One day in Pittsburgh (Washington, Carnegie: hotels, neighborhood, theater)

[maestro]

Hello all,

I will be heading to Pittsburgh on Saturday 6/30 for a day of sightseeing. I will be with my mom (in her 60s), my wife and my 9-month old baby daughter.

So what should we do/see? We'll be there all day and we'll get a hotel somewhere for Saturday night (any recommendations on hotels?) and I don't really have any ideas of things to do. I assume we'll do one of the Inclines, so I'm not sure which one is better to do.

Please help!!! Any itinerary suggestions is greatly appreciated.

[Shenandoah]

I don't know what your budget is for the hotel, but I can recommend a great one, central to everything in the city - the Pittsburgh Marriott Station Square. It's in walking distance to the inclines, to Station Square, to the T (trolley system in and out of the city), Mt Washington, Gateway Clipper boat ride tour of the rivers, as well as walking paths, entertainment, lots to see and do right there in one day right there. Take one of the inclines up to Mt Washington, and walk to one of the overlooks. Fantastic views of the city. Beautiful in the evening, too! Take one of the boat tours, such as either the Just Ducky tours, or the Gateway Clipper. Take the T into the city, all the way to the end at Gateway Plaza, and walk over to the Point, where the fountain is at the meeting of the 3 rivers (Monongahela, Allegheny, Ohio). Walk to Fort Pitt for a historic view of the 1700's Pittsburgh where this was the Gateway to the West.

Too bad you only have one day, but this will give you a taste for your next visit.

blessings, Shen

[guylocke]

Yes the marriot in station square is an excellent choice. And for dinner, you can take the incline up in the evening to Mt. Washington and have dinner (can I recommend Monteray Bay - make reservations!). The incline at station square actually won't be the incline that takes you to the dining on mt. washington so you will have to walk about 15 minutes - but I've done that many times and on many dates.

Shen already gave you good suggestions, the Just Ducky tour is really cute. For dinner I would recommend heading to the Penn Pilsner German Club on the north side of town for a truly unique dining experience. Another Pittsburgh establishment is a small chain called Atria's and there is one at PNC Park where you can sit outdoors and it's a very nice place at a reasonable price.

The Carnegie Museum is a world-class museum and the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aq. are also really spectacular. I imagine the Frick Gardens are breath taking this time of year.

One thing you may consider doing is heading to Shadyside and shopping on Walnut Street. I have friends from Baltimore that LOVE doing that. It's also a Pittsburgh tradition and something very interesting to see.

Or - go to the Strip District. I'm sure you've heard of this. Too bad you can probably only chose one or two things of out that list.

[NewBurg]

I would agree with everything boylocke said, except for shopping on Walnut. That is certainly a nice street with good shopping, and I've walked through there many times myself, but there's nothing uniquely "Pittsburgh" about it. It's like shopping at the mall, except it has a nice urban feel to it. The stores include J.Crew, Banana Republic, Gap, GNC, Pottery Barn. I like a couple of the unique coffee shops and there's a cool card store there, but otherwise there's not much new to see there that you couldn't find in any other city. While in Shadyside, a would more highly recommend Ellsworth Ave shopping, though it's not as built up yet. There are interesting vintage clothes stores and galleries. For something else unique, I would recommend walking around Squirrel Hill and checking out the shops and restaurants there, or maybe going to the Southside along Carson. The strip district is definitely a good choice for uniquely Pittsburgh shopping and breakfast, though it's mostly open-air food markets and restaurants.
Just my two cents, though others may disagree.

[Hopes]

I hate the Marriot in Station Square. The times I've been there the walls in the rooms had holes in them, the walls needed painted, and the carpeting was stained. It's appears to be a common party hotel where people trash the place. It's a run down dump by comparison to the other hotels in the city.

I personally like the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel on 6th street.

As for things to do, what do you like to do?

[guylocke]

Hopes could be right - I haven't stayed there in probably 6 to 8 years - but when I stayed it was nice. A lot can change in that amount of time.

There is also the Omni William Penn, that is a REALLY nice place to stay. The Holiday Inn express on the South Side is really nice, too, believe it or not.

[Hopes]

The Omni is okay, but it's so dated. The Renaissance is pure elegance though. It was renovated in a modern fashion; whereas, the Omni still has an ancient infrastructure. I prefer the William Penn for Sunday Brunch rather than staying there. Speaking of Sunday brunch, I recommend the William Penn or the Grand Concourse in Station Square.

[Katarina Witt]

The South Side, esp Carson St. is nice, but I was just there last week and noted it is very "chainy" as well. The first place we saw as we entered from the west was a Starbuck's.

With a nine month old, as I'm sure you know, you won't be able to do as much as you could by yourselves. (Don't worry, it gets easier in about 10 yrs or so!) You will probably have to schedule some nap time in the motel. I would pick a side of town to explore, then maybe drive through some of the other places.

[guylocke]

I would agree with everything boylocke said, except for shopping on Walnut

if shopping and dining on Walnut isn't a Pittsburgh tradition, I don't know what is. Like I said, I have friends from Baltimore that LOVE doing it because they say "omg it's like a trendy shopping area right in the middle of a cute little neighborhood!" They have many little shops and boutiques that are the only places to find those stores in Pittsburgh including American Apparel. *drool*

It's a very unique place, indeed.

[Pitt Chick]

The Renaissance Pittsburgh would be my choice also... but then when we come to town, it is for theater and galleries. The Renaissance has us in the thick of things for that.
Oh, the Pirates are in town 6/30. You can just walk right across the bridge to the ball yard if you are at the Renaissance.

MY choice for a German restaurant would be Max's Allegheny Tavern (and get the hot pretzels for your appetizer!).