Okay folks. This is my final lap around the Steel City.
Follow me below the fold to hear about the plentiful outdoor adventures that can be had in the 'Burgh. I also wrap up with a batch of miscellaneous topics that I haven't gotten to yet.
Pittsburgh is an awesome city. Have a wonderful time while you're there!
P.S. For anyone interested, I went back to Part Two and finished the history section. Perhaps not as thoroughly as I would've liked, but since whole books have been written on the subject, it'll have to do. Take a look.
Oh yeah, because it's important, I'm putting this up top -- Bus from the airport to downtown (for about $3) is the 28X.
Venture Outdoors: Venture Outdoors is a local non-profit promoting outdoor activities around the city and region. They have a kayak rental shop right below the Roberto Clemente (6th St.) Bridge on the Allegheny River. It’s a great way to see the city. They also organize a bunch of activities like a "Wake-up" paddle (there is one on the morning of the 12th) as well as hikes, bike rides, and more. In fact, if you arrive early, there is a Green Building Bike Tour on Sunday, August 9th. Check out their site, or their summer calendar here.
If you don’t plan on bringing a bike with you, but still want a set of wheels while you visit, check out Golden Triangle Bike Rentals. They have a shop downtown and information on their site about biking trails around the city. Bike Pittsburgh also has good information.
You’ll notice (if you zoom in on the GT rental map above) that one of the major trails is the Eliza Furnace Trail along the Mon River. If you’ve got the time, another trail you may want to consider is The Great Allegheny Passage, which is part of the larger Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. Right now there are over 300 miles of continuous trail beginning near Pittsburgh and running all the way to Washington, DC.
Great Allegheny Passage (photo by WVhybrid)
There’s a great video about the restoration of Big Savage Tunnel and the conversion of rails to trails in PA at WQED on Demand. It’s worth a watch if you’re interested in biking and in the history of the region. There are some trails that will eventually link to the Great Allegheny Passage, but that are still under partial construction. One is the Montour Trail. This trail has a couple of converted tunnels including the National Tunnel and the Enlow Tunnel.
Most, if not all, of these trails are biking and hiking trails, so you can walk as well as ride. But if you are looking for more exclusive walking/hiking, I found a Google book detailing 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Pittsburgh.
There are also many great parks in the city, two of the biggest of which are Schenley Park and Frick Park. If you’re looking for sporting activities, there is a golf course in Schenley Park, as well as an outdoor pool, tennis courts, and a track. You could also try to book a tee-time at the Oakmont Country Club (about 20 minutes north of the city), which is where the U.S. Open was held in 2007.
For the less-physically-inclined-but-still-fans-of-fresh-air among you, I offer a hat-tip to Damn Frank for reminding me about movies in the parks. Check the link for schedules.
And finally, if you’ve got a little bit of a morbid streak in you, like I do, why not take your hike in a cemetery?
Allegheny Cemetery, in Lawrenceville (an up and coming neighborhood that I’ve not really touched on in this series), has over 300 acres and 125,000 dead to explore. There are graves that date as far back as the French and Indian War.
Homewood Cemetery is another wonderful place to explore with over 200 hundred acres and 70,000 dead. Members of the Heinz, Frick, and Mellon families are interred here. There is also a turn-of-the-century Chinese cemetery on the grounds and some lovely monuments.
Misc
I’ve decided to skip the 10th (optional) diary and simply do my wrap up here. So the following are not outdoor related, but just some things I haven’t touched on yet that you may like to know.
Night Life
Part Eight touched briefly on some bars, night clubs, and comedy clubs that you may want to check out. I thought I'd round that discussion out a little bit here -- and hopefully commentors will fill in the gaps I undoubtedly leave.
Club Café: This is one of my absolutely favorite venues in Pittsburgh. It's a bar/lounge that has live music just about every night. It's a small, cozy atmosphere and I've seen so many good shows here.
Shadow Lounge: This is another place where they have live entertainment. I've actually never been, but it's a well known city destination.
If you're just looking for a bar, or to bar hop, then you want to be on Carson Street on the South Side. Every other building is a bar and many have entertainment. One particularly interesting spot is Casey’s Bar (1811 East Carson Street, South Side). Their gimmick will undoubtedly offend some of you, and make others of you laugh. (I usually compromise by cackling with a sick feeling inside). They have a midget who lives in a "house" on the bar. If you pay ten bucks, he'll pop out and pour shots into the mouths of everyone there. But he's only there certain nights - I think it's Mondays and Saturdays.
GLBT: I haven't said much about the GLBT scene because I don't know much about it. There is a guide put out by Visit Pittsburgh that I linked to once before. Go to the link and you can download that guide, plus two others about the city and region. Maybe someone who has more info can speak up in the comments.
