So I'm taking a three day weekend in Pittsburgh this weekend with my fiance to visit her Grandmother and I want to set aside a day to do a self-guided tour of the city.  I have NO clue where to go or what to see.  :?  Any advice on a good route to take for exploring the city?  Any help is appreciated.  Thanks! 

I've never been to Pittsburgh, I wish I could help you. I think there's a few members on here that live there though. Hopefully they see this thread. Have you ever heard of Virtualtourist.com ? It's a great site. People travel the world and post pictures of the places they go to but one of the great things about the site is they tell you about what all the city has to offer as far as dining, nightlife, places of interest, what to watch out for: including tourist traps and bad areas of town, stuff like that. They give their opinions of the different establishments they go to. I think you might find it useful.

If it's just you and the fiance on the tour (sans grandmother), I can recommend the following:

 

For late dinner/drinks in downtown, go to Tonic http://www.tonicpittsburgh.com/. More restaurant than bar, but they have some funky martinis, great appetizers, etc. Try to grab a table by the window.

 

For a cultural whirlwind, check out the Carnegie Institute, adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh. http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/carnegie/index.htm The art museum and museum of natural history are must sees. If your fiance likes jewelry, make sure you see the gemological exhibit. http://www.carnegiemnh.org/exhibits/hillman.htm

 

Here is an overhead of the complex:

 

For art/culture/funkiness, you have to see the Andy Warhol Museum, which is north of the downtown "Golden Triangle" (across the river). http://www.warhol.org/

 

For a fantastic view or two, go to the Cathedral of Learning (catty-corner to Carnegie Institute). It's the 535-foot gothic skyscraper, so you can't miss it. Go into the lobby, find the elevators and go up as high as you can:

 

The lobby:

 

The view:

 

Finally, the Mt. Washington overlook is an amazing view of the city. Not sure of exact directions to get there, but maybe one of the Pittsburgh residents can help:

 

One word of caution - in my experience, Pittsburgh is NOT the easiest city to navigate. The combo of poor signage and the topography makes it difficult to get a fix on a map. You'll want to go online and print out a few maps just to familiarize yourself with the area.

I would also look into checking out the Warhol Museum and Mattress Factory (depending on what shows are going on, sometimes its a bummer if they're transitioning between two shows) as well if you're into the art scene stuff.  i would also agree however that the place is strange to navigate through and theres usually need for multiple maps.

For neighborhoods, check out Oakland (the college district containing Carnegie Mellon and Pitt), The South Side (east of Station Square, lots of nightlife), The Northside (just north of the stadiums, it's full of great old brick rowhouses), The Strip District (northeast of Downtown past the Convention Center, has some nightlife and cool industrial buildings)

To me, the best way to get an overview is a cruise on the rivers: http://www.gatewayclipper.com/

They have one hour cruises that depart from Station Square.  Simply the best way to see a bunch of the city quickly.

 

Then go up the Monongahela Incline from behind Station Sq. up to Mt. Washington.  Walk down Grandview Ave. (about a mile) to the Duquesne Incline.  Ride it down to Carson Street and walk back to Station Square.

http://www.stationsquare.com/Inclines.htm

 

You can check out my Pittsburgh photos here (All the begining photos are from the boat): http://www.pbase.com/ballhatguy/pittsburgh

 

Downtown in the Triangle is very walkable so you can walk to the stadiums very easily and all downtown sites. (Courthouse is very nice.)  I was not that impressed with the Warhol but that's just me. Nice bars and restaurants in South Side (http://www.southsidepgh.com/index_new.htm) and the Strip District (http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/)

 

Hope that helps.

here is what I would do

 

The washington mountain  tram (I did not do it my spouse assures it is amazing)

catch a baseball game if in town..the stadium is beautiful

IKEA (I am not kidding)-hardly part of a walking tour, but awesome.

a beer at church brew works (a great mirco brewery in a renovated church)http://www.churchbrew.com/index.html

 

hang out in the Strip District along the river. Industrial beauty. ethnic eats (international and local-ie Primanti Brothers sandwiches mmm). If you are doing a walking tour this is a must. 

Didn't know about the Warhol museum, I would check that out too!

Here's what I usually do --  I drive into Pittsburgh on I-279/376 and get off at the first exit after crossing the Allegheny River. Drive through downtown on Smithfield Street to Station Square. Park in the deck for SS. I like the old P&LE station (very ornate), and the ride on the Monongahela incline to the top of Mt. Washington. Sometimes I ride south on the LRT to see some of Pittsburgh's neighborhoods. Other times I ride the opposite way into downtown on the subway, get off at the last stop, and walk around. Downtown Pittsburgh is a very easy place to walk around, with the short city blocks and narrow streets. Plenty of things to see and do downtown, as has already been mentioned.

^Pittsburgh has a light rail AND Incline? wow..

You guys are the best!  Thanks!  :clap:

^Pittsburgh has a light rail AND Incline? wow..

 

Yes, and the downtown portion of the LRT (called The T) operates in a subway, where travel is free (the free portion is from Station Square to Gateway station). See the Port Authority of Allegheny County website for travel info, inclines, maps, timetables, photos, etc at:

 

http://www.portauthority.org/

 

Plus, they're expanding the rail system, from the Gateway station, under the Allegheny River, to the North Shore (where the stadiums and a re-emerging neighborhood are)...

 

You mean their rail system has multiple stops downtown?!  What a concept!

I would recommend the following:

 

Northside:

Take in a game at PNC (best new ballpark in America) & a trip to the Warhol Museum.

 

The Strip:

Take some time just to wander around down there, it's a really cool area that is still a working warehouse district with a lot of resturants, shops, and bars.  Definately hit the original Primanti's on 18th.  I also like Kaya a Carribean restaurant on Smallman a lot (http://www.bigburrito.com/kaya/).  Roland's Seafood Grille is a cool place to go for some drinks that's not your standard bar.  If you're into music, Eide's Entertainment on Penn Ave is an great independent record store.   I probably spent most of my money there when I was in high school.  No visit to the Strip is complete without hitting the Semi Suite Boutique on 21st  (http://www.semisuite.com).  Sorry - it's my friend's store so I had to give it a plug. 

 

Two other places of note literally just up the road from the Strip are The Church Brewworks in Lawrenceville (I like to think that the beer tastes "sacrelicious" because it is brewed where the  alter used to be) and Tessaro's in Bloomfield.  If you like burgers, do yourself a favor and make the trip to Tessaro's.  It has the best burger in Pittsburgh - or anywhere for that matter, but it is more than just a burger joint.  It is a Pittsburgh original and I try to make it everytime I'm in the city.  If you go, try to go early because they don't take reservations and the place gets packed at peak hours (http://www.post-gazette.com/food/20000401tessaro2.asp).

 

Southside:

Station Square (http://www.stationsquare.com/) is a good place to start out. Here you can catch the Incline, the T into downtown, or if it's nice out, you can take a Gateway Clipper cruise.  In additon, there is a lot of shopping and entertainment in Station Square itself. 

 

 

I probably listed more restaurants than attractions, but Pittsburgh has some damn good food and I miss it living in Cincy (I'm also already hungry for lunch).  Make sure you don't leave without getting some Perogi's made by the real deal Ukranian ladies...Mrs. T's they are not!

 

 

Here's an awesome site dealing with PGH neighborhoods

http://www.pittsburghneighborhoodtours.com

 

and the classic

http://www.visitpittsburgh.com