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PA Traveler

Service Attendant
Joined
Jan 25, 2011
Messages
115
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
Since the Capitol Limited and the Pennsylvanian come through here, I thought I'd provide a little bit of information about Pittsburgh. In spite of a sign that says "Notice. For your safety, wait inside the station until your train is announced for boarding," this is a safe area of town. The sign is referring to not going up the steps to the train platform, but we've met a number of people who seem to take it to mean that the area outside the station is unsafe. It's not. The station is at the edge of downtown Pittsburgh, directly across from the new Greyhound station, close to the convention center, shopping, restaurants, expensive hotels, and some interesting places within walking distance of the station.

The John Heinz History Center is only about a ten-minute walk from the station. Not far from there is the Strip District, with lots of ethnic grocery shops and restaurants. The famous Primanti's is here, but that never did too much for me. DeLuca's is also rather famous for breakfast, but we prefer Pamela's and Jo-Jo's. Pamela's is pretty close to DeLuca's, but Jo-Jo's is a little farther down and on Smallman Street, not Penn Avenue. Roland's is one of our favorites for lunch or dinner, but there are a lot of good restaurants right around here. The Strip is particularly fun on a Saturday morning when street vendors set up outside the shops. It's very busy, but it's our favorite time to go.

As for other sites not so close to the station if you are here a little longer, Pittsburgh has much to offer. If museums are your thing, there are lots of them. Carnegie Museum in Oakland is one of the best and best known if you like dinosaurs, geology, architecture, etc. Phipps Conservatory is outstanding and within walking distance from the museum. You can get out on the rivers with a Ducky Tour or for a longer trip, the Gateway Clipper Fleet is not far away. The ride up one of the inclines to see the view of the city from Mt. Washington is well worth it and the Station Square area where you would take one of the inclines has lots of restaurants and shops and a nice view of the city from across the Monongahela River. If you like amusement parks, Kennywood Park is not far away. If you are going to stay long enough to get out into the mountains, Fallingwater is listed in one of our travel books as one of the best places to visit in the world.

I am only scratching the surface, so I'll provide some links. I always like Trip Advisor and use it extensively to plan my trips.

http://www.tripadvis...nnsylvania.html

Also:

http://www.visitpitt...nia/pittsburgh/

http://www.visitpittsburgh.com/
 
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Beats me! :unsure:

We have always read it to mean not to go up the steps to the train platform. Period. And the area is gated until the train arrives so that people can't get out to the platform. We never questioned it until we met some people while traveling who took it to mean it's dangerous outside the front doors of the station. :wacko:

I think the hotel is now the Westin Convention Center Hotel, but I know it's changed ownership over the years.
 
The famous Primanti's is here, but that never did too much for me.
For a second opinion, I do like Primanti's sandwiches. And they're very convenient, since you don't have to eat your French fries and coleslaw separately.

(I lived in the Pittsburgh area for about a year and a half in the late '90s.)
 
I want to hear more about this incredibly dangerous train platform you have. Sounds interesting.
Me too. Everytime I've been to PGH it seems safe to me. :unsure:

Also there's a hotel pretty much right next to the station. A short 5 minute walk at most. I forget what brand it is. But it's very nice and worth it.
It is the Westin. I work in the same building.
 
Hello!

I plan to take a mini road trip by myself.

I will make a stop at Pittsburgh and plan to stay for 8hr before my train arrives to take me to my next destination. Is it safe for a small girl to walk from the Amtrak station to Primanti (I saw it on Man vs. Food and am very curious)? I visited Mapquest and it says the walk is less than 1 mile and roughly 15 minutes. However, under satellite view, it looks like there are some major intersections. Since I will be there from in the evening, do you have any suggestions of where I can visit with such a limited time frame?

 

Thank you for reading!

 

-Lauryn
 
Hello!

I plan to take a mini road trip by myself.

I will make a stop at Pittsburgh and plan to stay for 8hr before my train arrives to take me to my next destination. Is it safe for a small girl to walk from the Amtrak station to Primanti (I saw it on Man vs. Food and am very curious)? I visited Mapquest and it says the walk is less than 1 mile and roughly 15 minutes. However, under satellite view, it looks like there are some major intersections. Since I will be there from in the evening, do you have any suggestions of where I can visit with such a limited time frame?

 

Thank you for reading!

 

-Lauryn
It should be safe, but I would use caution at night. The intersections shouldn't be a problem. Just go out the door of Amtrak and turn left at the sidewalk. You can cross over to the Greyhound Station and that should be the most major intersection. And there are crossing signals at all of the intersections in the downtown area that you would cross. I would walk down to Penn Avenue and turn right (just a block or two) as that's the busiest street to 18th Street where Primanti's is. But Smallman Street a block farther down will also get you there. It's pretty well lit at night. By the time you get into the Strip, there may not be the crossing signals, but they aren't such major intersections and there are lights at the crossings. I think most things around there will be closed down in the evening, though. It will mostly be the restaurants that will be open around there in the evening, but that does mean other people around. If you are there on a Friday or a Saturday, it will be busier.
 
