cultural heritage and a population of 300,000. It is not as noisy as the New York metropolis, nor is it as quiet as the American countryside. Andrew Carnegie seems to be the soul of this city. The former steel king has left a deep mark on this city. There are also Carnegie Museum and the world-famous Carnegie Mellon University in the city. Standing on Mount Washington, overlooking the intersection of three rivers in downtown Pittsburgh, you can see all-steel bridges, which seem to tell the glory of the former steel city.

Similarly, walking along the streets of Pittsburgh, you can always feel the city's traditional industrial development in the past. From time to time, you will encounter buildings converted from former factories on the roadside. No wonder some people call Pittsburgh a "dated" city. The former pillar industries are gradually withering away, and the vitality of the city is disappearing. This glorious heavy industrial city has to face transformation.

The history of urban development in the United States is a history of competition, and there have been many cities that failed and perished in the competition. Fortunately, that didn't happen in Pittsburgh. With the successful implementation of a series of policies by the city government, the curtain of Pittsburgh's transformation has gradually begun. The primary issue in transformation is to control smog pollution caused by coal consumption. The Smog Control Ordinance was passed in 1941; the subsequent establishment of two citizen organizations, the Allegheny Community Development Conference and the Joint Smog Control Council, as well as the vigorous promotion of Mayor David Lawrence, enabled the ordinance to be effectively implemented. The gradual elimination of the smog that has filled Pittsburgh for decades will have a profound impact on Pittsburgh's future development. Subsequently, Pittsburgh began to develop in the direction of diversified economy. First, it further cultivated the original service industry; second, it created high-tech industries that were small in scale but more competitive; third, it vigorously developed cultural industries.

Among them, the high-tech industry created through close cooperation with universities impressed me the most. The two research universities of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University closely link high-tech research with Pittsburgh's economic and social development, making the city radiant with vigor and vitality. The extensive establishment of the University of Pittsburgh Health Medical Center (UPMC) has made Pittsburgh an international center for medical research and clinical treatment. When walking in downtown Pittsburgh, you can often encounter branches of UPMC, and from time to time, medical vehicles belonging to UPMC will drive by. . Carnegie Mellon University has become an international leader in computer science and robotics research.

Thanks to these measures, Pittsburgh's economy gradually recovered and successfully transformed. This also contributed to President Obama's decision to host the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh in 2009 to show the world a powerful model of transformation.

Pittsburgh is one of the safest cities in the United States. Its level of public security management gradually allowed me to dispel my concerns about safety and enjoy my comfort. On the way to the laboratory every day, you are always accompanied by blue skies and white clouds. When you pass by the Carnegie Library, there are many people sitting on the lawn reading books and newspapers outside the library. Occasionally, people running and exercising will pass by you on the quiet boulevard. , and you are just carrying your schoolbag and marching towards your destination in a rhythm.

This relaxed rhythm is also reflected on the road. There is no shortage of cars in Pittsburgh, but there is rarely a rush to get to and from the road. When encountering an intersection, vehicles will slow down or even stop to observe the road conditions; when they see pedestrians crossing the road, they will stop long in advance and wave friendly to pedestrians to pass. Smooth and orderly traffic also makes everything around you appear more orderly.

I was even more impressed by the enthusiasm of the people who followed the rules.

Once I went to the post office at Carnegie Mellon University to send postcards. The staff member was a middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a beard. When handling business for customers, he always talked in a positive tone and said A few jokes are inserted from time to time, and the customers naturally enjoy the whole pleasant process.

Another time we were on the bus heading to Mount Washington with our friends. We were going to follow the instructions on Google Maps to climb the hill. When we asked the female driver when we would get off the bus, she signaled We took the wrong route! After arriving at the terminal, she got off the bus herself and took us on the tram. She told the tram driver that we were lost and asked him to take us for free and get us off at the correct stop. Just like that, we took the tram back for free for the first time in the United States.

Every time I go shopping in a supermarket and after paying, the clerk will always say "Have a nice day!" No matter how big or small the job is, everyone is full of love and confidence in their work. and satisfaction, thereby bringing people around you into a good mood. Last weekend, a party was held in the house where we lived. People in the whole house contributed their own food and showed off their craftsmanship. Everyone enjoyed the food and talked about various happy topics.

During my internship, I also went to New York to experience the prosperity of the metropolis; I also went to Washington to appreciate the power of the political center. But if I were to live there, I would still choose Pittsburgh. Now it has been perfectly transformed, bringing me an ideal city life, prosperous but not noisy, with residents living and working in peace and contentment, and the economy thriving. Nowadays, Pittsburgh focuses on the comprehensive development of the city instead of simply pursuing economic indicators. This has also provided many cities in China with a reference for the "from heavy to light" transformation.