It started when Mary Schenley donated land for a beautiful wooded park. Soon Andrew Carnegie built a great library and museums nearby. There was a grand hotel, a spectacular greenhouse, and a beloved old ballpark Forbes Field. We visit the Bug Rooms, the murals and Music Hall at the Carnegie...
It’s roller coasters! French fries! And lots of good times! It’s a high-flying, double dipped, screeching, squealing, scream-your-eyes-out documentary about one of America’s greatest amusement parks, Kennywood!
Looking in other people’s houses can be fun. And in southwestern Pennsylvania, it doesn’t matter if you live in a city neighborhood like Friendship or in rural Washington County, you can find wonderful houses not far away that reveal much about the history, the culture and the people in this...
In this sequel to his 1992 documentary Downtown Pittsburgh, Rick Sebak takes viewers on a tour of a twenty-first century Pittsburgh that's both changing and charming.
Remember when Forbes Field was the world’s greatest ballpark? When the Dips roller coaster at West View Park came out to Route 19? When everyone went to the Allegheny County Fair? When streetcars ran all over town? They’re all parts of this warm and winsome program about Pittsburgh’s past,...
Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh looks at some of the things that make the end of the year and the start of the new one special times in Western Pennsylvania. It's a joyous, light-filled celebration of hometown happiness.
Everybody loves ice cream. It’s cool, sweet and delicious. It’s also the tantalizing topic of this happy documentary program that takes viewers to ice cream places across America from Vermont to Hawaii, highlighting outstanding places to get a cone or a bowl. An Ice Cream Show features mostly...
This documentary from PBS travels throughout America in search of the best breakfast places the country has to offer. Along the way, the patrons, employees, and owners of such establishments give their take on what makes for great breakfast fare, and what keeps a customer coming back for more.
Whether you live here, shop here, come to eat and drink here or just enjoy people-watching here, the South Side is an unforgettable place, one of the liveliest neighborhoods around. It’s home to a beautiful old Carnegie Library, a great little pretzel bakery and a number of bars and music clubs...
We celebrate the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Squirrel Hill Tunnels! Looking at history, the ongoing renovation project, and some surprises, including help from Sam Hall, WTAE's traffic reporter.
Covering everything from the Spoleto Festival to Vegemite, the team led by Host and Producer Rick Sebak experienced Melbourne, Australia. They also make stops at Port Fairy in Victoria, and in Hamilton near the Grampian mountains where they met emus, kangaroos, and koalas. The crew returned to...
A celebration of market houses, market places and farmers' markets across the United States. Rick Sebak checks out crab cakes in Baltimore's Lexington Market, shops with a chef in Pittsburgh's East Liberty Farmers' Market and attends a tomato tasting in Asheville, North Carolina. This program looks...
Rick Sebak celebrates his 25th anniversary at WQED by looking at 25 things he likes about Pittsburgh – not his top 25, just 25 aspects of living here that surprise and delight him and make him happy to be a Pittsburgher.
It’s a question with no real easy or definitive answer. There are countless factors that make the Pittsburgh area unusual and charming, distinctive and unique. You’ve got the hills, the valleys and amazing hilltop views. You’ve got three rivers (full of history, Gateway Clipper boats and...
Pittsburgh is often called The City of Bridges, and it's easy to see why. With three mighty rivers and lots of hills and valleys, the area around this city is the site for many outstanding bridges with innovative and beautiful designs. It's one-of-a-kind documentary about people and structures that...
As Rick has gathered interviews for IT'S PITTSBURGH episodes over the last 2 seasons, he has often ended the conversation by asking, "Why do you live in Pittsburgh?" In this program, we edit together many of the responses, and we look at the Experienced Dreamers Contest that challenged...