1st visit to Pittsburgh PA...suggestions?

Parents Forum
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<p>Hi
We are planning a visit to Pittsburgh over Easter weekend, to visit some schools the following week. It is our first visit to Pittsburgh, and are looking for a nice, safe neighborhood with great restaurants within walking distance for a nice Easter dinner. The following neighborhoods are listed on priceline, and we don't know anything about any of them, so would REALLY appreciate any help.</p>

<p>Thanks!!!</p>

<p>Downtown-University Center
Pittsburgh Airport
Cranberry Township
Pittsburgh East and Monroeville
Pittsburgh North
Washington-Canonburg</p>

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<p>Where are you planning on staying? My D is a student at Pitt and we have done lots of exploring, and I have lots of great restaurant suggestions, but it depends on where you are. If you stay downtown, for example, you wouldn't be able to walk to Oakland or Shadywide for dinner, and vice versa.</p>

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<p>kschmidt,
We don't know which area is best to stay..... we are very unfamiliar with the city as we have never been there. We are hoping for a safe, lively neighborhood with lots of dining options close by. </p>

<p>Any suggestions?</p>

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<p>Just PM'd you, check your messages......</p>

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<p>DH and DS just visited Duquesne last month. I bid 4* downtown Pittsburgh at $70 and got the Renaissance, the best hotel in Pittsburgh. Parking is available across the street for $5. DH is a Hilton Honors member and they gave him a key to the conceirge floor so they had free breakfasts, appetizers, and desserts.</p>

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<p>The main drag in Squirrel Hill has interesting restaurants, a mixed student/Hassidic neighborhood. Can't think of any close hotels there though. Shadyside has restaurants, good shopping, some hotels, both are a quick drive, or long but interesting walk from Oakland, the Pitt and CMU area. Stay in an Oakland hotel, walk in Shenly park. I used to find discounts on priceline for Oakland hotels. Expect parking to be expensive. </p>

<p>I also found Pittsburgh to be a bit intimidating as a midwesterner there to drop off my Pitt son. Crazy numbers of bridges, hills, roads merging here and there. But interesting. Go to the museum!</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone for the tips...it is giving me a very good place to start!!</p>

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<p>Just came back from visiting Pitt with son and husband.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn which is right on Pitt campus - a little more expensive than some of the other Oakland (University Center) hotels but very convenient.</p>

<p>We had dinner at a restaurant someone recommended on CC - Girasole - in Shadyside, nice, and went to the museum, fun. Also had a lunch at a little noodle place on the street at the border of Pitt and CMU, very tasty, and packed with students and families.</p>

<p>Driving around Pittsburgh was a little hairy - not because of the traffic, but because of the construction and bridges - we had 3 different maps, and concluded that none were truly accurate. We did a lot of wandering around downtown in the car, trying to find different things, and concluded that we were very glad that it was a Sunday! On the other hand, the area around Pitt and CMU were simple to navigate.</p>

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<p>I agree you probably want to stay in the Oakland area around the universities. Some of those other areas are a ways out from the city (I don't think anyone walks anywhere in Cranberry!)</p>

<p>I feel comfortable walking in Oakland at night, but you should use reasonable caution, as in any urban area.</p>

<p>I've lived in the Pittsburgh area 20 years and still sometimes have trouble navigating from Point A to Point B.</p>

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<p>Have you seen this website about Pittsburgh colleges?:
the</a> CollegeCity-- Pittsburgh's Colleges and Universities</p>

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<p>Just PMd you...</p>

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<p>We stayed at one of the University Center hotels. Carnegie Mellon sent us a list of four or five, I could dig it out if you haven't gotten more recommendations. They run a shuttle to the various colleges which is very convenient. Be sure to ask about college discounts - we got one when we were visiting for accepted students weekend.</p>

<p>Driving around Pittsburgh now seemed less horrible than it did the previous time I'd been there 1979. But there are some closed bridges and tunnels to make life exciting. Carnegie's University Center has a very nice brochure listing all sorts of neighborhood restaurants in every price range. We had a nice meal with an acquaintance of my husbands, in a nice district across the river in the East Carson Street neighborhood. Lots of ethnic restaurants.</p>

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<p>I believe all of the outlying neighborhoods would not have "walking distance" situations - just driving. You probably want to stay either downtown or in the Oakland/Shadyside area (assuming that's where you're visiting colleges). We're not from Pittsburgh but have visited several times now; our only repeat visit was to the new Hampton Inn downtown. It's walking distance from the Strip District - I've read Lidia's has a nice Easter brunch. Lidia's</a> Pittsburgh We've also stayed at a couple of other downtown hotels and the Hampton University Place. People on TripAdvisor never seem real thrilled about the hotels near the universities in Oakland/Shadyside. But other than that Shadyside is a great place to walk around.</p>

