# Visiting Pittsburgh -- any recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 19, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622 "2011-07-19T20:03:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/21 "2011-07-20T15:33:16Z")
You’d better have a GPS, an innate sense of direction, or divine intervention if you want to get around in Pittsburgh. > [@](#): > > Hell, your GPS might get lost. > > I think we could start a thread about Pittsburghers getting lost in their own city. I could tell you how I tried to get to the Consol Energy Center from the Parkway East and ended up on top of Mount Washington . . . That’s just legendary. Not just anybody can miss an entire river. ---
**Author:** ![MTRG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@MTRG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTRG)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/22 "2011-07-20T15:42:05Z")
If you ride the Incline to the top of Mt Washington, check out [the shiloh grill](http://www.theshilohgrill.com/index.html). They have a kick ass happy hour (half price beers and drinks). If you go there on Tuesday, it is Bacon Night! Free baskets of Bacon are served! ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/23 "2011-07-20T15:47:12Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Thanks, all! One more question - the bride-to-be recommended that we rent a GPS (we don’t have one) because it can be difficult to find one’s way around in town. Is this true, or is she being paranoid? Yes, it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/24 "2011-07-20T16:14:48Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Thanks, all! One more question - the bride-to-be recommended that we rent a GPS (we don’t have one) because it can be difficult to find one’s way around in town. Is this true, or is she being paranoid? My initial inclination was to say that it’s not true, but that’s from the perspective of someone who drives a lot, and who has adopted the Pittsburgh mentality that it’s a requirement to know two or three different ways of getting from Point A to Point B, just in case you hit traffic. If you asked my wife, she’d probably suggest that you get 2 GPSs, just to be on the safe side. The geography of Pittsburgh makes it challenging, since there’s relatively few straight roads, and the hills add complications. The public transportation system sucks, unfortunately. So, yeah, get a GPS system. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/25 "2011-07-20T16:31:03Z")
The Pittsburgh dishes I miss the most are pirogi (best bought from church fundraisers), the Devonshire sandwich, and a Pittsburgh-style steak salad. These are harder to find than Primanti brothers, though steak salads aren’t too bad. Be sure to notice the bridges and inclines - no city in America has as many. As for bars I can’t help as much - I generally drink with my family in one of the smaller Mon Valley communities, in a “legitimate businessmen’s social club.” If the Clarks are playing this is a great show to take in - they are still my favorite local band after all these years. I have been catching them live off-and-on for twenty years. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/26 "2011-07-20T16:39:38Z")
If you want to listen to live blues, try [Moondog’s](http://www.moondogs.us/Home.html), my buddies dive bar. ---
**Author:** ![UTejas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UTejas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UTejas)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/27 "2011-07-20T17:05:51Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Thanks, all! One more question - the bride-to-be recommended that we rent a GPS (we don’t have one) because it can be difficult to find one’s way around in town. Is this true, or is she being paranoid? Just to echo what everyone else says, the standard (mostly) joking Pittsburgh response about directions are “You can’t get there from here”. The geography, specifically the many many hills and the bridges, create lots of new and exciting obstacles that you’ll need to drive around, over, through, and under. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/28 "2011-07-20T18:00:48Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Any places where we could sample the best local cooking? (Again, think downscale, local flavor type stuff, though other recommendations welcome. We do clean up OK.) Ew, local cooking consists of fries on salads and pierogies. If you want chef-driven restaurant recommendations, on the other hand, I can certainly hand those out. I eat just about everything and at every price range. Be as specific as possible as to what you want: upscale pub grub, Thai, traditional North Indian, local pizza, vegetarian fare, etc. Where are you guys staying? For morning coffee I recommend\*\* Coffee Tree\*\* roasters for quality, though **Kiva Han** in Oakland is fairly hipster and crunchy (no a/c, man!) > [@Spoke](#): > > Good used book stores? I mean, if you’re coming from a bigger city, they’ll have better stuff there. The best are Mystery Lover’s (in Oakmont, 30 min from city), Eljay’s in Dormont and Townsend in Oakland (ETA: may be closed this summer, call to double check). The best overall (and priciest and most high falutin’) you gotta go to Caliban also in Oakland. > [@Spoke](#): > > Cool/funky neighborhoods? > > Tourist attractions or sights we shouldn’t