The letter “Let's work together to better City of Pittsburgh” (April 12, TribLIVE) claims that downtown Pittsburgh is a pleasant and nice place to walk, with many residents going to shops and restaurants.

I worked downtown for 33 years and in the last few years, I have seen the city deteriorate with many stores and restaurants closing. The vibrant downtown I used to know no longer exists; it’s almost unrecognizable.

The writer mentions walking on several streets, finding them crowded and quite pleasant.

I tend to disagree, especially if one walks on Smithfield and Forbes. I only see the homeless, panhandlers and dirty sidewalks. Most of the times, I feel unsafe and am frequently accosted by people asking for money.

While the new, busy Target store is a start, what about bringing back some quality high-end establishments? Downtown today might not be a total disaster yet, but if local leaders don’t intervene, it will become nothing more than a ghost town.

Let’s not worry about bike lanes, but instead concentrate on working together to make the Golden Triangle golden once again.

Samuele Bozzolla

Bellevue

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)