Pittsburgh PA

[Train2104]

The inclines are highly recommended. Buy a day pass, take the bus to the Duquesne, ride up, enjoy the view, walk to the Monongahela, ride down, and take the light rail back downtown.

When visiting the Duquesne Incline, don't forget about the machine room. As of little over a year ago, one can observe it and the cables from a balcony. Look for the turnstile, which costs 50 cents to enter. It's nestled in the corner and not incredibly overt.

 

[railiner]

It's sad there haven't been any posts in this thread in 6 years, since I was thinking I might do a Pittsburgh Amtrak trip very soon. It's interesting the original post didn't mention(as I'd been doing research on Pittsburgh, for whenever I finally do this trip soon) that there's an Andy Warhol museum, and ditto with one for Roberto Clemente.

Just posting here, since maybe for all I know it'd revive interest in this forgotten thread?

Who knows, though I cross fingers that it would help get this thread some needed life.

You must have been inspired by them doing the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt live from here, last Thursday....

Actually, I did NOT see that Lester Holt segment whatsoever. As it is, I hardly ever catch the nightly news at 5:30pm central time, like I used to years ago. A video clip link to whatever you're talking about where Lester was filming in Pittsburgh, please? Or at least describe what Lester was filming about, for that news in Pittsburgh. Thanks.

Sorry I didn't see your reply earlier....if you're still watching, here you go...

 

[Steel City Don]

It is safe here in Pittsburgh like any other big city depends on what area you're in. We have a lot of nice attractions and good restaurants. The only big issue we have is the homeless people downtown not too far from the train station.

 

[flitcraft]

The Andy Warhol Museum is worth a visit. I'm not a modern art fan, but even a philistine like I am can enjoy this museum--it's very well laid out and has a good cafe, for afters!

 

[Steel City Don]

The Andy Warhol Museum is worth a visit. I'm not a modern art fan, but even a philistine like I am can enjoy this museum--it's very well laid out and has a good cafe, for afters!

PNC Park the home of the Pirates is about 2 bocks away!

 

[flitcraft]

PNC Park might just be the most gorgeous baseball park in the US. I highly recommend taking a tour, or even taking in a game if they're playing at home.

 

[BBoy]

My twin brother took me to a game there last season ..against the Colorado Rockies.
Spot on .....gorgeous ball park and its surroundings....The day before the game we took the tour.

 

[Trollopian]

The bad news is that, whether you arrive by the Pennsylvanian or the Capitol Limited, you'll get to Pittsburgh too late to rent a car; the good news is that you don't need to. Pittsburgh is a very compact walkable downtown. There are several hotels within walking distance of the station (my favorite is the splendid William Penn, but you can also consider the Westin, the Drury, the Courtyard Marriott, the Doubletree, the Monaco, etc.) and in turn many, many attractions that you can walk to from your hotel: the Strip, the Heinz Museum, the Warhol, the Incline, the Cultural District, PNC Park. Best ballpark in baseball albeit with a disappointing team. And if you want to see the museums, conservatory, and universities in Oakland, just hop a PAT bus, that's a well-plied route. For a railfan, Pittsburgh is a perfect getaway.

Brendan Gill, the New Yorker writer and preservationist, famously said that "If Pittsburgh were situated somewhere in the heart of Europe, tourists would eagerly journey hundreds of miles out of their way to visit it."

 

[trainman74]

...and in turn many, many attractions that you can walk to from your hotel: the Strip, the Heinz Museum, the Warhol, the Incline, the Cultural District, PNC Park. Best ballpark in baseball albeit with a disappointing team. And if you want to see the museums, conservatory, and universities in Oakland, just hop a PAT bus, that's a well-plied route. For a railfan, Pittsburgh is a perfect getaway.

It should also be noted that the light rail is free within the downtown/North Shore area (thanks to the longtime "pay when you enter inbound, pay when you leave outbound" fare collection method).

 

[dogbert617]

It should also be noted that the light rail is free within the downtown/North Shore area (thanks to the longtime "pay when you enter inbound, pay when you leave outbound" fare collection method).

Yep, that is correct. Between First Avenue and Alleghany(right by the Steelers' football stadium), you can ride for free. If you ride south to Station Square or anywhere else beyond, you do have to pay to ride the T though.

 

[Trollopian]

Yep, that is correct. Between First Avenue and Alleghany(right by the Steelers' football stadium), you can ride for free. If you ride south to Station Square or anywhere else beyond, you do have to pay to ride the T though.

Quite correct! From the Port Authority Transit (PAT) website: "Keep in mind that stations between First Avenue and Allegheny are located inside the free fare zone. If you’re traveling only within the free zone, you do not have to pay. If you’re traveling beyond the free zone, you must pay." (The Pirates' PNC Park is across from the North Side station, within the free fare zone, though if you're healthy and the weather cooperates it's just as easy, heck, easier to walk there from downtown across the Roberto Clemente bridge, which is closed to auto traffic on game days.)

