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Actor John Venable Falls In Love With Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Sometimes it's possible to be so close to something that you don't realize how great it really is.

From time to time, it takes the eyes of an outsider to remind us what a special thing we have in Pittsburgh.

"I think the question is more what have I not enjoyed. I have been enjoying everything," actor John Venable said.

Venable grew up in Texas, graduated from the same college as "Mean" Joe Greene and said many in his home state only think of Pittsburgh for one thing.

"Texans, when they think of Pittsburgh think of Steelers and that's it. You don't think of it as a travel destination," Venable said.

However, his opinion has drastically changed. For six weeks, he has walked everywhere. He loves when we close the Clemente Bridge for Pirates games.

He has dozens of pictures of the duck at Point State Park. He squeezed in trips Fallingwater and the Pro Football Hall of Fame,

He's even watched the Pirates and Steelers and fell in love with our food.

"I'm going to miss DeLuca's breakfast and the Doorstop restaurant. There's just been a whole lot of great food, great beer. Oh, the Beer Market and Monterey Pub over in the Mexican War Streets.," Venable said.

Venable is in town for an extended run of "Defending the Caveman," but he said when it comes to the arts and theater, Pittsburgh has more options than cities twice its size.

"It's just amazing and all the different theaters that you have and I got to see "Our Town" next door with Tom Adkins and that was just fantastic. So, it's really not what I expected," Venable said.

While Venable will head home Sunday after six more shows of "Defending the Caveman," his love-affair with Pittsburgh will continue from afar.

"I will be telling anybody and everybody that will listen to me that Pittsburgh is a great place to go just to visit, plan a vacation if you are coming up to the northeast, definitely make Pittsburgh one of your stops if not the only stop," Venable said.

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