It should be safe, but I would use caution at night. The intersections shouldn't be a problem. Just go out the door of Amtrak and turn left at the sidewalk. You can cross over to the Greyhound Station and that should be the most major intersection. And there are crossing signals at all of the intersections in the downtown area that you would cross. I would walk down to Penn Avenue and turn right (just a block or two) as that's the busiest street to 18th Street where Primanti's is. But Smallman Street a block farther down will also get you there. It's pretty well lit at night. By the time you get into the Strip, there may not be the crossing signals, but they aren't such major intersections and there are lights at the crossings. I think most things around there will be closed down in the evening, though. It will mostly be the restaurants that will be open around there in the evening, but that does mean other people around. If you are there on a Friday or a Saturday, it will be busier.
Thank you so much for replying so quick!

I will be there this Saturday. I just realized the train that I will catch will be at 11:59PM. I plan to visit the town a little bit until it gets a bit dark and then go back to the station and wait for the train. Would you consider this to be safe (as in, in the station). If not, I would just take the train straight to my next destination (Chicago, where I have a friend to go w/ me). I checked on the amtrak page that the station closes at 11:59pm. I am weary because what if the train arrives late, would I be standing outside waiting for it?
 
It should be safe, but I would use caution at night. The intersections shouldn't be a problem. Just go out the door of Amtrak and turn left at the sidewalk. You can cross over to the Greyhound Station and that should be the most major intersection. And there are crossing signals at all of the intersections in the downtown area that you would cross. I would walk down to Penn Avenue and turn right (just a block or two) as that's the busiest street to 18th Street where Primanti's is. But Smallman Street a block farther down will also get you there. It's pretty well lit at night. By the time you get into the Strip, there may not be the crossing signals, but they aren't such major intersections and there are lights at the crossings. I think most things around there will be closed down in the evening, though. It will mostly be the restaurants that will be open around there in the evening, but that does mean other people around. If you are there on a Friday or a Saturday, it will be busier.
Thank you so much for replying so quick!

I will be there this Saturday. I just realized the train that I will catch will be at 11:59PM. I plan to visit the town a little bit until it gets a bit dark and then go back to the station and wait for the train. Would you consider this to be safe (as in, in the station). If not, I would just take the train straight to my next destination (Chicago, where I have a friend to go w/ me). I checked on the amtrak page that the station closes at 11:59pm. I am weary because what if the train arrives late, would I be standing outside waiting for it?
.
It's dark around here right now around 7 PM, so you should have a little time. Saturday should be a busy day in the area, and I don't even know if there's a convention in town, which would mean even more people.

The station here is open 24 hours, so you wouldn't be outside waiting for the train. I know the hours read oddly on the website. You have to go into the station to get the train, which is above street level. We usually start out our trips on the 11:59 train to Chicago, and there are always people there waiting.

There is an Occupy Pittsburgh planned on Saturday, but I'm not sure just where that's going to be. And the weather is supposed to be rainy. :eek:

I hope you have a nice trip and enjoy your little bit of time in the city.
 
The occupy Pittsburgh JUST LEFT last night, they were located next to BNY Mellon building and the USX Tower.
 
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It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
 
It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
I would recommend:

PNC Park - best MLB stadium in the country, even if it's not always home to the best team!

University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning - tallest academic building in the United States. Incredible Gothic architecture, and they have Nationality Rooms for over 30 countries which are open to visitors.

East Carson Street - For about 20 blocks this South Side neighborhood is full of bars and restaurants - just don't try to have a beer at every one!
 
University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning - tallest academic building in the United States. Incredible Gothic architecture, and they have Nationality Rooms for over 30 countries which are open to visitors.
That is an interesting building. It brought back memories of the Stalin Gothic buildings in Moscow. I stayed in one at them in the Ukraina Hotel. Another famous one is the Lomonosov University building, which I visited. While poking around from the Wiki article on the Cathedral of Learning, imagine my surprise discovering that The Lomonosov University building is the only one that is taller than the Cathedral of Learning among University buildings! Which would suggest that the Cathedral of Learning is the tallest University building in the western hemisphere.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
 
It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
I would recommend:

PNC Park - best MLB stadium in the country, even if it's not always home to the best team!

University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning - tallest academic building in the United States. Incredible Gothic architecture, and they have Nationality Rooms for over 30 countries which are open to visitors.

East Carson Street - For about 20 blocks this South Side neighborhood is full of bars and restaurants - just don't try to have a beer at every one!
Don’t forget the inclines and commuter lines.

A great place to visit!
 
University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning - tallest academic building in the United States. Incredible Gothic architecture, and they have Nationality Rooms for over 30 countries which are open to visitors.
That is an interesting building. It brought back memories of the Stalin Gothic buildings in Moscow. I stayed in one at them in the Ukraina Hotel. Another famous one is the Lomonosov University building, which I visited. While poking around from the Wiki article on the Cathedral of Learning, imagine my surprise discovering that The Lomonosov University building is the only one that is taller than the Cathedral of Learning among University buildings! Which would suggest that the Cathedral of Learning is the tallest University building in the western hemisphere.

Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
The interior is even more visually impressive than the exterior. Anybody who visits should also take the elevator up to the top floors for a beautiful view of the surrounding city.