More info about fares at https://www.portauthority.org/fares-and-passes/. It used to be that out-of-town seniors could ride for free by showing a Medicare card, but not anymore. To cut down on fraud, PAT now requires a special state-issued senior ID. But, transit fares are still a bargain, especially when you factor in the savings on car rental and parking.

So, railfans, put Pittsburgh on your bucket list.

 

[Steel City Don]

I wish we had more Amtrak's coming through Pittsburgh! As you can see from these posts, we have a lot of attractions here and a lot of hotels! We have a beautiful city but too bad the trains come in at night, I work in downtown Pittsburgh and have the pleasure of waiting on Amtrak employees.

 

[PaTrainFan]

I am amused. I note that Amtrak now refers to its Pittsburgh dump of a station as Union Station. No idea how long that has been the case, but just noticed it today when making reservations for the first time in two years.

 

[Palmetto]

When is the city going to improve that place?

 

[PaTrainFan]

When is the city going to improve that place?

This story was on a local TV station earlier this week. Not many answers here.

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/05/06/pittsburgh-amtrak-station-overhaul/

 

[Steel City Don]

I read a few weeks ago that there maybe a PGH-Harrisburg train in the works

 

[KillerCroconaw]

Yup, it’s a dump. It literally doesn’t have anything. I wish it would get a remodel.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Yup, it’s a dump. It literally doesn’t have anything. I wish it would get a remodel.

Not likely to happen anytime soon, though it has gotten a bit of a very minor facelift in the last couple of years. It is sad that a number of years ago the city invested millions in the Greyhound station in concert with the parking garage across the street, and bupkus in Amtrak.

 

[Trollopian]

I am amused. I note that Amtrak now refers to its Pittsburgh dump of a station as Union Station. No idea how long that has been the case, but just noticed it today when making reservations for the first time in two years.

That's the original name though it was always a misnomer because only the Pennsylvania RR used it, and it was soon renamed Pennsylvania Station like similar terminals. In fact, the gorgeous building above it was the original western HQ of the Pennsylvania RR. See Union Station (Pittsburgh) - Wikipedia. Fun fact: it dates from the brief era when Pittsburgh lost its "h." That's why it's "Pittsburg" on the famous rotunda. Threatened with demolition. Thankfully it was preserved and turned into apartments. In terms of layout and features the apartments are nothing special; architecturally they still dazzle. Here's the view from mine, which I've shared before.

Yeah, the station's a dump. The gorgeous concourse, which in rail's heyday was the elegant waiting room, is now off-limits and rented for private parties. Bleary-eyed Amtrak passengers board at a dingy and disgraceful little Amshack. No place even to buy a lousy cup of coffee.

 

[Trollopian]

It may be true. This was forwarded to me by a friend and railfan who's a reporter in Harrisburg. Freight and passenger! For a small city, Harrisburg has excellent rail service, but it's overwhelmingly tilted toward Philly and NYC, with just one daily train to and from Pittsburgh.

FOR PLANNING PURPOSES ONLY
February 17, 2022

ADVISORY – TOMORROW – PITTSBURGH – Governor Wolf to Announce Improvements to Freight and Passenger Rail Service in Western PA​

Tomorrow, Governor Tom Wolf will be joined by PennDOT and Norfolk Southern to announce enhanced freight and passenger transport improvements from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.



WHAT: Governor Wolf to Announce Improvements to Freight and Passenger Rail Service in Western PA
WHEN: Friday, February 18, 2022; 2:00 PM
WHERE: David L. Lawrence Convention Center, 3rd Floor, Noresco Terrace, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15222
RSVP: Media should email [redacted] with the name and media outlet for the reporter attending the event. Please bring media credentials and wear a mask.



Note: Video from the event will be available on https://pacast.com/ later in the afternoon.

 

[MARC Rider]

Once they upgrade the food service on the Capitol Limited, I'm going to re-do the Horsehoe curve Loop I did last June, and this time, actually ride over the Horsehoe Curve. (For those who just joined us, during my trip last June, there was a NS derailment on the Curve, the Pennsylvanian was truncated at Harrisburg, and I got a nice bus ride across the Alleghenies.) My plan is to do it in a counterclockwise direction, booking a sleeper room on the Capitol, which will give me dinner and a chance to snooze a little before the midnight arrival in Pittsburgh. Then I'm going to spend 2 nights in Pittsburgh, allowing me to avoid a late arrival and a forced early rising for the 7:30 AM departure of the Pennsylvanian. I would always be open to suggestions about what to do on my day in Pittsburgh, though I'm considering riding the T to the endpoints, and also riding the inclines (which I've done before.) I've actually spent a couple of tourist weekends in Pittsburgh, though the last time I did it was 15-20 years ago, so there might be some new things to see.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Once they upgrade the food service on the Capitol Limited, I'm going to re-do the Horsehoe curve Loop I did last June, and this time, actually ride over the Horsehoe Curve. (For those who just joined us, during my trip last June, there was a NS derailment on the Curve, the Pennsylvanian was truncated at Harrisburg, and I got a nice bus ride across the Alleghenies.) My plan is to do it in a counterclockwise direction, booking a sleeper room on the Capitol, which will give me dinner and a chance to snooze a little before the midnight arrival in Pittsburgh. Then I'm going to spend 2 nights in Pittsburgh, allowing me to avoid a late arrival and a forced early rising for the 7:30 AM departure of the Pennsylvanian. I would always be open to suggestions about what to do on my day in Pittsburgh, though I'm considering riding the T to the endpoints, and also riding the inclines (which I've done before.) I've actually spent a couple of tourist weekends in Pittsburgh, though the last time I did it was 15-20 years ago, so there might be some new things to see.

