Destination:
Pittsburgh

Overview

Built by hard-bitten immigrants who were drawn to her steel mills, the city of Pittsburgh is now sitting back on its laurels and offering a more leisurely and aesthetically pleasing lifestyle to residents and visitors alike. Once dubbed 'the Smoky City', Pittsburgh's mills have closed down and the emphasis now is on making the most of the city's natural beauty. Pittsburgh is finally doing justice to its situation, lying between the Ohio, Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers with the Allegheny Mountains in the background. No wonder the city and environs now boasts the largest concentration of pleasure boats in America, while its thriving ethnic neighbourhoods surround a clean, friendly metropolitan centre filled with trees, shops, restaurants, museums, galleries and theatres. Attractions abound in this scenic city from the world's fastest continuous track roller-coaster to the largest single-artist museum in the United States; and from an eerie Gothic mansion to free summer concerts in a beautiful park.

GettingAround

Downtown Pittsburgh is compact and designed to be enjoyed by pedestrians, with parks and plazas spaced out between the office towers and shopping streets. If you need to travel a little further, however, descend to the subway, known in Pittsburgh as the 'T', a small but clean and reliable light rail system that covers a four-stop loop. A branch of the subway also crosses under the Monogahela River and emerges above ground to serve the southern suburbs. The city has an extensive bus network with multiple routes connecting downtown to the attractions on the north side, Oakland and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The Central Business District is a Free Fare Zone and buses are free from 4am to 7pm daily, while the 'T' is free 24 hours a day. Visitors are always particularly keen to ride the historic Duquesne and Monongahela Incline cars up Mount Washington for a breathtaking view. Pittsburgh's taxi cabs need to be called by telephone or hired at a taxi rank.

Events

Attractions

Dining

Airports