Home to world-class performances, high-energy sports teams and award-winning dining, downtown Pittsburgh offers a perfect spot for a fun day or night out on the town. It’s also a wonderful place to explore the great outdoors, with kayaking, boating, and riverfront trails that offer unparalleled scenic vistas. Visitors, who are always impressed by 
ever-friendly Pittsburghers and safe streets, find that Downtown offers something to everyone who ventures into its “Golden Triangle.”
Arriving by car is simple with major roads in four directions. Arriving by plane, you will land in one of the world’s top airports with a 25-minute cab ride to downtown. And by train, a quick walk from the Amtrak Station and you’re in the heart of the business district. Clean, safe, ADA –accessible buses and light rail provide all the transportation you need and parking garages are plentiful. Yet the compact downtown is most easily explored on foot.
For a fun and educational tour, consider climbing aboard a WWII amphibious vehicle with Just Ducky Tours or join a historic walking tour with Pittsburgh History and 
Landmarks Foundation. Visitors can charter a trolley (think: Mr. Rogers, also a Pittsburgher) Or tour the city by bike, an exceptional way to see the sights. Find out more about trails, bike racks, and the ins and outs of biking in Pittsburgh at Bike Pittsburgh. Download your downtown map here: and search places to go here.
Arts and Culture
Pittsburgh’s Cultural District is one of the country’s most spectacular showcases for the visual and performing arts, with major theaters--such as the classic Heinz Hall and the new, Michael Graves-designed O'Reilly Theater--world-class galleries, an internationally-renowned symphony, and everything in between: an evening with a contemporary dance troupe, free outdoor jazz concerts, an art opening by a local painter, or the latest play. Soon Pittsburgh will boast a moderm new building to house the African American Cultural Center.
With multiple offerings every night, visitors can take their pick, or plan a weekend around a series of cultural offerings. Visit the online events calendar for the Cultural District.
Wine and Dine
Theater goers can choose from a range of pre-show grazing at restaurants such as Palomino in Four Gateway Plaza, Palazzo Ristorante, Six Penn Kitchen, Tambellini Seventh Street Restaurant, Trilogy or Café Zao. For authentic, international dining, try Christo’s (Greek) or Lemongrass Café (Cambodian and Chinese), both on Sixth Street, or Sree’s (Indian) on Liberty and Smithfield. On Penn Avenue, there is Bravo Franco near Sixth and Penn and also the new upscale Nine on Nine at the corner of Ninth and Penn.
If you don’t have to make showtime, it’s worth the walk farther uptown to the emergent vanguard of dining: Bigelow Grille. This sensational restaurant has a new menu entitled Alchemy, inspired by the “molecular gastronomy” food science of international chef 
sensation Ferran Adria. Alchemy features a 22-course meal that takes about four hours, so strap on your seat belts. A carbonating tank, liquid nitrogen tank, volcano vaporizer and cotton candy machine make Executive Chef Kevin Sousa’s kitchen look more like a laboratory than a space for culinary creations. “I’m doing food here that even in more forward-thinking cities is still cutting-edge,” says Sousa.
Near the stunning new convention center, check out the popular
Tonic Bar & Grill and
Sonoma Grille for their moderately-priced contemporary American cuisine. The business class networks over fine dining at the
Carlton (One Mellon Center),
Ruth’s Chris Steak House (PPG/Market Square), or Morton’s Cultural District) or
Cafe Euro (US Steel Bldg.)
Drinks, particularly the late-night variety, are found at Bossa Nova, Palomino, Olive or Twist or Dowe’s on 9th. The Cabaret at Theater Square combines it all: late night cabaret with drinks and dinner, all in one classy and fun venue. Across from Mellon Arena is the highly-regarded Steelhead Brasserie & Wine Bar.
You can also find coffee on just about every corner, including the standard Starbuck’s – three within spitting distance of one another. The most popular, in the Omni William Penn, is in a classic and inviting space that spills out into the opulent lobby. It’s the business meeting spot downtown. Cool Beans Cafe has multiple locations throughout downtown and Nicholas Coffee Company in Market Square has a wide selection of coffee and teas.
If you are seeking a downtown gay club experience, check out Pegasus Bar in the Cultural District at 818 Liberty Avenue, or Images Bar, down the street at 965 Liberty.
Parks and Shopping
In the summer, downtown is in full swing. While the Three Rivers Arts Festival takes downtown by storm in June with art exhibits of all kinds, along with concerts and rows of food booths, the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta celebrates the Fourth of July with 
spectacular boat displays, aquatic shows and races, including the Anything That Floats extravaganza. Both events are centered at Point State Park, where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio.