Architecture: One of the things that I love about Pittsburgh is the architecture, so I feel silly that I didn't touch on this earlier. Part of it is intangible -- the feel and diversity of the buildings -- so in that sense, there's not a particular place to point you toward. Hopefully you'll get a sense of what I mean as you walk around. But in the spirit of giving you something specific to check out, here are a few places.
Allegheny Courthouse and Jail: This is a historic building downtown. You can just walk by outside, though I believe there are tours offered inside.
Heinz Chapel: You'll be near this chapel when you are at the Cathedral of Learning. They are on the same property. It's a beautiful structure. (There is also another really cool church another couple hundred feet on the opposite side of 5th Ave., but I can't recall the name at the moment).
Inside Heinz Chapel (photo by Crazypaco; CC License)
Mellon Institute: This is across the street from Heinz Chapel and is just massive.
Cathedral of Hope: This lovely church is in East Liberty, near the Ethiopian restaurant I mentioned (and near the Shadow Lounge too). Apart from its structure, I like this church because they have a meditation labyrinth in the basement. Which reminds me that I haven't really touched on spirituality or worship, if that is important for any of you while visiting. Rather than try to create a guide, I'll simply offer my email to try and answer any questions individually -- jdn74@hotmail.com. Like I mentioned, there are at least three Hindu temples around the city. There is a mosque, though I don't recall where (I can look it up). Obviously, tons of Christian churches. Squirrel Hill is 110% Jewish, so synagogues abound. There is a Zen Center not too far outside the city, a Quaker meeting house on Ellsworth in Shadyside, and a number of Buddhist meditation groups. Let me know if you need any additional information about this.
How to Ride the Bus: I posted this link earlier, but it bears a second showing. Google Maps is capable of helping you plan out public transit routes. It even has a little tutorial at the link to show you how. So let that be your first step. You could alternately use the Port Authority site, but I think it is much less user friendly. Once you have your bus/stop/route figured out, make sure you have singles and or quarters. The buses don't make change. A typical ride is going to cost $2-$3, depending on whether you purchase a "transfer," which allows you to ride back within three hours time by giving your transfer slip to the return driver.
Pittsburgh City Bus
It's always best, as you get on, to check with the driver that your stop is on his route (and that you are catching the bus going in the right direction), and if you are nervous, to ask him to point out when you have arrived. Apart from that, it should be fairly easy.
Parking: This site has information on parking garages downtown (as well as info on the downtown area in general). I didn't have a car in Pittsburgh and I got around just fine by bus, though I do recall that when I rented, parking could be a pain in the ass. Lots of street parking and often not a lot of spaces, so you may have to drive around a bit.
Pittsburghese: There is definitely a "lingo" specific to Western PA, though I think it may be less ubiquitous than people like to joke. Obviously the 2nd person pronoun "Yins" (as in "What're yins doing?") is common. And the verb "to be" is sometimes omitted (as in "The dog needs let out.").
Go to the link if you want to read more, just for fun. It also has some additional links if you want to practice up before arriving. But whether yins pick up the language or not, I know you're going to enjoy your visit, and expect that you'll leave wishing you had more time to spend there. I hope this guide helps you get the most out of your stay.
Jason
Pittsburgh Point of Interest #9: Pittsburgh not only has more bridges than any other city in the world; it also boasts more sets of steps than any other city in the US (712 of them comprising over 24K of vertical feet). Some of these are even recorded as legal streets (which can be confusing if you're reading a map). This legacy of steps dates back to the mill days when many employees lived on the slopes above the rivers and needed a way to get down to work.
You can read about them in the Steps of Pittsburgh, Portrait of a City by Bob Regan. There is an annual walking tour in October on the South Side. But if you want to take one yourself while visiting, search out a copy of this book. There are six self-guided tours included. I tried to find a free resource/map of the steps but had no luck. If someone knows of one, please point to it in the comments. Or perhaps a Kossack local to Pittsburgh can rent it at one of the Carnegie Library branches. I don't know if they have a poll or survey ranking libraries, but I'd bet good money that the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh would come out as the best in the country.
Happy Trails!
Pittsburgh Panorama (photo by Mfield; CC License)
Previous Diaries in the Series
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Pittsburgh's Beginnings
Part 3: If You Do Nothing Else, Do This ...
Part 4: Cool Things Close to Pittsburgh
Part 5: For Sports Fans
Part 6: Museums & Cultural Activities
Part 7: For the Kids (or the Kid Inside)
Part 8: The Culinary Delights of Pittsburgh
Part 9: ---Today's Diary---