miss? (Including but not limited to the offbeat.) I’d do the Incline. Cool funky neighborhoods…Lawrenceville’s\*\* Coca Cafe\*\* is good for brunch but it takes awhile. You can peruse the local antique or “Mad Men” antique shops as I call them while waiting for a table. I personally prefer a cleaned-up version of locally driven food; whole place is staffed by lesbians which took me awhile to figure out, **Square Cafe** in Regent Square. Better service, IMO. As far as bars go - you’ll have to be more specific. **Sharp Edge** is HUGELY overpriced in my opinion. It’s better to drink at **D’s 6 pack shoppe** in Regent Square. **Gene’s Place** is packed with college kids and it’s always clouded in smoke. It’s also filthy. I love **Round Corner Cantina**. No smoking, nobody under 21, awesome tacos, good daily and happy hour specials. Clean, good service, locally inspired food/drinks. Go during happy hour if you dislike hipsters (like I do). If you want pre-Prohibition style drinks you can’t go wrong with **Embury** in the Strip. If you’re in Shadyside and want a cheap, smokefree but not-dirty bar to drink in, \*\*Bites & Brews \*\*is solid. $3 for a slice or I think $10 for a pie of woodfired pizza. $6 loaded veggie sandwiches and $8 with a choice of meat, served with chips. **Eva Luna** , you do NOT want to hear music in Pittsburgh. Nobody comes here ☹ They’d rather do Cleveland because of House of Blues/Hall of Fame. Can’t blame 'em. Get a GPS and have the phone # of a friend who wouldn’t mind you calling and asking for directions if you get lost. Additionally, during certain hours (limited on weekends, possibly closed on weekends) you can call the University of Pittsburgh’s student internet help line called Telefact - basically they google for you. It’s 412-624-3228. I would save that in your cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/29 "2011-07-20T18:03:31Z")
Another vote for Andy Warhol museum. Don’t miss it! ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/30 "2011-07-20T18:35:31Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Ride the [Duquesne Incline](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duquesne_Incline) and go up on Grandview Avenue. It’s spectacular. Grandview Avenue is, I take it, what you find at the top of the incline? Anything interesting at the top (aside from the view, which I assume is, well, _grand_)? We know from inclines, by the way, all of us hailing originally from the [Chattanooga area](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lookout+mountain+incline+railway&qpvt=lookout+mountain+incline+railway&FORM=IGRE#x0y570). 😃 **lindsaybluth** , if you hate hipsters, I’m not sure we’re on the same page. 😉 If you have good pizza or Italian food recommendations I’d be interested in that. Italians are relatively thin on the ground down this way. (We have plenty of good Thai and Indian here, so I doubt we’ll be seeking that out in Pittsburgh.) Ideally I would like to sample things we don’t get much down here. Or foods which may be of better quality there because of a thriving ethnic community. And we can handle greasy food for a weekend. And to answer your question, we don’t know where we’re staying yet. We figured we’d shop Priceline or [hotels.com](http://hotels.com) as the date approaches. Probably stay downtown, I guess, unless someone has a better idea? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/31 "2011-07-20T19:07:40Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Grandview Avenue is, I take it, what you find at the top of the incline? Anything interesting at the top (aside from the view, which I assume is, well, _grand_)? That’s correct, and yes, [it is grand](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5e/Pittsburgh_from_Mount_Washington.JPG). Pictures don’t do it justice. Aside from that, there’s probably not too much touristy stuff. Down at the bottom of the hill is Station Square (home of Pittsburgh’s Hard Rock Cafe, among other things) and the Gateway Clipper Fleet if you want to go on a riverboat ride, the South Side isn’t but 5 minutes away, and Downtown is just across the Liberty Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/32 "2011-07-20T19:23:47Z")
The pierogi intrigues me. We don’t get those down here. ---
**Author:** ![MTRG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@MTRG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MTRG)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/33 "2011-07-20T19:33:52Z")
If you have good pizza or Italian food recommendations I’d be interested in that. Italians are relatively thin on the ground down this way. Try [pizza sola](http://pizzasola.com/). It is our favorite and you can buy by the slice. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/34 "2011-07-20T21:10:14Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > **lindsaybluth** , if you hate hipsters, I’m not sure we’re on the same page. 