During the warmer months, Market Square is a great spot for people- watching from one of the outdoor cafés nestled around the cobblestone square. Visitors can settle in with coffee from long-time favorite Nicholas Coffee Company, a monster sandwich in true Pittsburgh style from Primanti Brothers, a fish sandwich from the legendary Original Oyster House, or sip a happy-hour fruit martini at Buon Giorgno. Or enjoy the historic ambience at the 1902 Landmark Tavern.
Shade trees and beautiful plantings by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy soften the right angles of the adjoining skyscrapers. Outdoor concerts populate Market Square, particularly during lunchtime, and a seasonal Farmers Market on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. offers the best of the growing season.
Directly across the street from Market Square is PPG Plaza, named for the glass-clad towers, designed by Philip Johnson, that house Pittsburgh Plate Glass. A granite obelisk marks the plaza center, which hosts fair-weather outdoor seating, a fountain, and food vending. Come winter, this plaza becomes a fabulous outdoor skating rink larger than New York’s Rockefeller Plaza rink.
Mellon Square in between Smithfield and William Penn Way offers a sweet green oasis with public art and ample seating. It's in the midst of the centrally-located shopping stretch along Smithfield Street with Brooks Brothers, Joseph Banks, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barnes and Noble, Burlington Coat Factory, and Macy’s, along with the wonderful old-fashioned toy store, SW Randall’s Toyes and Giftes.
Visitors can find upscale independent retail such as Ann Taylor and Kountz & Rider as well as a food court in Oxford Centre. At Fifth Avenue Place, boutique and clothing stores await along with a busy food court. And on Liberty Avenue, check out Specialty Luggage for a good selection as well as custom-made 
bags. Joseph Orlando, a men's store, in also on Liberty.In the Union Trust Building, Larrimor's is also a popular stop.
Where to stay
Old elegance meets Starbuck’s at the Omni William Penn, located in the business district. A long-time favorite, this hotel includes a tap room, bagel shop, full restaurant, spa, and high tea in the gilded Terrace Room. Other business district hotels include the newly refurbished Doubletree and the Marriott. The beautifully renovated Renaissance Hotel, with an in-house wine bar, is centrally located to PNC Park and the Cultural District theaters. There’s also the Westin on 10th Street and the new Courtyard by Marriott in a renovated builing on Penn Avenue, both adjacent to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Visit for the day, a weekend or more. With so many attractions in such a unique setting, Downtown Pittsburgh is a great place to be.
For more info about Downtown visit the PopCity:
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Moving Guide
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Investing Guide
Directions to Downtown
From the North:
Take 79 South and keep left to take I-279 South via Exit 72 toward Pittsburgh. Merge onto I-579 South via Exit 8A toward Veterans Bridge. Take the 7th Ave/6th Ave Exit and take the ramp toward 6th Ave. Merge onto Bigelow Blvd and turn right onto 6th Ave. Arrive Downtown.
From the East:
Take 376 West and take the Grant St exit, Exit 1C on the left. Turn slight right onto Grant St, and then turn left onto 6th Ave. Arrive Downtown.
From the South:
Take PA-51 North and take the ramp toward I-579/Downtown/South Side. Turn right onto W Liberty Ave and go slight right onto Liberty Tunnels. Liberty Tunnels becomes Liberty Bridge. Stay straight to go onto Crosstown Blvd. Turn slight left to take the ramp toward 6th Ave/Forbes. Turn left onto Forbes, and then right onto 6th Ave. Arrive Downtown.
From the West:
Take I-279 North toward Pittsburgh and take the Blvd of Allies/Liberty Ave exit, Exit 6B toward Mellon Arena. Take the Liberty Ave ramp toward Civic Arena and stay straight to go onto Liberty Ave. Turn slight right onto 6th Ave. Arrive Downtown.
Jen Saffron is a writer who lives on Pittsburgh's Northside. She also
wrote the Moving Guide to Downtown and the Business and Investment
Guide to Downtown.
Photos:Kenneth Snelson sculpture in Mellon Square ParkThe 'T' light railJust Ducky tourboatO'ReillyTheatreSix PennCabaret at Theatre SquarePrimanti Bros at Market Square
Jazz at Agnes Katz Plaza
Omni William Penn Hotel
All photographs copyright © Jonathan Greene
except image of Six Penn courtesy of Six Penn