G20 Descends on Pittsburgh

I decided to take half a day off to go to downtown Pittsburgh to view some of the activities and the scene as Pittsburgh hosted the G20. I was in Boston and NYC the previous two days as the Summit started ramping up. I must say, this is one of the best events Pittsburgh has ever held. Yes, from a civic pride point of view, the Steelers and Penguins winning championships this year helps a lot. But for bringing business into the city, nothing helped more than this summit.

In both Boston and New York, people talked with me about how they saw all the reports about Pittsburgh on CNN and heard on NPR. Local radio talk shows discussed how Pittsburgh is "shining and transformed." The evening news brimmed with how "green" Pittsburgh was. For the past two decades, Pittsburgh has been trying to shatter the image of the smoky town; it was done in two days of the summit. This is the beginning for Pittsburgh.

The town welcomed everyone - even the maligned protesters (who did cause some mischief, but nothing close to Seattle's WTO or the last G20 in London). I went downtown to see the People's March and see downtown. It definitely was in a "militarized" state. Huge gates, humvee's, and military kept you far away from the Pittsburgh Convention Center. 1000's of police in riot gear lined the only free roadway that the People's March were coming down. It was quite a site, and I am glad I was there. I even managed to go into te North side and take video of the entire processional, which I posted on youtube.com

Pittsburgh is thankful for this opportunity to host the world. Carla Bruni of France said, "I wish I could stay a few more days in Pittsburgh." I know it is her job to say such things, but still, the words were repeated by so many. I am prideful in these few days. A certain romanticism has arrived to the image of Pittsburgh, and it will be thought of as a leader in so many venues going forward.