Mrs Benn

I love visiting the United States. However, while I know some parts of the country very well, there are others with which I have a much more limited acquaintance. I’ve been to Boston many times, but in general, my knowledge of the North-East coast of the US is poor. Work took me to Pittsburgh in November, and I was delighted to be able to get to know America’s “Steel City” a little better.

Pittsburgh and Sheffield both have iron in their souls. In 1740, Benjamin Huntsman developed the crucible process in Sheffield, the first method for the mass production of high quality steel, thus paving the way for the industrial revolution. However, steel remained expensive, and was generally used to manufacture comparatively small items such as cutlery (something for which Sheffield is reknowned) until In 1856, Henry Bessemer patented an inexpensive process for the mass-production of steel. Bessemer’s process involved passing air through molten pig iron to oxidise carbonaceous contaminants. The trick was to pass just enough air through the molten iron to reduce the level of contamination to the required level while leaving sufficient carbon to yield high quality steel.

However, when Scientific American published an account of Bessemer’s patent, Pittsburgh-born inventor William Kelly wrote angrily to the editor to protest that he had in fact invented the process first. Foul play was alleged: Kelly claimed that Englishmen had seen his process and taken his ideas home with them. The truth or otherwise of these allegations I am not competent to judge. Kelly filed a patent for his process in 1857, but became bankrupt in 1857, and had to sell his patent.

The Bessemer process was widely licenced in the United States, with one of the earliest mills being established in Pennsylvania to produce rails for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Subsequently, Andrew Carnegie visited Bessemer in 1872, returning to establish a steel mill in Pennsylvania and building what eventually became the Carnegie Steel Company. The Carnegie name has a long association with Pittsbrugh, through Carnegie’s philanthropic works, including the establishment of Carnegie Mellon University and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

I took a week’s vacation after my week’s work was completed, and spent four days in Pittsburgh before travelling to Lake Erie, to spend a further four days at the Lake Erie Gala, an annual event for transwomen. For the week that I was working, the weather was unseasonably warm – the sweaters that I had packed were not needed. But for the week that I spent on vacation, the weather was unseasonably cold. Fortunately I had brought some warm sweaters and I was able to layer up and stay warm. Outside it was very cold indeed! On the first day of my vacation, I took the bus over to the base of the Duquesne Incline, a famous funicular on the south side of Pittsburgh that rises 122 m to afford views of the city. I battled through icy winds, but on arrival I discovered that it was cash only if you wanted to buy a ticket. In the UK, cash has virtually disappeared from our lives; I use contactless payments everywhere. So this was a bit of a surprise in the land that pioneered plastic! I never made it back because the weather remained bitter and it was a little bit of a trek by public transport. But if I ever make it back, its something I must do! At the top is a large sign advertising “Iron City Beer” so I guess that’s an encouragement…

I spent the following day in the Andy Warhol Museum, a really fabulous gallery showcasing the work of Pittsburgh’s most famous artist across several floors. The exhibits included installations like the wonderful floating silver pillows pictured above and of course many of Warhol’s extraordinary paintings.

The Museum was packed, this being a weekend. Despite many adventures in various parts of the world, one is never entirely sure what to expect in a new city. However, I had no cause for any anxiety; the folk in the Warhol Museum were warm and friendly. Several women offered to take my photo, when they saw me attempting to take selfies when selfies were plainly a challenge; I was complemented on my sweater (it was perfect for the freezing temperatures!) and shoes (“Those are cute shoes”; “They’re incredibly comfortable”; “Well cute and comfortable don’t usually go together”). It is an endless source of encouragement to me, in times when the “War on Woke” seeks to create division and conflict focused on people who do not conform to the Standard Model, that there are so many people who are not remotely offended by a t-girl out and about; far from it, they seem only too willing to extend the hand of friendship and acceptance. Thus, my interactions with the good people of Pittsburgh were heart-warming and affirming.

Pittsburgh has some charming neighbourhoods. I spent a lovely day wandering through The Strip, exploring all the small stores, so full of character, and enjoying the architecture. One doesn’t normally associate brickwork with the Unitied States, but of course the East Coast contains some of its longest established cities. Many of their older buildings were constructed in a time when brick was a more common construction material. I particularly enjoyed the No. 7 Engine Company (above) and the Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. Inc.

From the Strip, a short bus ride took me to Shadyside, which despite its name, proved to be a well-to-do suburb, with a charming main street lined with stores, cafes and restaurants. Terraced housing is very common in British cities, but is comparatively unusual in the US, in my experience. However, Shadyside offered a varied range of properties, some dating back to the end of the nineteenth century, including the fabulous terrace pictured at the top of this post, with timber houses cheek-by-jowl with brick constructions.

The following Wednesday I took the Greyhound bus from Pittsburgh to Lake Erie to attend the Lake Erie Gala, which is held there every year. This proved to be a fabulous occasion. The event was small, being based in a single hotel on the shore of Lake Erie, but the size of the Gala made it an intimate occasion that provided plenty of opportunities to meet new people and to make friends. I found the American t-girls in Lake Erie to be wonderfully warm and welcoming, and I am extremely grateful to them for the way that they welcomed an English visitor in their midst. It was good to be reminded how similar so many of our experiences are as t-girls, even though we might be separated by thousands of miles. It was also lovely to meet face-to-face a few people who I had only known previously through the medium of the internet, like the very lovely Christy Avery, pictured with me below at the 20s-themed Gala Dinner on the last evening.

On the Friday evening of the Gala, an excursion was planned to a local amateur theatre. By now, it was snowing heavily. I wondered whether the bus that had been booked to transport us to the theatre would make it back through the snow. The locals called this “lake effect snow”: heavy falls resulting from moist air passing over Lake Erie encountering the cold land at the lakeshore. In Buffalo, not so far up the shore from Erie, about 5 ft of snow fell. However, our driver was ready for the challenge and the bus made its way slowly through deepening snow. As I stepped out of the bus I realised that I had come in strappy heels, and if the bus was unable to make it back, I would also be well and truly stuck…Fortunately our driver was up to the challenge and there was no emergency.

I had a great time with my American sisters in Erie; I hope I can attend the gala again sometime.