Crossing the Allegheny from Downtown, the golden "Three Sisters" suspension bridges at 6th, 7th and 9th Streets gesture toward the North Side. The 9th St. Bridge was recently re-named the Rachel Carson Bridge in honor of the pioneering environmentalist; earlier, the 6th Street Bridge was renamed for Pittsburgh Pirates hero Roberto Clemente; during home games, the bridge is closed to car traffic and crowds saunter across. The Pirates' stadium, the stunning PNC Park, is new as is Heinz Field for the Steelers'; they replace the 1960s-era Three Rivers Stadium. Also new are the freshly gridded streets and businesses around them, replacing vast parking lots. The next sister, at 7th Street, has been rechristened, too, for Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol, whose museum waits at the end of the bridge. Indeed, the North Side has even more museums than ballfields. From the Warhol, continue to installation-arts pioneer The Mattress Factory, as well as the National Aviary, the Carnegie Science Center, the Children's Museum and the Museum of Photo Antiquities. Stop at the East Ohio Street shops, and wander the sculpture-strewn riverside trail from the stadiums to the 31st Street Bridge. Keep an eye on the Allegheny and collect bonus points if you catch a kayak and a coal barge in the same frame.
Many Port Authority bus routes serve the neighborhoods of the North Side, but here are a few highlights. The 8 and 11, among others, offer access to Allegheny Center and its many attractions as well as the Andy Warhol Museum. The 14 offers service to West View, the 14 to Sewickley and the 16 to the historic Mexican War Streets neighborhood and all will get North Siders to Bellevue. For access to CCAC and the Allegheny West business district, riders may take the 18. The 54, a crosstown route, links to the Strip District, Polish Hill, Bloomfield and Oakland. And many North Side residents are just a short walk from new T stations near Heinz Field and PNC Park, with light rail service to Downtown, Station Square and the South Hills. For information on other routes and destinations, visit portauthority.org.any Port Authority bus routes serve the neighborhoods of the North Side, but here are a few highlights. The 8 and 11, among others, offer access to Allegheny Center and its many attractions as well as the Andy Warhol Museum. The 14 hits many of the North Shore's major institutions like PNC Park, Heinz Field and Rivers Casino and 13 and 16 serve the historic Mexican War Streets neighborhood and Bellevue. For access to CCAC and the Allegheny West business district, riders may take the 18. The 54, a crosstown route, links to the Strip District, Polish Hill, Bloomfield, Oakland and the South Side.