I asked about this hotel a few days agp but didn't have it in the Pennsylvania section. I'm booked for 4 nights starting the 25th of May and hope I can get some kind words about this hotel. Many thanks, Joan C.

don't be worried,it is a very nice hotel...many wedding receptions,functions,meeting,etc.....alot of ball teams stay there..the only drawback is they roll the sidewalks up after work hours downtown...

Dear Help, You are a great help!!!! Thanks, Joan C.

Chat:

I use to go through the Wm Penn lobby daily to get to work. The lobby is absolutely beautiful (rug and chandelier) with an elegant restaurant to the side and a bagel shop entrance connected to the side of the lobby. The hotel is very centrally located to everything, Kaufmann's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Eckerd, GNC, McDonalds, Burlington Coat Factory, Weiner World, Barnes and Noble Bookstore - all under 5 city blocks away. If you need parking there is an underground parking lot with lots of spaces. One more thing, I believe they have a spa too. I remember seeing signs for this. Hope this helps you out. Since I'm from the area no need for me to stay here.

I agree on the restaurant in the lobby - wonderful breakfasts! You are also located next to Lord & Taylor for shopping. One nice thing about Pittsburgh is that it is so compact you can walk end to end in 15 minutes.

Now, I can't wait to get to Pittsburgh. We won't have a car and it'll be great to be in a walkable city. I live on a little island off the coast of Ga. and we have small shops, so the department stores will also be a treat. Thank all of you for your help. Joan C.

Joan:

I'd suggest going to a very tiny building, right next to the sidewalk and right next to an in-ground parking lot and right across from the Hilton Hotel, is the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, and they have many brochures and a person in there to talk to about things to do and places to see. Below I'll give you my suggestions.

The Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team will be in town Memorial Day weekend to play the Cubs and that is within walking distance, you have to walk over a bridge/Allegheny River to get to it. It's an old fashioned ballpark - you can buy tickets at the window and there are restaurants inside. Before the ballgame, on the same side of the shore, is the Andy Warhol Museum and then farther away is the Carnegie Science Museum.

About a block from the Wm Penn, on Smithfield Street, is a small row of business, AAA, GNC, and Port Authority Transit (PAT). PAT is the public transportation place where you can buy 10 trip tickets and the price reflects, one way discount/savings if you buy the booklet. You can use these for all the buses, Duquesne Incline, and subway. Base fare is $1.75 with transfers (which are an extra expense) being $.50. Transfers are good if you know that you will not be someplace for more than 3 hours; they are worth a Zone 1 fare which is probably the only zone you'll be travelling in.

About 5 blocks from the Wm. Penn, after you cross Smithfield, there is a subway stop to Station Square, which a shopping place that would be a neat place to see. Not too far away (right next to Sheraton Station Square) is the Gateway Clipper Fleet - you could take a boat out onto the water to view the city by our 3 Rivers. You could also walk over the Smithfield Street Bridge to get there too; its a 30 minute walk.

You could also use your bus tickets to go to Oakland (any 61 A,B,C or 71 A,B,C). Usually these buses would be crowded with Univ of Pgh students but since its the end of May, should be a nice semi-uncrowded ride. This bus takes you to the Oakland area which has the Carnegie Library and Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Arts. The Cathedral of Learning is in that area too and around the cathedral area, on Craig Street, between Forbes and Fifth, are several ethnic restaurants.

If you want to go to Kennywood, a fun amusement park, you can take a 61C but there is one bus that is faster service to Kennywood and its another bus number - I'd go to the Port Authority and ask them. The 61C goes through Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Greenfield. You might want to get off at Squirrel Hill and have a look around its shopping area. If you want to get a 71, all but one 71 goes to the Shadyside shopping area which you might enjoy too. Very boutiqy (sp?) upscale area to do some shopping at. Hope this helps you but do go to the Chamber of Commerce building across from the Hilton. When I took the bus into town saw the tiny building, walked in and there is a full wall of brochures.

Dear Stephanie, I just printed your message with the info on Pittsburgh. It will be a great help and give my more time to do fun things. Thanks so much, Joan C.

I stayed at the William last August. We had a corner room, very large, clean and nice. The staff was very friendly. You will have no problem, the only thing that did scare me was the elevator, I was there during there renovation so maybe the elevators have been since replaced/updated.

Joan: one last thing. I was thinking about what I posted, if you want to take PAT alot over the 5 days I'd recommend a weekly pass for $16.50 which is a Zone 1 pass - it would be good from May 23 through May 29. Which means all you do is flash it when you pay and you wouldn't have to bother with transfers or tickets. If you decide to go the Kennywood, you would have to put an additional $.50 in the fare box each way since it would be in Zone 2.

Wow, Stephanie gave some great advice and details, I don't know if I can top that, but will give my two-cents worth. I am from outside of the Pittsburgh area, but worked in downtown for 12 years. The Westin is one of the City's best and where we would reserve rooms for our out of town business associates. I have had their Sunday brunch and it was wonderful .. great omelets. The Pirates game is a good idea. Any day at the ballpark is a fun outing. PNC Park is 2-3 years new. Station Square is very walkable (across the Smithfield Street bridge) and you can find quite a few restaurants, a comedy club (I think it is still there) and shopping. Check out www.gatewayclipper.com if you are interested in a boat tour of some kind. For pizza that I always loved and return to the City for, Mama Gina's on Wood Street or Forbes Avenue. For a good burger, check out Mitchell's Restaurant behind the City-County Building on Ross Street. Good Italian food .. Picolo Picolo on Wood Street. The Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines are fun (catch these over by Station Square) and give you a great view of our City. Enjoy your stay in the 'Burgh!

"About 5 blocks from the Wm. Penn, after you cross Smithfield, there is a subway stop to Station Square, which a shopping place that would be a neat place to see."

People often say this but it's simply untrue. There is virtually nothing worth the time at Station Square, which has been dying for years - like the rest of downtown. The only exception is the Grand Concourse restaurants, which really is grand. All the talk about Station Square is more an indicator of how little there is to see in Pgh than about how great Station Square is.

"You might want to get off at Squirrel Hill and have a look around its shopping area."

Huh? Why would anyone want to go to Squirrel Hill to see a bunch of middle class stores.

On yeah, and good luck finding a decent meal in Pittsburgh. This is a town that votes Pizza Hut the best pizza every year.

Pittsburgh is a very pleasant place to live (if you don't mind overcast skies almost every day), but its hard to imagine a worse tourist destination. OK I fogot Buffalo for a second.

Its obvious Platzer needs to get laid.

Thanks for the offer Stephanie, but I have standards.

I don't associate with depressing garbage.