Saturday, August 14, 2010

Duquesne & Monongahela Inclines and Mount Washington

As ranked by most travel sites and magazines, the top tourist attraction in Pittsburgh is usually the two inclines that go up Mount Washington.  Both inclines, the Duquesne and Monongahela, start near Station Square on the South Side of Pittsburgh, across the Monongahela River from Downtown Pittsburgh.

The Duquesne Incline is in itself a working museum.  At the top, you can learn about the machinery and history of both inclines, as well as visit their gift shop.  The attendants at both inclines are very friendly and the cost to ride them is minimal.  For a round trip ticket up one incline and down the other, it ran us $5.50 for two people.  Not bad at all.  The walk between the two inclines is about a mile, but it offers gorgeous panoramic views of Downtown Pittsburgh that should not be missed!

Friday, August 13, 2010

PPG Place and Market Square

By far, the architectural highlight in Pittsburgh is PPG Place.  This plaza is made up of buildings of varying sizes made out of glass.  It looks like the lair of some evil genius in a comic book.


These buildings are of various sizes and house the offices of various corporations.  In the center, is a plaza with different statues that have been donated by various museums in the Pittsburgh area.  This is an area of downtown that I think everyone should see when visiting Pittsburgh.







Right down the street from PPG Place is the Market Square area.  I was a bit disappointed by this area as it was almost devoid of people on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  This square, for pedestrians only, is surrounded by various restaurants and shops.  Unfortunately, half the restaurants are just generic chains.  A Primanti Bros. does exist here, but other than that, I see an area with a lot of potential, but nothing that shouts as a must-visit area.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Strip District and Primanti Bros.

Located just outside of downtown is the Strip District in Pittsburgh.  In this area are various restaurants, shops, bars and nightclubs.  Before we headed to Pittsburgh, I was told by some folks that this was the most "happening" area of the city and that it could be compared to South Street in Philly.  I honestly didn't see the similarities.  The amount of people roaming around on a perfect weather Sunday afternoon was quite small.  There were a few places that weren't even open.  Perhaps this place is better to visit at other times, but I wasn't very impressed while I was there.

The only real highlight to me was Primanti Bros.  This restaurant is probably the food that the city of Pittsburgh is most well known for.  Even though they have other locations scattered around the city, the Strip District one is the original.  What sets their sandwiches apart from other places is the fact that they put the french fries and cole slaw directly on every sandwich.  Some may look at that and say, "huh?", but honestly, it tasted great!  Although I should note I got it without cole slaw since I'm not a fan of it.  If you're in Pittsburgh, this is definitely a must-stop place for food, and they are open 24 hours.




Also check out our video here of the cook making the sandwiches!



Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Gateway Clipper Cruise and the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh

The one thing that probably sets Pittsburgh apart from all cities is how it is situated at the intersection of the Three Rivers: the Ohio, the Monongahela and the Allegheny. No trip to the city is complete without a tour of these waterways.


Sailing from a port at Station Square on the South Side of Pittsburgh is the Gateway Clipper Fleet. This line of ships offer a wide variety of cruises: from weddings to dinner cruises to dance cruises to Christmas parties. For us, we took their basic 1-hour night sightseeing trip. By doing this at dusk, it allowed us to get a beautiful view of the city of Pittsburgh as the sun came down. I'd definitely recommend trying to book a cruise during this time frame. The cruises can be booked in advance on the company's website. They can also be purchased at the ticket window where the ship leaves from, but they do sell out, so I'd recommend getting your tickets early. In addition, in order to guarantee a good seat, get to the dock early and get in line. If you wait until the last second, you won't get a prime seat.

Once on board, you'll sail down the Monongahela river first. From here, you'll be able to get a good view of Mount Washington and the two inclines, the Duquesne and Monongahela, which the city is famous for. On the other side of the river, you'll get a gorgeous view of the downtown portion of the city, including my personal favorite, PPG Place, where the building looks like the lair of an evil villain. As you sail under some bridges and turn back around, the Captain gives you some history and interesting tidbits about the sights you see.



Following this river, you turn up the Allegheny river to offer you a different perspective of downtown. You'll also see on the opposite side of the river, the North Side of the city, which contains PNC Park (where the Pirates play and which is considered by many to be the top stadium in the Major Leauges) and Heinz Field (where the Steelers play).



The final leg of your journey takes you up the Ohio River, giving you a further view of the North Side of Pittsburgh, as well as more of Mount Washington. This is definitely a cruise I'd highly reccommend as it will offer the best views of the city from many different angles. At only $12.50 a ticket, it's well worth the money.


Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Andy Warhol Museum

"In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." - Andy Warhol, 1968

Over 40 years later, most people know this quote, or some variation of it. Many though do not know who said it. Andy Warhol, whose hometown is Pittsburgh, was the artist who coined the phrase. Warhol was a pioneer in Pop art and the Andy Warhol Museum is dedicated to displaying both his life's work, as well as the various artists he inspired.

The museum is located on the North Side of Pittsburgh, directly across from the Andy Warhol bridge, down the street from PNC Park. The entrance fee is $15/person, although you can get $1 off with AAA membership or a further discount for students.

The museum has seven floors, each dedicated to a portion of Warhol's art. It is a conglomeration of photographs and paintings, as well as advertisements and sculptures - as much a conglomeration of medium as Warhol's art.

The museum staff suggest visitors to begin on the first floor, with an introduction and time line of Warhol's life and times, and then work from the seventh floor down.

His most popular paintings, photographs and sculptures are located on the second and third floors, with a roating and traveling exhibit on the seventh floor.

There is one exhibit, located on the fourth floor, that is for mature audiences only. The photographs therein are a statement on sexuality. When he first unveiled the exhibit, it was something that had never been done or spoken of before, making it a very controversial exhibit then as much as it is now.



Monday, August 9, 2010

Marriott Pittsburgh City Center Review

Review of the Marriott Pittsburgh City Center in Pittsburgh, PA

When choosing a hotel for our one night stay in Pittsburgh, we decided to try out Priceline's "Name Your Own Price" system. Basically, with this, you put in "bids" to hotels in a certain section of a city (Downtown Pittsburgh in this case) and also choose a minimum star level. Doing this, we were able to get this hotel for $83/night. When comparing this to other travel sites, and Marriott's site itself, the same hotel room was going for $169/night. So, in the end, we got the hotel room for just over 50% off. Now, that's a great deal! While I do think that their standard rate is definitely too high for what you get (and honestly, most hotels are these days), you can always find a good deal on the hotel to make the price worthy of the stay.

The main point of this review though is of the hotel itself. It was approximately a 10 minute walk from the bus station (10th and Penn Avenue) to our hotel. The hotel is located right across the street from Mellon Arena and next to Duquesne University. It is an easy walk from the hotel to any part of Downtown, as well as getting to the North Side (where the Stadiums are) and to the South Side (where Station Square and the Inclines are). If you're someone not fond of walking, you'll be able to easily get a cab ride or take the bus to any of your locations. However, a main selling point of this hotel is they have their own private shuttle service that will take you anywhere in the city! And then they'll come pick you up as well (as long as it is before 11 PM). When we took advantage of this to go to Station Square, the driver was extremely courteous and helpful. The rest of the staff at the hotel was just as friendly, which always makes for a better experience.

Our room was located on the 18th floor and was very clean, comfortable and quiet. It came with free Wi-Fi as well, which these days is really a must-have. Since the location of the hotel is very centrally located, the view from the room window isn't anything special, but to get a gorgeous view of the city, you should be heading up one of the Inclines.