Station Square

On the South Side of the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh is Station Square.  Various bars, restaurants and shopping is available here, as well as a beautiful view of downtown Pittsburgh.

We came here on a Saturday night, and there were a decent amount of people around, although we did expect more of a crowd.  The restaurants seemed to be a mix of chains and local fare.  This is also where you can start a cruise on the Gateway Clipper or the Just Ducky Tours.

If you're in Pittsburgh, this is definitely an area to check out.  However, don't expect it to have as much selection in this restaurant/bar area as you'd find in other major cities.

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!

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.