Pittsburgh is celebrating its 250th anniversary and, while those of us who live here are well aware of its merits, I wanted to share the sentiments of my grandchildren about the place.

Ellie is 9 and her brother, Paul, almost 7. They have resided only 20 minutes from Orlando, Fla., for most of their lives. Even with a family pass to Disney World, they insist Pittsburgh is far superior to Florida.

Now, I would like to believe that our presence heavily influences this attitude. But they have other, equally doting, grandparents -- in New York City. Despite trips to the Statue of Liberty, Broadway performances and American Girl tea parties, they simply prefer Pittsburgh.

For Paul, the greatest asset here is snow. They've never visited us in winter, but he has seen photos and once someone brought a cooler of snow into his kindergarten classroom. All the children were permitted to create a tiny snowball. Apparently, this created such excitement that he is now insisting his parents schedule a winter visit here.

You'd think a child who has been to one the world's greatest amusement parks numerous times would be jaded, but Paul is crazy about Kennywood. With his little face flushed by excitement after one of the roller coaster rides, he announced, "This is way better than Disney World!"

Ellie is a nature lover. Our hilly back yard with its mature trees is her version of paradise.

She loves to read in our hammock and, according to her, any trees that are big and shady in Florida often harbor nests of biting ants.

We have taken her on a number of trails around our home.

A few weeks ago, our daughter sent us one of Ellie's school assignments. The children were supposed to describe where they would go if a jet could fly them anywhere in the world.

Here is Ellie's choice in her own words.

"Where in the World I'd Like to Go"
By Ellie Handberg

All I can say is, "Out of the mouths of babes."