My husband and I are driving to my parents' house in Ohio for the holidays, but we'll spend an afternoon and night in Pittsburgh. We are staying at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Does anyone have suggestions for any sites to see in the short time we are there as well as a good restaurant or two (dinner and perhaps lunch)? We love most types of food and at most price levels. We'd prefer to walk, rather than drive. Also, on the map, it looks as if the Point is walkable--is this true or are there highways to navigate?

Thanks!

Have anyone ever been to The Church Brew Works?

The point is a park with some fountains, foundation of an old fort, and some gardens.

You should take the incline up to to the top of the mountain and get a great view of the city at night.

I stayed at the Omni Wm Penn a couple years ago and liked it alot, although the parking charge is OUTRAGEOUS!!!! For the second night we were there, we took the car out to the airport and parked it there and took the bus in. The bus stops just down the street from the Omni and you get to see some of the outlying areas around Pittsburgh.

Depending on what time you get in, the botanical gardens are fantastic. The Pittsburgh Regional History Center is also very good if you like history museums, it is near restaurants and in walking distance from the Omni.

I stayed at the Penn on a business trip, and thought it was a great hotel.

One night we went up to a view of the city, the second went walking around the old train station.

Yes, you can walk to Point State Park from the William Penn. No highways to navigate, just several city blocks and a couple of avenues, with crosswalks/lights, to cross.

By "botanical gardens" I believe a previous poster was referring to the Phipps Conservatory in Schenley Park near Oakland.

How/where do you go to get to the top of the mountain?

I LOVE Church Brew works. The interior is gorgeous, and the beer and food is really good. My hubby and I regularly travel for beer, and this is our favorite beer stop in Pittsburgh. Coincidentally, we stayed at the Omni William Penn when we went...but it's not walking distance to Church Brew Works.

Yes, I saw that we'd have to drive (or cab), but it looked like an interesting restaurant, with some Pittsburgh twists. We'd like to go somewhere that we won't necessarily find in NYC.

We walked from the Omni to the Grandview Saloon. It took about 25 minutes and involved walking across a bridge to Station Square & riding the Incline.
This website might help.
http://incline.pghfree.net/restaurants.htm

I love Pittsburgh!

Walk or taxi to Station Square and then you can get the Duquesne Incline to the top of Mt Washington for the magnificent view. The concierge or front desk at the W.P. will certainly be able to help you with a map and directions.

Maybe the hotel has a local shuttle? I would not be too surprised if it did.

You can drive up Mt Washington very easily. But riding the incline is a very Pittsburgh thing to do and you certainly won't find anything like it in NYC.

There is a good Japanese restaurant in Station Square.

Station Square is an old grand railroad terminal converted to an upscale shopping mall. The bottom of the incline is behind Station Square, just across a small access road.

From the Omni, you can walk across the bridge (pedestrian walkway, but buffeted by wind and traffic), or use the worlds' cutest subway system (one line, one mile) to get to Station Square. Or take a cab.

The Japanese restuarant in Station Square is indeed very nice. There are also choices (with views) that you can walk to from the top of the incline.

Perhaps we'll try to go to The Church Brew Works for lunch, then head up to Mt. Washington for dinner. Being from the NYC area, we have no problem walking 25 minutes.

I spent 11 years of my life in WV when I was a kid, and we would come up to Pittsburgh for our back-to-school shopping. It was always exciting when we passed through the tunnel, seemingly in the middle of rural Pennsylvania, to find the skyline in front of us! (Also, if anyone has interest in the Pittsburgh area and likes to read, check out Baker Heights--I thought it really captured the feeling of the area, even if the setting is the mid-20th century.)

(On second thought: you can walk across the Smithfield Street bridge, but I'm not sure how to walk _to_ it without crossing highways -- walking may be more trouble than it's worth).

capxxx: I don't understand. There are no highways between the Wm Penn and the Smithfield St Bridge. And there are lights at all the crossings, so no danger. It's a very short walk.

In town, Sonoma Grill is considered a good restaurant, and a very easy walk, near the theaters.

For lunch, I might venture into the Strip. You can easily bus or cab from the hotel, but cabbing back could be a problem. Pittsburgh doesn't have cruising cabs, and no cab stands, except near the downtown hotels. But you could walk.

In the Strip, there's lots of food shopping, and a few odd little places to eat. The spot behind Enrico's Biscotti is interesting: shared tables, homemade food. Kaya, a sort of Afro/Caribbean place, is my favorite in the Strip. You could combine this with a stop at the Heinz Regional Museum. All in the same neighborhood, next to downtown.

We stayed a few nights at the Omni William Penn Hotel. One night (maybe it was a Sunday?) it seemed that all the neighboring restaurants were closed and we had trouble finding a place nearby to eat.

My favorite night was when we took the Dusquene (sp?) Incline and ate at a restaurant high up on the hill. It was a fun experience.

We saw a baseball game, walking across the bridge to get to the ballpark. Went to the Carnegie Science Museum. Ventured out to Fallingwater, which I'd always wanted to see. Travelled with 2 kids, so hit the family-type spots.

If you could squeeze in a few hours at Fallingwater before hitting Pittsburg (about an hour away from Pittsburg, on your way)I think you would find it very worthwhile! It's amazing. http://www.paconserve.org/index-fw1.asp

I have to disagree about Church Brew Works. The last time I was there, the person who poured the beer didn't seem to know what she was doing, the beer we had was flat, and the menu was not all that inspiring.

Kaya restaurant, as was mentioned, would be a much better choice for lunch.

Phipp's Conservatory is well worth the visit. They should have a holiday flower exhibit, and I believe the new rainforest has opened.

We liked our stop in Pittsburgh so much last year, we're going to do it again on our way to Ohio (with a stop in Falling Water beforehand).

Are there any new restaurants to check out or any advice on things to do on a Friday afternoon/night? We had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Mt. Washington but can't remember the name of it. Anyone?

Thanks!

It is now Bella Vista
http://www.bellavistapgh.com/