Pittsburgh - for a weekend - any suggestions??

[Piglet]

Heading to Pittsburgh next weekend for a little vacation before school starts. Any suggestions for a decent, not to pricey hotel. My girls want to visit the zoo/aquarium, the incline and maybe a boat ride. Any other suggestions - dining???

 

[fenrir58]

People will tell to eat at Primanti Bros., I'm going to steer you clear of that though. The Strip District has a bunch of food places though. Station Square has some eating too, but it's also a lot of bars so on the weekend you might want to avoid that.

If it ends up raining, the museums are pretty cool.

I don't know much about hotels, but I will tell you that Pittsburgh streets are confusing because of the triangle( that and the streets were originally set up for horse and buggys), and public transport is not the best, so just make sure you get some pre-gaming for the city done (maps and whatnot). Staying outside the city is most likely cheaper, but beware of the parkway!

Sorry that last bit was a little depressing, but I've lived here all of my 21 year life, and I still have trouble getting around at times.

 

[wdwmom2]

The Strip District's pretty fun.

Leaving for Pittsburgh tomorrow!!! I always look forward to going to the Strip District!!!!

 

[dejr_8]

Heading to Pittsburgh next weekend for a little vacation before school starts. Any suggestions for a decent, not to pricey hotel. My girls want to visit the zoo/aquarium, the incline and maybe a boat ride. Any other suggestions - dining???

Friends of ours stayed here http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll/qscr=dspv/htid=3950/crti=3/hotel-room-and-rates last summer and loved it. The shuttle to downtown was very convenient.

 

[jazzielady]

I have to contradict the pp. Primanti Bros. in the Strip is awesome! Until you try one of their sandwiches, you say ick to the idea of fries and slaw on it. After you try it, you'll wish you had room for another!

Station Square and the South Side are pretty cool. If you take the incline up to Mt. Washington, there are some posh restaurants there if that is in your budget.

Kennywood (classic amusement park) and Sandcastle (waterpark), very close to one another are some other possibilities, though a bit of a drive from the downtown district.

 

[princesspiglet]

ok, native Pittsburgher here. Your best bet for a hotel is outside of downtown. I would check out Sheraton Station Square. Station Square is on the other side of the river from downtown, across the Smithfield Street Bridge. Nice hotel with decent rates. It is right on the waterfront and offers great skyline views of downtown. Plus, it is right beside the entrance to the incline and the Gateway Clipper. You can walk across the bridge to view downtown or you can take the T- which is located right there.

Also, Station Square has over 20 resturants to choose from. Our favorites our Bucca di Beppo, the Melting Pot and Pittsburgh Rare. My husband enjoys Joes' Crab Shack the most. Plus there are 20 shops inside SS to do some retail therapy. Plus, you got the Gateway Clipper, Just Ducky Tours, Horse & carrige rides and the dancing water fountains!

You are only a short bus ride (or you can drive) over to Oakland (it is actually more East Liberty/Shadyside area) to the Zoo/Aquarium.

If you have a rainy day take the kids to the Pittsburgh Childrens Museum over on the North Side. It is a wonderful museum, but plan on spending at least 4-5 hours there to fully explore everything.

If you need more info, plesae let me know!

here is a link to Station Square:
http://www.stationsquare.com/index.cfm

 

[Piglet]

Thanks for all the info - I checked out the hotels listed. Now just to make a decision.

 

[fenrir58]

I have to contradict the pp. Primanti Bros. in the Strip is awesome! Until you try one of their sandwiches, you say ick to the idea of fries and slaw on it. After you try it, you'll wish you had room for another!

Station Square and the South Side are pretty cool. If you take the incline up to Mt. Washington, there are some posh restaurants there if that is in your budget.

Kennywood (classic amusement park) and Sandcastle (waterpark), very close to one another are some other possibilities, though a bit of a drive from the downtown district.

Sorry, I could just never get into Primanti and I hate how people(not you, Dan Potash maybe) say you HAVE to eat there. It's an option yes, but there is so much other good food in Pittsburgh.

 

[princesspiglet]

Sorry, I could just never get into Primanti and I hate how people(not you, Dan Potash maybe) say you HAVE to eat there. It's an option yes, but there is so much other good food in Pittsburgh.

I have to wholeheartedly agree. Primanti's is disgusting. Really, the only people who eat there are poor college students and drunk college students.

I think I have told this story once before on this board, but here it is again.
I went to college in downtown Pittsburgh- Point Park- and my friends and I would hit up Primanti's after a night of partying over in Oakland or on the South Side (not many bars in the strip back then) and we would always stop at Primanti's for a late night stack. So one night I ordered my usual, which was roast beef with fries (no egg-yuck) and chedder cheese. My friends and I watched the cook grill up our meat and get the bread ready, etc. He grabbed his spatula, flipped over my roast beef and it fell off the spatula and onto the floor. He then proceeds to PICK IT UP OFF THE FLOOR and puts it back on the grill then puts it on my sandwich!!

At that age, 21, I didn't really care and I still ate it, but looking back on it- even a month later, I was mortified. Besides that, the resturant itself is dirty, dirty, dirty!

There are soooooooo many better resturants to try in Pittsburgh, I hate the fact that Primanti's has somehow become the symbol of Pittsburgh. For a true Pittsburgh dining experience, head over to Oakland and go to the "O" on Forbes ave and get yourself the best dang hot dog and french fries in the city. Then go down one block to Atwood St. to Dave & Andy's for the best homemade ice cream and homemade waffle cones.

 

[jazzielady]

I have to wholeheartedly agree. Primanti's is disgusting. Really, the only people who eat there are poor college students and drunk college students.

I think I have told this story once before on this board, but here it is again.
I went to college in downtown Pittsburgh- Point Park- and my friends and I would hit up Primanti's after a night of partying over in Oakland or on the South Side (not many bars in the strip back then) and we would always stop at Primanti's for a late night stack. So one night I ordered my usual, which was roast beef with fries (no egg-yuck) and chedder cheese. My friends and I watched the cook grill up our meat and get the bread ready, etc. He grabbed his spatula, flipped over my roast beef and it fell off the spatula and onto the floor. He then proceeds to PICK IT UP OFF THE FLOOR and puts it back on the grill then puts it on my sandwich!!

At that age, 21, I didn't really care and I still ate it, but looking back on it- even a month later, I was mortified. Besides that, the resturant itself is dirty, dirty, dirty!

There are soooooooo many better resturants to try in Pittsburgh, I hate the fact that Primanti's has somehow become the symbol of Pittsburgh. For a true Pittsburgh dining experience, head over to Oakland and go to the "O" on Forbes ave and get yourself the best dang hot dog and french fries in the city. Then go down one block to Atwood St. to Dave & Andy's for the best homemade ice cream and homemade waffle cones.

That's definitely an EWWWWW experience in my book. However, the times I've been there (middle of the day), I've never seen anything like that happen.

 

[rwdavis2]

I love Primanti Bros. Cappacola, egg, and cheese. It's not fine dining but I like it. It's local. Another unique experience is the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland (Pitt Campus). Chili dog, cheese, and onions. Don't eat it in the car though. The smell will stay for a week.

Penn Brewery on the North Side is fun. But for doing it all in one spot then Station Square is your best bet.
BD