Many of the university's athletes train by running up all 36 stories of stairs - that I don't recommend!
 
I want to hear more about this incredibly dangerous train platform you have. Sounds interesting.
Me too. Everytime I've been to PGH it seems safe to me.
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Also there's a hotel pretty much right next to the station. A short 5 minute walk at most. I forget what brand it is. But it's very nice and worth it.
What's the hotel like?

Does it have a suitable bar or similar where I could have a coffee or beer or something, making it a suitable alternative to the rather spartan Amtrak waiting room.
 
What's the hotel like?

Does it have a suitable bar or similar where I could have a coffee or beer or something, making it a suitable alternative to the rather spartan Amtrak waiting room.
It's a Westin that's attached to the convention center. It has a lobby Starbucks counter and a restaurant/bar.

If you want something a little more impressive and are willing to walk a couple more blocks, the Omni William Penn is down Grant Street -- it's an old-school hotel (renovated) that has a lobby Starbucks counter and several different bars.
 
It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
You must have been inspired by them doing the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt live from here, last Thursday....
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It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
I would recommend:

PNC Park - best MLB stadium in the country, even if it's not always home to the best team!

University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning - tallest academic building in the United States. Incredible Gothic architecture, and they have Nationality Rooms for over 30 countries which are open to visitors.

East Carson Street - For about 20 blocks this South Side neighborhood is full of bars and restaurants - just don't try to have a beer at every one!
All interesting suggestions, particularly the last 2. I was already thinking about a PNC Park visit(either game or stadium tour), btw. Other neighborhoods I should consider visiting as well? And I know there are at least 2 operational incline railroads, to neighborhoods on top of a hill. Maybe the neighborhoods of Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and around Carnegie Mellon University would be possibilities to visit, as well.
 
It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
You must have been inspired by them doing the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt live from here, last Thursday....
default_wink.png
Actually, I did NOT see that Lester Holt segment whatsoever. As it is, I hardly ever catch the nightly news at 5:30pm central time, like I used to years ago. A video clip link to whatever you're talking about where Lester was filming in Pittsburgh, please? Or at least describe what Lester was filming about, for that news in Pittsburgh. Thanks.
 
It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?
default_smile.png
Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.
I would recommend:

PNC Park - best MLB stadium in the country, even if it's not always home to the best team!

University of Pittsburgh Cathedral of Learning - tallest academic building in the United States. Incredible Gothic architecture, and they have Nationality Rooms for over 30 countries which are open to visitors.

East Carson Street - For about 20 blocks this South Side neighborhood is full of bars and restaurants - just don't try to have a beer at every one!
All interesting suggestions, particularly the last 2. I was already thinking about a PNC Park visit(either game or stadium tour), btw. Other neighborhoods I should consider visiting as well? And I know there are at least 2 operational incline railroads, to neighborhoods on top of a hill. Maybe the neighborhoods of Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and around Carnegie Mellon University would be possibilities to visit, as well.
There are some interesting business districts in the East End including those along Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield and Butler St. in Lawrenceville (both working class but transitioning to hipster), and Walnut St. in Shadyside and Murray Ave/Forbes Ave. in Squirrel Hill (more upscale). The Duquesne Incline takes you up to Mount Washington, which has a great view of the downtown.

Also interesting are the city-maintained stairs, which exist throughout the city and especially in the South Side Slopes. They are officially city-maintained streets, built for residents who once walked down the stairs to steel mills along the river. Many people had to walk up hundreds of steps to get home after working a 12-hour day in the mill! https://www.discovertheburgh.com/south-side-slopes/
 
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I was in Pittsburgh last month for 2-3 days, and took Amtrak to & from. I highly recommend:

*going up one incline, walking along the street at the top of the cliff, and coming down the other incline. We went up the Monongahela Incline next to Station Square (bunch of restaurants, shops, and a hotel on the site of the old P&LE RR station) and came down the Duquesne Incline. The sweeping view of downtown and much of the city is spectacular, but the neighborhood up there is nice to see too.

*the river cruise. It's not long (about an hour), and it doesn't go very far, but considering how many of the sights of the city can be seen from the river, it's a great introduction to the city.

*the Cathedral of Learning and the surrounding university campuses (U. Pittsburgh, Carnegie-Mellon) and neighborhood. Of course, go to the top(ish) of the Cathedral for the views. If you have it to spare, allow over an hour to see the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral: classrooms on the first and third floors lavishly decorated to be reminiscent of the various nationalities of Pittsburgh. And pay the fee for the first floor rooms, don't coat-tail on paying customers.
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Also went to a game at PNC Park. Nice ballpark with a very nice view of downtown, but I had nobody to root for
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and the weather was a bit unpleasant in the nosebleed seats on the wintery "spring" day I attended. That said, PNC Park seats are much cheaper than Wrigley Field seats.
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Definitely take the free T light-rail subway to/from if you go, unless your hotel is close.

By the way, I think I ran into former Sen. Santorum on the elevator to the top of the Cathedral. I'm not sure if I was him I would wear a jacket with my name stitched on the front at a university campus.
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(Yes, I know he's an alum.)
 
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