😉 If you have good pizza or Italian food recommendations I’d be interested in that. Italians are relatively thin on the ground down this way. (We have plenty of good Thai and Indian here, so I doubt we’ll be seeking that out in Pittsburgh.) > > Ideally I would like to sample things we don’t get much down here. Or foods which may be of better quality there because of a thriving ethnic community. And we can handle greasy food for a weekend. I’m starting to think I’m jinxed, what with the previous two responses having died in Firefox crashing and burning! While I dislike hipsters’ politics and their attitudes and tats, we very much so fall on the same page of bars and restaurants and so forth because we value the same things: locally inspired chef driven tasty food and drinks. So it’s more a love-hate relationship :p. So for Italian, the little Italy community is in Bloomfield. I used to love Del’s but have felt that it’s gone down in quality. I don’t know of what else in the neighborhood is good, however I have found excellent Italian in a nearby suburb (12 minutes away driving from Lawrenceville, where I’d imagine you’ll be spending a lot of time). It’s called [Donato’s](http://donatosrestaurant.com/dinner). It’s a little pricey for Pittsburgh - although if you’re from a top 10 big city it’ll be super affordable. Their bolognese sauce is to die for. Have you ever eaten food that immediately calms and soothes you, making you happy while reminding you of home? This reminded me of my little old Italian babysitter who passed away years ago. I recommend absolutely everything except the cod and the stuffed shrimp. My absolute favorite dishes are any of the pastas with Bolognese sauce (the menu only lists cheese ravioli but you can get any of the pastas with any of the sauces), the jumbo scampi linguini, the white clam linguini, the osso bucco, the chicken marsala and the broiled crabcakes. ETA: The steaks are a la carte but supposedly excellent - the owner came from a steakhouse background. The crabcakes and the fish dishes come with a side of vegetables and most entrees come with a salad or soup. I’d get both the house salad and the wedding soup. > [@Spoke](#): > > And to answer your question, we don’t know where we’re staying yet. We figured we’d shop Priceline or [hotels.com](http://hotels.com) as the date approaches. Probably stay downtown, I guess, unless someone has a better idea? If price is your only concern, get whatever deal you can within the city limits. Make sure you ask how much parking is, our parking rates are within the top 5 in the county. I’d recommend two B&B’s: [one on the Northside](http://www.innonthemexicanwarstreets.com/), close to the stadium, [and one in Lawrenceville](http://briarwoodmanor.webs.com/). The Lawrenceville one looks very affordable. Downtown is pretty dead after dark, so at least you could walk to bars in Lawrenceville. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/35 "2011-07-20T21:12:51Z")
I visited Pittsburgh about a month ago. I concur with the picks of the Cantina and Brillobox. Both had good/great beer selection, and the food was good at the Cantina. Also, I really didn’t like that I could never figure out where we were at any time (I was visiting a friend who’s lived there for about a year). We pretty much stayed east of downtown, going near the UP and CMU campuses and Greendale (?), but I was always lost in that part of the city. I liked the biking atmosphere, though, except the hills are killer for a Midwesterner like me. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/36 "2011-07-20T21:21:17Z")
> [@mkecane](#): > > I visited Pittsburgh about a month ago. I concur with the picks of the Cantina and Brillobox. Both had good/great beer selection, and the food was good at the Cantina. Also, I really didn’t like that I could never figure out where we were at any time (I was visiting a friend who’s lived there for about a year). We pretty much stayed east of downtown, going near the UP and CMU campuses and Greendale (?), but I was always lost in that part of the city. I liked the biking atmosphere, though, except the hills are killer for a Midwesterner like me. Greenfield. I’ve been here 5 years and I still get lost. It’s rough. Tears were regular in the first year when I’d get lost. Glad you liked it though! Every young person lives in the “East End” of Pittsburgh - Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Greenfield, East Liberty, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville, Friendship and Regent Square. I think I got 'em all 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/37 "2011-07-20T21:24:20Z")
Thanks for the tips on Italian eats. Atlanta’s most enduring and beloved Italian restaurant is run by Cubans. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/38 "2011-07-20T21:28:44Z")
Ha! I believe it. My mother’s family _loves_ Italian food. Considering Cubans die the earliest of any Latinos, it’s easy to see that it’s due to lifestyle factors 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/40 "2011-07-22T14:17:24Z")
One more question: Is [Fallingwater](http://fallingwater.org/) worth a side trip as long as we’re up in that part of the world, or should we give it a miss? Also, we are all history buffs. Any historic sites in the area worth seeing? ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2011, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622/41 "2011-07-22T14:46:53Z")
Fallingwater is great BUT it’s a ways away and a half or 2/3rds day adventure so with such limited time, I’d suggest you stick to Lawrenceville/Bloomfield for fun. And Donato’s of course - we’re going tonight :p. History buff stuff - my other half just finished his major in history and is big into history; I’ll ask him and get back to ya. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-pittsburgh-any-recommendations/589622.md?page=3)