A Riveting Weekend in America’s Steel City

Friday night after work my friends and I hopped in the car and we headed to Pittsburgh. From Detroit to Pittsburgh it was about a 5-hour drive and we arrived around 11:00 PM.

Accommodation: We found a freshly updated Airbnb in the Central Lawrenceville area. It was very reasonably priced and I would recommend it for comfort purposes alone!

Click here for the Airbnb listing.

Our first morning in Pittsburgh started the way any Saturday morning should start, with brunch. We decided to stay in the Lawrenceville area for brunch before venturing off to other neighborhoods and parts of the city.

We ate at Coca Cafe and BOY WAS IT GOOD! Everyone tried something different and it was all fantastic. I don’t recall the name of what I ordered; it was essentially eggs benedict accompanied with a large portion of fried cheese. It may have been the best add-on to eggs benedict that I could ever Imagine.

After breakfast, we shook off the food comas that were setting in and ventured across a bridge or two to arrive in the City of Asylum. The City of Asylum is a writer’s community that is central to the Art community of Pittsburgh. It is best known for its colorful painted houses.

Just down the street is Randyland, Pittsburgh’s most colorful landmark. Randyland is an art museum that was created by a local artist. He transformed a deteriorating space and recycled materials into a vibrant work of art that is free to the public. Randyland was one of the highlights of Pittsburgh for me. It was so amazing to see how he reused and repurposed objects in ways you would never expect.

After Randyland, we were searching for a boost of energy, a.k.a. coffee, to fuel us for the rest of the day’s activities. The closest coffee shop happened to be located in The Mattress Factory, which is a large contemporary art museum. It was not necessarily in our plan to visit the museum but we had to take a sneak-peak. The café was really nice and had a FANTASTIC iced vanilla latte. Additionally, they share a bathroom with the Museum, so in order to get to the bathroom, you have to go through some of the exhibits which was a really cool sneak peek. If we had more time in the City I definitely would have spent an hour or two at the museum.

Our next stop was North Shore Drive near Heinz Field. We were able to park on the road since there wasn’t a sporting event that day! One side of North shore Drive featured Heinz Field. This is the Pittsburgh Steelers stadium. I really enjoyed walking around it since it is such an important part of Pittsburgh’s sports culture. Also… on the other side of the stadium is a beautiful park with awesome views of the city and a MASSIVE memorial statue to Pittsburgh’s pride and joy, Mr. Rogers. He honestly has the best view of the city. My friend Sarah LOVES Mr. Rogers and was most excited to see this statue! We continued to walk down a portion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, which took us past PNC Park and Roberto Clemente Bridge. The bright yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge is the most famous of many bridges in Pittsburgh and is a perfect access point to the downtown area. We walked across the bridge and headed to Point State Park for more incredible views of the city.

All the walking had caused us to work up an appetite, and we were excited to try the famous Primanti Bros Sandwiches. These are a classic Pittsburgh staple, and a must-eat while visiting. There are many locations around the city and they are open late! (If you know you will want food later in the evening, this is really good and one of the only late-night options that we could find.) If you are not a big eater, or super hungry, I would recommend sharing a sandwich with someone. That is what I did, and I was still super full afterward.

From here, we walked around and admired the architecture of Market Square and Downtown Pittsburgh. I love the mix of old and new buildings here. We walked and popped in and out of local shops in the area, where I found some really cool postcards and prints by local artists. We walked all the way to Pittsburgh Union Station, which, like many old train stations, is very grand and beautiful!!

From Pittsburgh Union Station we walked back over the Roberto Clemente Bridge and back to our car. We then drove to the Duquesne Incline, a 19th-century cable car that climbs a steep incline. The top of the incline is the BEST views of the Steel City. From here you can see all three rivers, the bridges, and beyond. The fare is $3.50 round trip and it’s CASH ONLY. This is a really fantastic place to catch a beautiful sunset. There are also several restaurants where you can take in the views while enjoying your meal!

Unfortunately, we could not stay for sunset but enjoyed our ride and views from the Duquesne Incline.

Pittsburgh is known as one of the greatest sports cities in the US. That being said, we couldn’t fully experience Pittsburgh without attending a Pittsburgh sporting event. Last-minute, we found some cheap tickets to a Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey game.

I am so glad we had the chance to catch a game. The atmosphere was so fun and the fans in the Steel City are VERY passionate. I enjoyed watching the fans as much as I enjoyed watching the game!

After the game, we followed the crowd to the South Side bar area. Carson street is filled with all different types of bars.

The Highlight of going to this area was the uber ride home from Carson Street to Lawrenceville. We went through THE TUNNEL (as seen in Perks of Being a Wallflower). It was kind of a magical moment for me!