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Start off with one of these four fun excursions
around the city.
Native Pittsburghers love to say they live in a small town, but in
reality Pittsburgh is a bustling metropolis, packed with exciting
cultural attractions, major-league stadiums and beautiful parks.
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Do you only have 48 hours to experience what Pittsburgh has to offer?
Here are four ways to spend a morning or afternoon getting to know
the real Pittsburgh.
1. Get right to the Point (4 hours)
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If it's a nice day, one of the most relaxing
places in the city is Point State Park, 36 acres of parkland
nestled at the intersection of the Allegheny and Monongahela
Rivers. Run through the mist created by the 150-foot waterspout,
the tallest fountain in the country. Nearby you can find the
outline of Fort Prince George, an 18th Century garrison built
at the suggestion of a young George Washington, who wisely realized
the value of this prize piece of real estate.
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As you make your way up Penn. Ave, stop to admire
the downtown area's modern skyline. Take a look at PPG Place,
at the corner of Fourth Ave. and Stanwix St. The building should
look familiar--it's essentially a shimmering glass replica of
London's House of Parliament.
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Penn. Ave runs straight through the Cultural
District. Here you will find vintage vaudeville houses and
Roaring 20s movie theaters that have been transformed into modern
theaters and performance spaces, like the Byham Theater, Heinz
Hall and Benedum Center. If you have time, catch a show or see
the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, one of the most distinguished
symphonies in the world.
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Eye the eyeball benches at the Agnes R. Katz
Plaza, then take a seat on them and enjoy Louise Bourgeois'
illuminated bronze fountain, or ponder whatever novel creation
is currently occupying the public art space across the street
on the corner of 7th St. and Penn. Ave.
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Drive east along the Allegheny to the Senator
John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, a former
ice warehouse that has been transformed into a seven-floor celebration
of Pittsburgh. Inside you can learn the humble origins of the
Heinz Ketchup empire and maybe meet Bill Mistick, a native Pittsburgher
who will tell you about growing up in a steelworker home and
helping his son get elected deputy mayor of the city. Bill is
just one of the many locals that volunteer their time every
week to share their love of Pittsburgh. |
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2. Catch Pop Flies and Pop Artists (4 hours)
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Start your tour of North Side (formerly known
as Allegheny City) by stopping at the Carnegie Science Center,
where you will have free license to touch every exhibit in the
museum--it's all in the name of learning. Here you can catch
an Omnimax movie or tour a WWII submarine.
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Next door is the brand new Heinz Field,
home to the Pittsburgh Steelers football franchise.
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The Steelers aren't the only Pittsburgh sports
team that boasts a new home --down the river you will find PNC
Park, where the Pittsburgh Pirates have been hitting homeruns
since 2001. If you have time, stay for a game — almost
every seat in the park affords a breathtaking view of the city's
skyline.
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Don't forget to spend some time in the Andy
Warhol Museum, a seven-story testament to the city's funky
native son and the largest single-artist museum in the world.
Bat around giant silver balloons, admire the pink cow wallpaper
and marvel at the kooky things Warhol, a compulsive pack rat,
spent his entire life collecting.
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Hang out with macaws, cuckoos and parrots at the
National Aviary, home to more than 500 exotic and endangered
birds.
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Take a drive into the Mexican War
Streets, where tastefully refurbished Victorian homes overlook
roads named after famous Mexican-American War battles, like
Buena Vista and Resaca. Here you will find the Mattress Factory,
an innovative gallery dedicated to groundbreaking contemporary
art. |
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3. Cruise the Rivers and Go Vertical (3
hours)
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Sick of the usual modes of travel? Take one of
the two inclines (Monongahela and Duquesne) up to the
top of Mount Washington, where you will find a stunning view
of the city as well as shops and upscale restaurants.
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Wander through Station Square, renovated
waterfront warehouses filled with boutique stores, comedy clubs,
big-name clubs and some of the best restaurants in the city.
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By the water you can board one of the Gateway
Clippers, a fleet of colorful old riverboats that cruise
Pittsburgh's three rivers. You can take the boats across the
rivers to the North Side, or reserve a seat on a special sightseeing
cruise.
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Drive down East Carson Street to historic South
Side, home to eclectic antique stores, trendy coffee houses
and the city's hippest jazz clubs. |
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4. Learn from the Masters (3 hours)
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What better place to start than the Cathedral
of Learning, the gothic pinnacle in the center of Oakland
and the second tallest academic building in the world? Inside,
explore the Nationality Rooms, each designed by a different
ethnic group in the city. See if you can find the secret passageway
in the Early American classroom that leads to a hidden chamber.
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Get a hot dog and a HUGE order of fries at The
Original Hotdog Shop, or "The O", on Forbes Ave, and
then meander past the other nearby student restaurants and bars.
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Visit the Carnegie museum complex, which
houses a world-class library, art museum and a natural history
museum. Admire the modern European and American masterpieces,
check out the third largest collection of dinosaur fossils in
the world and chew the fat with the world's first robot tour
guide.
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Walk up South Craig Street, poke into the
used bookstores and enjoy the people watching while relaxing
in one of the coffee shops.
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You've been busy--it's time to relax in tranquil
Schenley Park. Here you will find the Phipps Conservatory,
a magnificent 14-room Victorian glass house where you can wander
through a garden of living butterflies and program your own
water fountain display. In the winter you can go ice-skating
in the park and in the late spring or summer you can watch an
outdoor movie on the lawn, á la Cinema Paradiso. |
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