<p>If you stay downtown you can walk to Station Square which seems to have a lot happening :[url=<a href="http://www.stationsquare.com/info/EasterGuideEvents.cfm%5DEvents%5B/url"&gt;http://www.stationsquare.com/info/EasterGuideEvents.cfm]Events[/url&lt;/a&gt;] How about an Easter Cruise? This is supposed to be the major brunch of Pittsburgh:

[quote]
Pittsburgh's most famous brunch is probably the gigantic one at the Grand Concourse, a gorgeous restored train station in Station Square. It's a bit pricey, -- $22.50 for adults, and $9.95 for kids under 14 (kids under 4 are free), but it's an amazingly lavish all-you-can-eat spread, --- omelet stations, carving stations, smoked fish, salads, hot and cold entrees, croissants, bagels, muffins, fruit, desserts, the works, (and you probably won't have to eat for the rest of the day ;) ). If you want to get in for Easter, I'd reserve immediately, and be sure to ask for the River Room which has stunning views.

[/quote]
It is a beautiful space; we ate at the adjoining Gandy Dancer last November.</p>

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<p>Wow...thanks for such great suggestions.</p>

<p>From the replies, it sounds as though Downtown is the place to stay, and perhaps Shadyside is the place to hang out?</p>

<p>I guess walking distance is not THAT important....we just had a bad experience a few years back when visiting Boston (during the "big dig") for the first time and went out to a supposedly great pizza place "only" a mile from the hotel...3 hours later we were across town, totally lost, hungry, not to mention very grumpy. Never found the place.....I was hoping for a less eventful Easter dinner :)</p>

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<p>When we walked from the Hampton to Lidia's, we walked out of the hotel, turned left, walked two blocks, crossed the street, and we were there! And it's a lot easier to walk to Station Square than to drive there IMHO. During your visit, try to have one meal at a Mt Washington restaurant overlooking the downtown - fantastic views. FYI there are lots of threads in the Carnegie Mellon board about visiting etc. for more advice.</p>

<p>There are plenty of restaurants downtown but it really doesn't seem like an area to stroll, window shop, etc. Not dangerous, just business-y.</p>

<p>In Oakland are museums <a href="http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/&lt;/a> and a great conservatory [url=<a href="http://www.phipps.conservatory.org/index.html%5DPhipps%5B/url"&gt;http://www.phipps.conservatory.org/index.html]Phipps[/url&lt;/a&gt;] . They are definitely walking distance from CMU and you can't get lost (well, you'd have to work awfully hard to do so!).</p>

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<p>Downtown Pittsburgh is pretty dead on evenings and weekends - many shops close really early and there's not much to do. Shadyside/Oakland are much more happening areas in Pittsburgh. The Holiday Inn in Oakland is pretty much the go-to hotel for people visiting CMU, as it's the closest hotel, about 3/4 of a mile from campus (very walkable, unless the weather is really miserable). It's also near a bunch of Oakland restaurants, the Cathedral of Learning, and University of Pittsburgh.</p>

<p>As far as restaurants go, Girasole in Shadyside (already mentioned) is great. I also recommend Spice Island Tea House on Atwood in Oakland. The places everyone tells you to eat to get the Pittsburgh experience are the "O" (order a small french fry, no matter how small the baskets hanging on the wall may look) and Primanti Brother's, both on Forbes in the middle of University of Pittsburgh (and pretty much impossible to miss).</p>

<p>Stuff to do- take the incline from Station Square up to Mount Washington and look around. It's a great view of downtown Pittsburgh, and very peaceful up there. Phipps Conservatory, very convenient to CMU, is quite impressive. Wandering Schenley Park, if the weather is nice, can be enjoyable - it feels like you're not in a city, and there's all sorts of old stonework that's pretty. Just take a map of the Oakland area with you so that when you get out of the park you have some idea of where you are. The Warhol museum downtown is supposed to be good, though I've never made it there.</p>

<p>Getting lost while walking would be hard to do (just look for 5th or Forbes), but getting lost while driving is pretty easy, I hear. Good luck with roads that are never perpendicular to each other, and plenty of bridges. :)</p>

