Downtown P'burgh questions (California, Oakland, Penn: hotel, taxis, bus)

[mels]

Hi all, I will be traveling to downtown next week for work and staying at the Marriott City Center. I will have no car and will rely on public transportation to get around. Is most of downtown safe to walk around in the evenings? There will be two of us walking around to grab dinner or drinks at night. Besides using the usual street smarts are there areas we should absolutely avoid while on foot? Thanks!

[greg42]

Standard precautions, no, nowhere downtown you need to avoid walking in the evening. Now you may not want to walk too much farther UPtown from the Marriott, but there isn't anything in particular up there to draw you at night, I don't think.

You'll be walking well uphill from anywhere else downtown on the way back to the Marriott, keep that in mind.

[BrianTH]

greg42 covered it: Downtown itself has no "bad" areas anymore.

[Urban_HillBilly]

Originally Posted by greg42

Standard precautions, no, nowhere downtown you need to avoid walking in the evening. Now you may not want to walk too much farther UPtown from the Marriott, but there isn't anything in particular up there to draw you at night, I don't think.

You'll be walking well uphill from anywhere else downtown on the way back to the Marriott, keep that in mind.

Dude, Ace's and Deuces man. That's a happening spot.

OP, Beware of the pigeon poop at Mellon square and the giant rats that run rampant up there around sunrise. No joke. When I use to smoke I would go up there before my bus and have a smoke early in the morning. It is worse than inside a NYC subway.

[mels]

Thanks for the info (and poop warning)! I do have a follow-up question...are taxis readily available or are they something you would need to have a number handy for and give them a ring when you are ready? Also, if you have any food recommendations in the area I'd love to hear them.

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by mels

Thanks for the info (and poop warning)! I do have a follow-up question...are taxis readily available or are they something you would need to have a number handy for and give them a ring when you are ready? Also, if you have any food recommendations in the area I'd love to hear them.

Taxis focus on certain spots. After midnight on the South Side they are everywhere and you can wave them down because so many bars and clubs are there. It's not like that in most places. If you need a ride from the Marriot, just call down to the front desk and tell them you need a taxi and it should be there in 10 mins. Also, the Marriot will probably have a free shuttle that goes from Oakland to the South Side, then through downtown. I would avoid Ace's and Deuces. That place looks like pure crap. Basically, it's a ghetto black bar. I can only assume the post about it was a joke. Don't go in there. You don't have to take my advice though, simply walk past it and have a look. You won't want to go inside unless you need a heroine fix.

[BrianTH]

Cabs are definitely not roaming the streets like in some cities. I'd arm myself with a phone number, although if you are near a few spots (like the William Penn hotel) you may be able to find one sitting.

There are actually quite a few good spots for eating in the Downtown area these days. In The Cultural District, I'd suggest Tonic (upscale bar food), Seviche (Latin fusion/tapas), Sonoma Grille (Californian), and Six Penn (upscale American). In The Strip you might check out Eleven (also upscale American), Kaya (Caribbean), Sushi Kim (sushi and Korean) or Lidia's (modern Italian). I've heard good things about Habitat, a new place in the newest skyscraper Downtown, Three PNC (I think they do Asian and American). If you are looking more casual, Mexico City is nice, and we are big fans of Villa Reale (pizza and such).

[Tinare]

I second all of Brian's suggestions above. Two other casual suggestions, both on Penn Avenue, are August Henry's and Mark's Grille.

[pman]

I like six penn, I'll third that one

[Copanut]

I highly recommend Lidia's, great food and service.