Oakland is the city's dominant academic and medical center, home to Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh and UPMC, as well as smaller Carlow University. With the Carnegie Library's main branch -- "Free To the People" -- as well as the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, the neighborhood's cultural center of gravity is inescapable. North Oakland has great prewar apartment buildings and new developments, but it's South Oakland's deep nooks and crannies that fascinate. Rich in recent and past immigrants, here you'll find ethnic restaurants that come with a diverse population and many night spots, including hookah bars and independent coffee houses.
Second only to Downtown as a regional employment destination, Oakland is extensively served by Port Authority buses. Get to the airport via the 28X, or to East Liberty, Wilkinsburg and beyond via the P3. The 54 goes to the North Side, Bloomfield and the South Side, while the 75 connects to shopping at South Side Works and Bakery Square. The 93 offers direct service to Butler Street in Lawrenceville.
Other city neighborhoods are well-connected to Oakland, with the 71A, 71B, 71C and 71D providing service to places like Highland Park, Shadyside and Point Breeze, and any of the four 61-series routes providing service to Squirrel Hill (the 61D also takes riders to The Waterfront shopping area and the 61A and 61B serve Regent Square). Many of these routes also serve Downtown.