I’ll be there next week. Any ideas for what to do/see?
I was there about 10 years ago and went to the Warhol museum, did the Incline, etc. No baseball this week. I am going to visit colleges for work, Carnegie Mellon and University of Pittsburgh. I won’t have a car. Dh will be at a conference with little free time so I am on my own.
Schenley Park and in particular The Botanical Garden and Conservatory in the park is lovely if the weather is nice and if it’s not the Carnegie Museum is an easy walk from either campus. And if you haven’t toured either campus they are both interesting. In particular take a look at the floors of the Fine Arts Building at Carnegie Mellon and the Tower of Learning at Pitt.
Well, there’s a chance of rain all week, sometimes as high as 90%, so I fear outside activities may be out.
Take a tour of the International Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt’s campus.
If you’re willing to rent a car for a day, Fallingwater is not far from Pittsburgh. (I’ve been 6 times, at least.) Better if it isn’t raining. There is also a second Frank Lloyd Wright house (Kentuck Knob) within driving distance of Fallingwater that is open for tours as well.
I would definitely recommend Phipps. (https://phipps.conservatory.org/visit-and-explore/). Even if you visited 10 years ago there have been major changes.
Fallingwater is really worth the trip - we finally saw it on our last trip to deliver son to CMU. You need to make reservations in advance. Unfortunately there don’t seem to be any bus tour options.
Fallingwater is definitely worth the trip, but I’m not sure the OP will have the time since she said she is working at the two universities. The trio, including the tour and the round trip would take the better part of the day.
But mathmom, if you can fit it in, do it! It is so amazing.
Possible take a bus downtown and just explore. Shop, walk around, see the rivers, go to the strip district? I think you can take bus 61A or 71A from 5th street. They don’t take you to the strip district ( open air markets), but if you’re a walker you can walk it from the convention center.
Eat at the Union Grill on Craig St. (Directly across from the CMU museum). It’s where the locals eat. They are known for their burgers but we have ordered other items and have been happy with them as well. They have $10 bottles of wine which are quite good. Basically they sell wine at or below cost - no mark up. They are definitely worth it. Expect to wait for a table.
I’ve heard the National Aviary is well worth the trip but haven’t done it yet. Use Google maps to get the bus route.
I’ll definitely try the Union Grill! I’m touring CMU in the morning so will hang around for lunch.
YDS, if you’re visiting CMU & Pitt, you will be near Phipps Conservatory, the Carnegie Museums (Art & Natural History), and the gothic Cathedral of Learning on the Pitt campus, all of which would be good places to go if you have a washout rainy weekend. (When I was a grad student there, we called it the “Tower of Power.”) I second the recommendations for Phipps Conservatory ($) & the Pitt Nationality Classrooms (free). Phipps has partnered with CMU to develop innovative green technologies in their Center for Sustainable Landscapes and the Conservatory currently features an African rainforest in the main building. Pitt’s Nationality Classrooms are one of my favorite attractions in Pgh - I highly recommend them. Unfortunately, I think Heinz Chapel- which is beside the Cathedral of Learning - is closed for renovation, but it is also worth visiting if it is open. Stained glass windows are patterned after the windows of Saint Chapelle in Paris.
When I was in Pgh in April, I visited the Heinz History Museum ($), which is downtown in the Strip District near the convention center. It gives a good overview of Western PA & Pittsburgh history, as well as the history of the Heinz Company. Another cool place is Market Square in the downtown area. It has Nicholas Coffee, which has been roasting beans in the same spot for almost 100 years, as well as some cool restaurants like the iconic Primanti Brothers with its Pittsburgh specialty sandwiches with french fries + coleslaw inside the bread).
And if you’re looking for a breakfast place, I recommend Pamela’s Diners (http://www.pamelasdiner.com), which has several locations around town including one in Oakland near the Pitt campus. Get their crepe hotcakes.
Use Uber to get around town.
