Pittsburgh is a great town.
I wish people would know that. Especially the people who live in this area. Many people in this area are so disparaging about it. And when a lot of them talk, it is so obvious they have no clue about the area at all. And that is sad.
Downtown does have its problems, and there are reasons behind that that have a lot to do with government getting involved in business development. Government should stay out of that. We went from having a vibrant downtown as little as 15 years ago to having an empty downtown. It can directly be attributed to the so-called "revitalization" projects that happened during the Murphy administration.
Things are changing. We have a wonderful cultural district in Downtown. The arts are thriving, and many nice restaurants have opened in that area. Still more needs to be done Downtown.
We still have that smokey, steel city image, even though there isn't even a steel mill in Pittsburgh anymore. We have a low cost of living, friendly people and everything you could want in a city.
In and Outside Downtown there is so much to do, see and visit. Not only in Pittsburgh, but in the region (Southwestern Pennsylvania). Here are just a few of the attractions:
Andy Warhol Museum: North Side. Pittsburgh is where Warhol was born and raised and buried, and he still has family here. The museum is a must-see. Not only does it have a great collection of Warhol's work, it also has a rotating gallery that always has such interesting exhibits.
Carlow University: Oakland. I know little about the school except that it is primarily a women's school with a co-ed graduate school.
Carnegie Art/Natural History Museum (and Music Hall and Library): Oakland. The art side is pretty standard. The natural history side is what makes this museum great. It has the biggest collection of dinosaur fossils, I know in the country...maybe in the world. Unfortunately, Dinosaur Hall is closed right now. They are renovating it and resetting the bones and putting up new dinosaurs. It promises to be great. It should be back open in November.
Carnegie Mellon University: Oakland. This prestigious school is well-known for two polar opposite programs: theater and engineering.
Carnegie Science Center/Sports Works: North Side. This is a great place to take children. It also has an IMAX theatre that shows some interesting movies.
Chatham University: Shadyside. It just recently became a university. They are pretty excited about that. It's just like Carlow in that it has a women's undergraduate and coed graduate school.
Civic Light Opera/CLO Cabaret: Downtown. The CLO Cabaret has long-running shows in a dinner theater-type setting. The Civic Light Opera has mostly musicals that they do mostly during the summer.
Covered bridges: Washington County. Washington County is know for its historic covered bridges...here, there and everywhere. It's kind of cool if you like historical architecture.
Duquesne/Monongahela inclines: South Side/Mt. Washington. Starting at Station Square, these inclines will take you up to the top of Mt. Washington, where you will take in the gorgeous view of the city.
Duquesne University: Uptown. Many concerts are held at its A.J. Palumbo Center. Its also a nice campus with a great safety record if you are looking at colleges.
Falconi Field (home of the Wild Things baseball team): Washington. The minor league team is awesome. The games are fun. The field is also home of a monthly antique fair/flea market (last Sunday of the month) that people line up early to get into.
Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob: both near Uniontown. Both houses are designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and are very close to one another, so you could visit both in one day. And take a picnic at Ohio Pyle. It's worth driving out to Fayette County for.
Gateway Clipper Fleet: South Side. At Station Square you can get a riverboat ride. It can be a dinner cruise or an educational tour of the Three Rivers.
Heinz Field (home of the Steelers football team): North Side. If you can get tickets to a game, it's an experience.
Heinz History Center: The Strip District. As part of the Smithsonian Institute, the history center has some great exhibits not only on Western Pennsylvania, but also on American History. (By the way, the Strip District is a wonderful place to visit if you are into fresh food markets and great family-owned restaurants. It also has many clubs for those who are into the nightlife.)
Mattress Factory: North Side. This art gallery has mostly installation pieces. It's a very interesting place if you are into modern and post-modern art.
Meadowcroft Village: Avella. A colonial village. The people who work there dress period style. They show you how to churn butter and stuff. It is also the site of a big archeological dig. At the Meadowcroft Rock Shelter archeologists have found remants of prehistoric man. Very cool.
Mellon Arena (home of the Penguins hockey team): On the border of the Lower Hill District and Uptown. It is soon to be replaced with a newer arena, so if you would like to see this historic building, you better visit in the next year and a half.t
National Aviary: North Side. This is a wonderful bird sancuary! They have a lot of birds and a great conservation program.
Pennsylvania Trolley Museum: Washington. This is a great place to take kids. You learn all about trolleys and get to take a trolley ride. Around Christmas you can get trolley rides with Santa!
Phipps Conservatory: Oakland. In Shenley Park, if you like pretty flowers and plants, this is the place to go. They often partner with artists as well. Right now they have a glass exhibit throught the conservatory gardens.
Pittsburgh Ballet: Downtown. I'm not too thrilled about the canned music, but the dancing is nice.
Pittsburgh Children's Museum: North Side. I haven't been here in years. (I don't have kids.) But, Pittsburgh being the home of Mr. Rogers, the Children's Museum has some great Mr. Rogers themed stuff. Wonderful for the young'ins.
Pittsburgh Musical Theater: Downtown. This is a newer theater company that does most of its shows from the Byham Theatre.
Pittsburgh Playhouse of Point Park University: Oakland. Although affiliated with the school, it has a theater group that is not just a bunch of college kids. The college also holds theater and dance programs here. It also has a great children's theater (Playhouse Jr.).
Pittsburgh Public Theater: Downtown. It's weird. The public theater used to do all straight theater, but it has recently added some musicals into its season.
Pittsburgh Opera: Downtown. Never seen one, but we've got it if you want it.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra: Downtown. The PSO is one of the best symphony orchestras in the country. The pops director is Marvin Hamlich, which I think is pretty cool.
Pittsburgh Zoo: Highland Park. I love animals, so I love the zoo. It has a great elephant program. If you visit, ask about it.
PNC Park (home of the Pirates baseball team): North Side. It is a beautiful park worth visiting at least once. It makes watching the Pirates lose more bearable.
Point Park University: Downtown. My alma mater. Very good performing arts and journalism programs. You have to go to another part of the city to see the performances, but it is a very good school to visit if you are looking into those two majors for college.
Point State Park: Downtown. The location of Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne. It's a big mudball right now. It's closed for renovations. I'm not sure if I like the renovations because they are burying all the historical stuff (the forts). It just seems wrong. The Fort Pitt Museum in the park is still open, though.
Soldiers and Sailors Museum: Oakland. If you like military museums, this is a nice one.
South Side Works: South Side. Shops, restaurants and a movie theater (national chains). If you like to check out the local stuff, walk down East Carson Street and you will find all kinds of locally owned restaurants, shops, bars, galleries, etc.
Station Square: South Side. An old train station made into shops. Worth a visit.
University of Pittsburgh: Oakland. Many concerts are held at the Petersen Events Center. The Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning are open to the public and worth visiting. And when you get there, look up, you may see two of its famous residents, a couple of perigrine falcons. Also, Pitt has a highly regarded medical school if you are interested in that.
Walnut Street Shops: Shadyside. You can find some interesting mom-and-pop shops alongside the high-end national retailers here.
Wood Street Gallery: Downtown. A nice art gallery.
Okay...now that was just a few things! I've left out lots of stuff, and I didn't even put restaurants on this list. (Although, the place to go if you want real Pittsburgh food is Primanti Bros.)
I hope this changes some people's views. Come check SWPA out!
Labels: attractions, Pittsburgh, Southwestern Pennsylvania, travel
