Getting around in Pittsburgh? (Liberty, Hampton: lofts, hotel, buses)

[robwmu]

I am staying in the Hampton Inn and Suites Hotel on Smallman St, which seems to be close to downtown and less than a mile southwest of the strip. I have never been to Pittsburgh before and plan on checking out the strip, the Penn brewery, and the heart of the downtown area. How does public transportation work in the city? Everything I am mentioning seems to be within a mile or two of each other. Is there a good busing system or subway? Or is it reasonable to walk within the city? I hear it is a great city to walk around in but I am not sure considering where the hotel is at...

Any recommendations are appreciated!

[Maaz]

My recommendation is to just walk. Your hotel is located at the beginning of the Strip District so you're already there, and just a couple of minutes walk from downtown. Seriously, any destination downtown is less than a 15 minute walk, but if you really want to reduce that, you can use the train but that is only good for within downtown and going towards the South Hills. The Penn Brewery is just a matter of walking a few blocks and crossing the 16th Street Bridge. There are also many buses but unless you're going to Oakland, Shadyside, or someplace more than 1 mile away, I wouldn't bother with them. It's much easier to walk.

[suzeeq521]

I agree about walking. Except, I might recommend that you bus to Penn Brewery, as that area isn't particularly pedestrian friendly. Well, most of it is, except the one intersection. I would take a bus to East Ohio Street, just to avoid the intersection of East Ohio and 16th Street (which is kind of the beginning of a highway). I have crossed that intersection before and it isn't fun.

Also, walking it would be a bit of a hike for some folks. It is 5 blocks from your hotel to the 16th Street bridge, then crossing the bridge, several more blocks past the old Heinz plant/the Heinz Lofts, then crossing East Ohio Street. After that, it is maybe just a block more.

Where your hotel is, you are on the border of downtown, as Port Authority sees it. Buses in the "Golden Triangle" are free, from 11th on Penn/Smallman/Liberty to the Point (I'm not sure what the boundary is on the other side of town is.) So, if you find yourself tired or loaded down with packages, grab a bus downtown and take it to 11th (within a block of your hotel) for FREE!

[gallacus]

To aid in your decision on how to get around while in town, try using Google Transit. It is a web page that allows you to type in a start address and end address and it will tell you all the different means of public transportation you can use to get there.

Google Transit