@Pgh2Storrs and
@storrsroars, looking to take a summer road trip out to Pittsburgh. Never been and always wanted to visit. Best time of the summer to visit and any local tips (neighborhoods to visit or stay in (AirBnb), food, whatever recommendations would be awesome!)
Pirates game definitely on tap and we're excited to see the art and architecture of the area (Mrs. Hey Adrien is an art teacher/mixed-media artist with a studio in town).
Back to opening day, very fortunate to have been done with classes on Thursday at 1 PM. Got to watch the first 90 minutes of the Yankees game on my projection screen at school while grading. Overall, a well played game, but would have loved the win.
GREAT to see fans in the stands.
Man, a whole lot depends on how we're doing vs Covid. Too early to really say what's going to be open and thriving. I'm having my brother put off visiting until late summer or fall as I want to make sure we can go to places I really want to go.
That said, pretty much every visitor I've had wants to go up the Incline to Mt. Washington for the views, which are pretty great. Most also want to visit the original Primanti's, which unless you're really into Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I think you could easily avoid, although going to The Strip area can be enjoyable (a lot of old school ethnic stores mixed with old and new restaurants). A better version of Primanti's type sandwiches is found at FatHead's in the SouthSide, which is pretty much one 17-block long stretch of indie bars and restaurants on E. Carson St. ranging from excellent to divey, ending at corporate shopping area with a Cheesecake Factory and Hofbrauhaus. You'll want to visit, but you won't want to stay in that area.
Staying downtown has merit. The T is free to all downtown and Northside stops, including PNC Park and Rivers Casino. If things are back to relative normalcy, plenty of good restaurants to be had. If not, could be a bit of a ghost town, although a walk around Point State Park can be enjoyable.
Shadyside is the closest thing we have to an upscale walking area, kinda Westport-ish mix of national brand shops (e.g. Williams-Sonoma types) with indie restaurants & bars mixed in. Relatively easy walk to East Liberty bar/restaurant scene, which was thriving pre-Covid. I'm guessing you should be able to find a number of AirBnbs there. Lawrenceville is another hopping area, oft-labeled as the "new Williamsburg (Brooklyn)". One of my favorite places, a Thai restaurant called Pusadee's Garden (and you want to eat in the garden) is there, along with a ton of interesting restaurants and microbreweries that I hope are open for sit-down service when you visit.
The big museums are generally nothing special compared to other cities, although you'll want to pay attention to whatever seasonal exhibits are happening. Exception is the Warhol, which is worth a visit for its uniqueness and weirdness. The
Mattress Factory in Northside is also worth considering if you like non-traditional art (and while there, stop by
Randyland). There are a handful of performance theatres that usually have interesting plays going on if that's a thing for you. Depending when you come there are also numerous street festivals happening in July/August/Sept.
I'm also partial to a couple of places in Braddock (home of John Fetterman, whom you may have heard of). Superior Motors is the best restaurant in town, IMHO, and Brew Gentlemen the best microbrewery in these parts. Bit of a rough area, so you won't be walking around, but it's starting to attract some urban pioneering types and those two places would be popular in cities much larger.
Other than that, some nice trails for walking/biking alongside the rivers. You can kayak the Allegheny. Visit the Pitt campus and check out the international rooms at the Catherdral of Learning (my late mother was thrilled they had a Lithuanian room!). Some good excursions outside the city as well (e.g. Fallingwater, Meadowcroft, etc.)
Would be happy to add more if you've got any specific interests in art/music/food/activities. Drop me a DM.