Taking in a Pirate Baseball Game @ the Beautiful Stadium is a good idea, as is visiting "The Strip" since you like to try out Eating joints! Primanti Brothers is famous, but there are several really good places along Penn Ave.( not advised to walk to/from there @ night but OK in daytime)

 

[Trollopian]

I would always be open to suggestions about what to do on my day in Pittsburgh, though I'm considering riding the T to the endpoints, and also riding the inclines (which I've done before.) I've actually spent a couple of tourist weekends in Pittsburgh, though the last time I did it was 15-20 years ago, so there might be some new things to see.

Yinz asked the right forum. None of these requires renting a car. My list:



Within walking distance of downtown:



Monongahela Incline (http://www.portauthority.org/paac/SchedulesMaps/Inclines.aspx) —This is a must.



The Point (Point State Park - Wikipedia) —Where the Allegheny and Monongahela meet to flow into the Ohio. Strategic prize for the French (Ft. Duquesne) then the British (Ft. Pitt). Historic blockhouse, and an excellent small museum.



Andy Warhol Museum (www.warhol.org )—Just across the 7th St. (Warhol) bridge. A native son who left provincial Pittsburgh for NYC. Fascinating museum, quirky gift shop.



Mattress Factory (www.mattress.org ) —An avant-garde museum focusing on large-scale modern “installation” art. Surprisingly fun. Bit of a hike but doable.



National Aviary (www.aviary.org ) —A unique and wonderful exhibit of birds, from penguins to flamingos to eagles, many of them in approximations of their natural habitat. Surrounding neighborhood is called the Mexican War Streets, a collection of restored 19th-century rowhouses (they actually have nothing to do with the Mexican War), a gem of a neighborhood.



Heinz Regional Museum (Home ) — Excellent museum, located in a converted icehouse. Its main focus is on regional history, from French and Indian war times to the present. Try your hand as a pickle-packer. And the restored trolley brings back lots of memories. This is on the western (downtown) edge of the Strip District, so you could combine it with an outing to the Strip.



Strip District (http://www.popcitymedia.com/features/updated2guideStrip102611.aspx ) —This neighborhood is along the narrow “strip” of land between the bluff and the Allegheny River, hence the name. It starts at about 11th Street, but its heart is Penn Ave. between 16th and 26th. Historically it was a railway terminus and headquarters of the wholesale produce business. It remains the food-lovers’ paradise of Pittsburgh: lots of very cheap and very authentic ethnic groceries, street food, Steelers crap, etc. Gritty, not pretty.



PNC Park (https://www.mlb.com/pirates/ballpark) — The best ballpark in the major leagues. Yeah, the team is weak, but hope springs eternal.



Easy bus ride from downtown:



Pitt Nationality Rooms (http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/) –These are classrooms, in Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning, each of which was adopted and decorated authentically (not just items and artifacts, but architecture) by a local ethnic group. They are beautiful and moving. They function as working classrooms so some may be off-limits on a weekday.



Carnegie Museums (http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/; the art and natural history museums are in Oakland, near Pitt). Wonderful place, with one of the best dinosaur collections anywhere and good permanent and rotating exhibits.



Phipps Conservatory (http://phipps.conservatory.org/) — Fully the equal of the U.S. Botanic Gardens. Within walking distance of the Cathedral of Learning and the Carnegie Museum and Library.



Frick Art & Historical Center (http://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/index.php ) — Wonderful small museum, mansion (don’t skip this), café.

 

[PaTrainFan]

If you are looking for a terrific upscale dining experience (other than Primanti's, that is) try LeMont on Mount Washington.which provides a breathtaking view of the Point and dauntahn Pittsburgh.

 

[trainman74]

I would always be open to suggestions about what to do on my day in Pittsburgh, though I'm considering riding the T to the endpoints...

If you do this, make sure you take the "via Beechview" Red line in one direction, and the "via Overbrook" Blue or Silver lines in the other direction, so you can see the whole system.

South Hills Village station (at the south end of the Red and Blue lines) is next to a shopping mall, with various other suburban-type chain retail and dining options located in the general area.

Library (at the south end of the Silver line) is a mostly-residential area with a couple of dining options near the station. (When I lived in the Pittsburgh area in the late 1990s, I lived in an apartment complex that was walkable from West Library, the next station north, which also has a few nearby dining options.)