Spoken like a man who's never been there before. Pittsburgh is actually quite a nice city. It didn't use to be the case, but it's quite difficult to drive through the Fort Pitt tunnels and into downtown and not be thoroughly impressed by the cityscape. I have no particular affinity for the city outside of Primanti Bro's, but you cannot view their riverfront from the Gateway Clipper and tell me it's an ugly city. From the Convention Center to PNC Park to Heinz Field, they have first rate facilities for locals and travellers alike. When you consider the steep hillsides that surround the city and provide wonderful vantage points as well as the ample water flowing through the city, it's hard not to be impressed. They have gone out of their way to make the city more beautiful. Living in Nashville, a city of similar size, resources, and layout, I'd love for us to mimic Pittsburgh as we begin to thoroughly renovate the riverfront as well as several downtown areas.
It's no Sydney, Australia, but the only people that should be calling Pittsburgh ugly should reside in Cleveland or Philly. And their distaste of the city should have little to do with it's actual beauty.