Pittsburgh trip! Suggestions on places to eat, things to see, etc?

[Jenny3]

My DD17 and I are headed to Pittsburgh next weekend to check out a few colleges. We have a pretty tight schedule, but will have Saturday night and all day Sunday open to explore the city. We do planning on walking both campuses of the schools she is interested in on Sunday (Univ of Pitt and Duquesne) but other than that, we are wide open.

Any suggestions for restaurants, things to do, sights, etc?

 

[cassandrap83]

check out the "South Side" on Saturday night (early!)

And on Sunday, walk around Oakland (Where the Pitt campus is) there are tons of restaurants and museums.

 

[Jenny3]

Forgot to add we are staying at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center on Lytton Ave... are any of the places you mentioned within walking distance? Or via the shuttle?

Thanks in advance, this is a great help!

 

[Curleyque]

Any chance your DD is interested in pharmacy? We are going to visit these same schools because my DD wants to be a pharmacist.

 

[scottmel]

I was just in Oakland yesterday! I echo Phipps Conservatory, so pretty and peaceful. Right in Oakland. Pirmantis for sure for a sandwich. I honestly would stay local to Oakland. There is enough to do just inside there with museums, etc. that you don't need your car. Natural History Museum! You can catch a bus to Shadyside (maybe 15 minute ride?) for some very upscale shopping and very nice area. Good eateries in Shadyside too! I graduated from pitt way back WHEN and when I was there yesterday (DH works at UPMC) so much had changed but so much still to do....Enjoy your visit

 

[Jenny3]

Any chance your DD is interested in pharmacy? We are going to visit these same schools because my DD wants to be a pharmacist.

Physical therapy

So glad all these wonderful places are so close to our hotel!

 

[HayGan]

Proud Duquesne graduate here

Lots of places to go. Since you are going to be in Oakland, I would suggest you go and go set fries at the "O" - The Original Hot Dog Shop. It will give her a taste of what school will be like whether she goes to Pitt or Duquesne. There is also a 5 Guys burger place right up from the "O". Greasy but good burgers. Primanti Bros. (a famous Pittsburgh spot) is also on Forbes Ave. - just a block up from the "O". Lots of other places to eat in Oakland. Duquesne's campus, while in the city, is kind of off by itself. There are some places to eat on campus but you will likely want to head down into the Downtown area to find some food. There are many restaurants throughout town. I would suggest using Urban Spoon or Yelp to help you find something you might like.

As for what to see, you will want to see the Nationality rooms at the Cathedral of Learning. The Carnegie Museum is right there as well (if you like that stuff). You could take the "T" from Downtown over to Station Square. Ride the incline and get something to eat (lots of restaurants.) There is a really cool tour called Just Ducky that you can take from Station Square but I don't know if it is running yet. There is also a Segway tour that runs from Station Square (also not sure if it is operational yet.) The Strip District is fun with many different tasty places to eat as well.

You can checkout http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/ as well for some additional ideas.

Have fun!

By the way, feel free to pm me if you have any other questions as well

 

[Eureka]

DH and I went on a trip without the kids last year and went to the Carnegie museums right near Univ. of Pittsburgh, an arboretum across the bridge from there, and the National Aviary. It was a lot of fun. As for food, we ate at some fantastic restaurants but not cheap: Monterey Bay (seafood), and Lidia's of Pittsburgh. We also had lunch at Primanti Bros. (fries inside the sandwiches) and breakfast at Deluca's (be prepared to wait and I believe they take cash only). Yum!

If you have time, consider going to Fallingwater too. We went there before going into Pittsburgh and it was beautiful and very interesting.

 

[TimeforMe]

My son graduated from Duquesne this past May (and has a job!) and we really loved visiting Pittsburgh. We enjoyed Lidia's a lot, thought Primanti's is very over-rated but I guess when in Rome....there's an area down by the waterfront that has some chain restaurants (PF Chang's) and some nice shopping. My favorite Pittsburgh restaurant however, is Fathead's. It's the best bar food ever and has a HUGE selection of beers on tap.

I second breakfast at DeLuca's and walking around that area. One thing to note is there is not much open on Sundays. Have fun and good luck on your search. My son really enjoyed his years at Duquesne. It was a great fit for him.

 

[bennifer]

Primanti's is a must for anyone visiting the area. I think everyone else covered everything else! Btw, my DS is starting Pitt in the fall for molecular biology!

 

[crayon3448]

Don't have anything to add but I went to Duquesne and my DH went to Pitt. Very different atmospheres to them but there are things I like about both.

And DH and I are also from outside Philly!

 

[arihillfarm]

I went to Pitt for grad school! My favorite restaurant by far is Ali Baba, one block over from the Cathedral of Learning on S. Craig St. VERY good Syrian food and very reasonable for lunch.

-Astrid

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I enjoyed East Carson Street...There was a place called the Library that had awesome food for great prices and it was sort of a little hole in the wall place and another place at Station Square called Houlihans or something like that which was also yummy. Granted this was a few years ago so who knows if they're still around.

 

[Jenny3]

You guys are the best, thanks so much

Great to see so many grads here! Feel free to add anything you think is helpful on either school!

 

[KeepBreathing]

I live in Pittsburgh. Right around the corner from your hotel is a great Indian restaurant called India Garden...it is one of my favorite places in the entire city. They have a great buffet. http://www.indiagarden.net/ Mad Mex is also not far from your hotel, it is mexican food, but not your typical mexican food - it is a local Pittsburgh chain. http://www.madmex.com/oakland/

If you want something a little more fancy, Legume is a great restaurant within walking distance. http://www.legumebistro.com/ It has a little bar/lounge next door called Butterjoint that I would be comfortable taking my kids (5 and 10) into. http://thebutterjoint.com/

Pamela's for breakfast.

Not sure that I would recommend it, but the "O" or the "Dirty O" as Pitt Students call it, is the Original Hot Dog Shop. It is a late night Pitt institution...and you might want to stop in just to say you have been there.

All of the restaurants I recommended are within walking distance of your hotel.

Someone else recommended the South Side. I would avoid the South Side on Saturday night with a high school student....it is primarily focused on drinking and if your DD goes to school in Pittsburgh, she'll have more than enough time to find it. They have been cracking down on just about everything there and the police presence is heavy.

I would second the recommendations to visit Phipps Conservatory.

Shadyside has some cute boutique shops that you could visit, but you would need to drive there (the shuttle may possibly go there, but I can't say for sure as I've never used it). If you do go there, try Prantl's bakery and the little crepes place that is in a basement.

 

[crayon3448]

How did your trip go with DD? What does she think of the schools?