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<p>If staying downtown, you must try for the Omni William Penn. Recently restored grand old hotel, truly beautiful. Stayed there many times when S was at CMU. Only 10 minute drive, without traffic, from the universities. Decent rates too, and walking distance to everything downtown...stadiums, museums, Point State Park, rivers, even Station Square.</p>

<p>For the universities, you'd hang out in Oakland, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, which basically adjoin each other and are filled with college students. In Oakland follow Forbes Av and you'll run into both Pitt and CMU nearly next to each other. Shadyside for upscale shopping and restaurants, similar for Squirrel Hill, not quite as upscale. If you stay near the universities, I liked Shadyside Inn, though they sell out fast, and Hampton Inn is new, clean and convenient.</p>

<p>If you do nothing else, drive (or take Incline which would be easier) atop Mt. Washington for a view of the city across the river...it's beautiful and shouldn't be missed.</p>

<p>One more don't-miss-it: Pamela's Restaurant for breakfast, nicest of these is Shadyside. Greatest crepe-like pancakes, never had anything so good. Have fun, it's a great city.</p>

<p>edit: cross post w/ KrazyKow. Driving downtown is confusing because it comes to a point, like driving in lower Manhattan, so you lose parallel and perpendicular. Have a map.</p>

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<p>Having stayed at several places, from the Wyndham to Holiday Inn, we finally found the best deal to be Shadyside Inn (furnished apartment) and, if you have the money, The Inn on Negley. Look them up online. They both are walking distance to Walnut Street, where resides Giresole, Pamelas and several more nice places to eat and shop. They both have free parking and free internet.<br>
As far as driving, my H stated "This town must have been laid out by a drunken indian" (no offense to you native Americans). It's very hilly as well. Downtown is full of one way streets and getting on and off the freeways is insane. I agree with visit to Phipps Conservatory. Point Park and the Science Museum are interesting. It's our last year to visit Pittsburgh, as DD is graduating from CMU in May. We're staying at the Omni Penn, as it was one of the few available for graduation weekend, so I'm glad to see a recommendation.</p>

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<p>I agree with the poster who said to stay at the Holiday</a> Inn Select PITTSBURGH Hotels | PITTSBURGH @UNIV CTR (OAKLAND) | Welcome. It is actually on the Pitt campus and very convenient to CMU (I'm assuming you want to visit both of these campuses). Also, a fun thing to do is ride on one of the inclines, also known as funiculars, previously mentioned by 2331clk, above.</p>

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<p>I'd recommend asking your hotel for directions to different neighborhoods, depending on your available time. </p>

<p>The Waterfront complex is near Oakland, and is a wonderful outdoor shopping complex anchored with a huge Loews theater multiplex. There are lots of stores and restaurants, including a Dave & Busters (with games) and a PF Chang, rated one of the best Chinese restaurants in the US. It's a nice place to walk around and shop.</p>

<p>Station Square has some shopping too. It's located near the incline, so you can visit both at the same time. If you're going to try to do the famous Easter brunch, make reservations asap (see you there! it's one of our family traditions!).</p>

<p>Cranberry is a hot growing area with some wonderful strip malls, but is at least a 40-45 min drive from Oakland. Not really a place to visit as a tourist, although that may be changing as the new Westinghouse headquarters is being built there. The two-year old Marriott in Cranberry was rated the best in the country according to its customers' surveys, according to a recent newspaper article.</p>

<p>The South Side, however, is a neighborhood with some good stores, restaurants and bars that is not far from Oakland. College kids go there to hang out, so you might want to check it out too. </p>

<p>The strip district near downtown is interesting, if you're really doing a tourist run. It has various grocery stores and a Spaghetti Warehouse. In the same general area (the "North shore"), you'll be able to see the Carnegie Science Center, and the stadiums where the Pirates and Steelers play.</p>

<p>Monroeville has a mall (with one of the premier seafood restaurants in Pittsburgh and another Barnes & Noble) and some strip malls. It's a little further "out" from Oakland, but I wouldn't say it's a tourist destination.</p>

<p>Pittsburgh is a very small city, and you'd think that you could see everything pretty quickly. Due to the numerous hills and bridges (and the age of many roads and neighborhoods), getting around can be challenging. I relocated here 30 yrs ago, and laugh when I remember how frustrating it was to learn how to get places. Everyone seemed to know their own neighborhood well, but wouldn't know what was over the next hill or valley -- and there weren't enough signs. It's a wonderful place and there are lots of hidden gems, like finding a French pastry shop run by an actual French baker in the old mill-neighborhood of Millvale or discovering the art museum/gallery known as the Mattress Factory.</p>