what to do all day at the Pittsburgh air port? (York: rent, hotel)

[k011185]

I'm flying into Pittsburgh mid-november in the morning, but am not getting picked up til 5pm.
Normally I'd just hop on a bus and find something to do for a few hours, but I'm traveling with my 12 month old.
I can't find a place to store my luggage at the airport, and can't manage baby, stroller, diaper bag , and suitcase on a bus!
Trying to find a hotel that offers a day rate and airport shuttle, but so far no luck with that.

Thought I'd ask here, in case anyone had some insight our ideas!

[DaisyDaisy]

Did you call the Hyatt in the airport? http://pittsburghairport.hyatt.com/e..._gplaces_pitap
I'd think they'd accommodate someone for a day rate.

[Moby Hick]

There's a kid's play area in the airport. Probably not much there for kids that under one year old, but there was stuff for toddlers.

You can shop at the Air Mall. It isn't bad. There are a couple of stores with stuff for kids. The food isn't bad either, considering.

[SteelersFan09]

Originally Posted by k011185

I'm flying into Pittsburgh mid-november in the morning, but am not getting picked up til 5pm.
Normally I'd just hop on a bus and find something to do for a few hours, but I'm traveling with my 12 month old.
I can't find a place to store my luggage at the airport, and can't manage baby, stroller, diaper bag , and suitcase on a bus!
Trying to find a hotel that offers a day rate and airport shuttle, but so far no luck with that.

Thought I'd ask here, in case anyone had some insight our ideas!

I used to fly out of there 8-10 times a year for work...sorry, but not much. It's a nice airport overall, but it doesn't offer much in terms of that sort of thing.

[punctus_contra_punctum]

Unfortunately, there is not a whole lot to do in the airport if you have multiple hours to kill, and having a young child certainly does not help. There is the Hyatt at the airport; the Olive Tap is a decent restaurant, and you could get a day pass (no idea as to the cost) and relax in the room.
Alternatively, there is a USAirways club in the airport (Airside, upper level). You could drop $50 for a one-day pass, which would get you a place to drop your bags, TVs, free internet (not a big deal at PIT, which has free wifi throughout the airport), and free snacks and drinks (both alcoholic and nonalcoholic). For a multi-hour wait it may well be worth the money.

[RogersParkTransplant]

OP, are you sure you can't hop on the bus?

I flew solo with my daughter to NYC last year, when she was almost 14 months. We took a bus from LaGuardia to our hotel...it was a little tricky, but we managed fine. I packed the empty diaper bag and my purse into my suitcase, and put all the usual diaper-bag-and-purse stuff into a good backpack, which made everything a LOT easier.

I also found that people were incredibly eager and willing to help -- as soon as they saw me alone with a little kid, everyone offered to help lift my suitcase and stroller, and the bus driver was also very patient. They've seen it all before. Pittsburghers are easily as friendly as New Yorkers, I promise

One nice thing about arriving in Pittsburgh is that the 28x bus offers service from the airport and stops right at the Carnegie Museum of Art and Natural History. The ride will take one hour, but the bus is safe and clean, and my daughter has always loved riding the bus with me -- she either falls asleep or looks out the window, and either way is fine.

The Carnegie is great: you have a museum with art AND dinosaur bones in one big building, they will check large bags (and also have lockers where you can store smaller bags), and you can also go around the side of the same building to enter the public library, which has a decent cafe and a fantastic children's section. It's also across the street from Schenley Plaza, which is a big patch of grass lined with decent restaurants -- mostly take-out, but the Porch is fine and kid-friendly enough for lunch. All of this is on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, which is safe, pretty, and very friendly. I can't think of a better spot to kill six hours, and a nicer way to spend a first day in Pittsburgh with a small child.

I know it's intimidating to take an unfamiliar bus alone with luggage and a toddler...but I promise, it can be done!

[Goodjules]

If the bus is too daunting, you could rent a car and drive in to the city.

[AustinExPat]

It would be worth asking if the airport hotel would let you store your luggage for the day (without having a room there) while you took the 28X bus into the city. It might cost a couple of bucks to store the luggage at the hotel, but the bell hops would likely be happy to earn a tip from you when you got back in the afternoon.