PM me if you want more suggestions.
Another restaurant recommendation is The Porch which is located in the park in front of the Pitt library. Do you remember the line from the song “paved paradise and put in a parking lot”? Pittsburgh did the opposite. The parking lot that used to be across from the library is now a park with a carousel, several food kiosks, lots of green space, and one really good restaurant. We had brunch there today to celebrate my birthday. Very interesting menu and reasonable prices.
If you look at my avatar you will see the dinosaur that is in front of the museum. I live about 2 miles from there. If you have any more questions, feel free to p.m. me and I will try to help.
Hi,
Our DS '14 attends Pitt and we’ve grown quite fond of the town…
If it’s not too late, here our some of our favorites:
For a Belgian Bar / Cafe we really like Point Brugge Cafe - Excellent mussels and specials. Great bear list, too. It is in Shadyshide and walking the neighborhood while waiting for a table can be pleasant.
http://pointbrugge.com/
For Itailain, we really like Dish Osteria, http://www.dishosteria.com. It is on the south side. Also on the South side is Peter’s Pub, Fatheads and the Milshake factory.
For activities, I think it has been covered, but Phipp’s get a high recommendation as do the inclines.
As you might be able to tell, we like to eat out so if have a particular type of food that you like, we might be able to make more recommendations.
Thanks, all.
This is an odd trip. Normally, I am in charge of all logistics, but this time I am along for the ride. Dh is attending a conference and seems to be working day and night so I am on my own most of the time. That’s fine; I’m excellent company. 
But because the hotel, the flights, everything have been driven by these conference planners, I am playing my part by ear and have given this almost no thought. We are leaving ridiculously early tomorrow and staying at the Westin Convention Center, so places near there where a person wouldn’t be out of place eating alone would be good. Or lunch places by the colleges (I’ll definitely try the Union Grill). I hope there’s a Pamela’s by the hotel.
Truthfully, I booked the college tours so I could write off the trip and to force me to leave the hotel room. We don’t have cable at home, so I could seem myself staying in bed all day and watching HGTV and Say Yes to the Dress!
I think the Convention Center is close to the Pamela’s in the strip district, maybe only one mile away. It might not be an easy walk in the morning though, I’d ask the hotel. If you headed to campus first, there is a Pamela’s on Forbes avenue in Oakland. We’ve personally been to the Oakland (Campus), strip district, and the Shadyside locations, and they’ve all been good.
For lunch, on Pitt’s campus, there is a spot called the Spice Island Tea House. It kinda looks like a dive on the outside, but the food is good. http://www.spiceislandteahouse.com/
In addition to the Porch, nearby is Conflict Kitchen which has always been tasty at a good price. You can grab something to eat and enjoy it in Schenley Park. Currently they are featuring Cuban food. http://conflictkitchen.org/
Heinz Chapel has reopened; definitely should see it if you are on Pitt’s campus. DH and I were married there way back when 
I lived off campus in Shadyside for a year and remember it as being a really nice pedestrian area for shopping and restaurants. It’s not a bad walk from CMU, about 15 minutes IIRC, and a good way to kill an afternoon after your campus tour.
I really enjoyed the Carnegie Mellon Tour - the floors of the School of Fine Arts Building are great. I really enjoyed seeing what was in the studios too, but don’t know what they’d be up to in the summer. The computer science building has some amusing art pieces too.
There’s a great Belgian waffle place across the street from the Cathedral of Learning - Waffallonia. It’s located on the edge of Schenley Plaza, with plenty of small tables and chairs available nearby.
I thought I would report back. I’ve eaten at Primanti, Union Grill and The Original. All good. Boy, I loved the Original fries. Of course, it may have been because it was 2:30 by the time I got lunch and was starving.
Loved the Cathedral of Learning. Spent so much time there. CMU’s fine arts building was lovely.
I have no plans for tomorrow, and Dh has the afternoon off so we need to figure something out. Weather has been great.