2 Weeks In Pittsburgh, PA – Here’s What We Did

Before visiting Pittsburgh, I’d pictured it being gray, dreary, industrial and somewhat run down.

I was wrong.

The Steel City is far prettier than I was expecting. That might’ve been helped by the fact that there were some lovely fall colors while we were there, but it also seemed like a more interesting city than I’d given it credit for.

Shae, Truffles and I spent a couple of weeks in the Pittsburgh area, but we didn’t really get to do two weeks of stuff there. In addition to work commitments that we both had, I went to Chicago for almost a week.

Here’s a roundup of where we stayed in Pittsburgh, what we did and where we ate and drank.

Where We Stayed

We stayed both weeks at this Airbnb in Monroeville which is a suburb on the eastern side of Pittsburgh. It looked like a great option for us as it had a good-sized living room and kitchen, as well as a backyard for Truffles to run around in.

It turned out to be even better than we’d been hoping. Take the living room for instance. The sofas were almost identical to the ones that we owned before giving them away ahead of leaving on our road trip. The coffee table was one where the top lifted up which is the kind of coffee table we used to have.

The kitchen was well-equipped with everything we needed, the general decor was our kind of style and it was just overall a lovely place to stay. Even little touches like having plenty of towels, washcloths, toilet paper, dishwasher tablets, etc. was appreciated as some Airbnb hosts can be stingy when it comes to providing those.

What We Did

Duquesne Incline

Pittsburgh is home to the Duquesne Incline, a funicular that runs up and down Mt Washington.

It only costs $2.50 each way for adults, it’s pet friendly and you can get some spectacular views of the city from the Upper Station. Check out this post for more about the Duquesne Incline.

Heinz History Center

(Shae’s account follows)

I went to the Heinz Center while Stephen was in Chicago for the Chicago Seminars and FMCon. I had such a great time we went back when he returned home so he could also check it out. There were a ton of really cool exhibits and even after spending several hours there twice, I still didn’t see it all. Here are a few of my favorites.

1) The Heinz company exhibits – especially the fun fact that Heinz ketchup flows slower than a snail moves!

2) The Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood display – with his sweaters knitted by his mother, his tennis shoes and some of the puppets – was a stroll down nostalgia lane.

3) The open storage area where they explain how things are stored in a museum since not all items can be on display at once.

It’s a can’t-miss stop in Pittsburgh, and it’s worth visiting for more than one day if you can swing it to see it all.

Bear Hollow Trails

While I was in Chicago, Shae and Truffles visited Bear Hollow Trails in nearby Murrysville a couple of times. I was a little jealous to have missed this as the fall colors there looked like they were tree-mendous.

Ohiopyle State Park

Only a few minutes from the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Fallingwater, Ohiopyle State Park is a beautiful park with the Youghiogheny River running through it. That makes it popular with whitewater rafters in the summer, as well as hikers at all times of the year thanks to the waterfalls there including Cucumber Falls.

We had a lovely afternoon there, so check out this post to read more about Ohiopyle State Park.

Where We Ate & Drank

Southern Tier Brewing Co

After riding the Duquesne Incline, Shae, Truffles and I went for lunch at Southern Tier Brewing Co in downtown Pittsburgh. We’d been looking for somewhere pet-friendly to eat and they had a large outdoor area out back where pups were allowed.

Not only was it pet-friendly, but it was a great place to eat and drink too. I started off with their Warlock which was a pumpkin stout. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin, but I’m always curious about different flavored beers like this and it was very tasty – a great stout without it being too pumpkin-forward.

In addition to having a brewery, Southern Tier has a distillery that produces all kinds of spirits. There were so many whiskeys that sounded good and/or intriguing – a s’mores whiskey, confetti cake whiskey, cinnamon candy apple whiskey, pumpkin whiskey and crème brulee whiskey cream – but I settled on their smoked bourbon whiskey. That was delicious, so I’d love to return to Southern Tier Brewing Co if we ever find ourselves back in Pittsburgh.

Their food was great too. We got their hot honey popcorn shrimp as an appetizer; for our entrees, Shae ordered their cheesesteak and I got their grilled pork steak bowl which came with caramelized onion, jasmine rice, roasted red peppers and bourbon chile garlic sauce.

Primanti Bros

We had a few people state that Primanti Bros was a must-eat when in Pittsburgh as it’s a local chain known for its sandwiches. That’s because the sandwiches come absolutely loaded with whatever filling you’ve ordered as well as coleslaw and fries inside the sandwich. It’s a messy eat, but it was delicious and so I can see why it’s such a popular chain.

Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop

Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop was another recommendation we’d received which was conveniently around the corner from both the Primanti Bros where we had lunch and the Heinz History Center which we visited straight after. It’s a huge candy emporium with everything sweet that your heart can desire.

They’re particularly known for their $5 candy buffet. That’s a massive pick ‘n mix display where you can fill a decent-sized box with candy for only $5 which I was more than happy to do.

Question

Pittsburgh exceeded my expectations, although we didn’t have as much time to explore the city as we might’ve liked. Do you have any suggestions for other things to do in Pittsburgh in case we go back there in the future?