Pittsburgh/Downtown

Downtown Pittsburgh is the main business district and urban center of life in the city. Constrained by the Allegheny River on the north and the Monongahela River on the south, which join to form the Ohio River at what is known as the "Point", Downtown has been forced to grow upwards. Although Pittsburgh is in some ways a small town, its downtown contains some big city structures and is a bustling center; office workers stream in and out on the weekdays, packing buses, light rail trains, and the bridges during rush hours. In Downtown, visitors will find exceptional examples of architecture, a picturesque park where Pittsburgh's three rivers meet, numerous hotels, restaurants, theaters, and the home arena of the city's hockey team.

Get in


If you're arriving in Pittsburgh by bus or train you'll likely be getting off in Downtown anyway — the is located at 11th and Liberty, while Amtrak serves, just across the street from the Greyhound depot. For detailed info on arriving via those modes, see the Get in section on the Pittsburgh article.

By car
Downtown Pittsburgh is readily accessible by a number of freeways and bridges. From the east, I-376 (The Parkway East) connects downtown to the eastern side of Pittsburgh and I-76 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike), with three exits into Downtown: Second Avenue (right lane exit), Grant Street (left lane exit), and Stanwix Street (left lane exit). I-376 is also the best option for coming in from the airport and western suburbs, coming across the Fort Pitt Bridge (take the middle lane to exit into Downtown). I-279 (Parkway North/West) is your best option for coming in from the north - either exit on I-579 (the Veterans Bridge) or continue across the Fort Duquesne Bridge and exit there. From the southeast, Liberty Ave (which enters the Liberty Tunnel and then becomes the Liberty Bridge) is a good option.

By public transit
Because most bus routes terminate downtown, it is usually easy to access from any direction. From the south or the stadiums to the north, Pittsburgh's light rail system ("The T") provides quick access, with four stops in the district: First Avenue, Steel Plaza, Wood Street, and Gateway Center. From the east, the MLK East Busway (bus rapid transit, or BRT, line) provides traffic-free service to a few East End communities. To the west, the West Busway operates on a separate right-of-way for most of its trip. There is also a South Busway, though it is less useful.

If you're flying into Pittsburgh, the Route 28X Airport Flyer will bring you directly downtown from Pittsburgh International Airport, via the West Busway.

Get around
Downtown Pittsburgh is optimal for walking as it is small (covering approximately 0.7 square miles) and very dense.

Taxis are more difficult to come by and typically accessed by request at one of the various hotels.

Buses are the norm downtown as well as the light rail/subway ("The T") which has three subway stops at Steel Plaza (Grant St. and Oliver Ave.), Wood Street (and Sixth Ave.), and Gateway Center (Liberty Ave. and Stanwix St.), as well as a surface station at First Ave (and B St.) Fares on buses and "The T" are free within downtown.

Architecture
Anyone interested in American architecture will love downtown Pittsburgh; there are numerous prime examples of 19th-century and early 20th-century architecture scattered throughout the area, as well as many notable and interesting structures of more recent times.

Point State Park


Point State Park is a delightful 36-acre park located at the tip of downtown where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers join to form the Ohio. Lawns, gardens, riverfront promenades, and sweeping views of the rivers, hillsides, bridges, and skyscrapers of Pittsburgh make it a very scenic place to stroll and relax. At the park's apex, where the three rivers meet, is a large fountain.

The Point has a very rich history, as indicated by the many plaques and monuments throughout the park. In the 1700s the Point was a very strategic location for the British and French forces in North America to claim control of this portion of the continent. George Washington, who at the time was fighting for the British, said:


 * I spent some time in viewing the rivers, and the land in the fork; which I think extremely well situated for a fort, as it has absolute command of both rivers. -- journal entry by George Washington, November 1753

In 1754 the French built Fort Duquesne at the Point. George Washington was sent to capture the fort, but suffered his only defeat before he could reach the Point, at Fort Necessity 50 miles to the southeast. Other British attacks in the area were repelled until 1758 when a large British force led by John Forbes threatened the fort, forcing the French to burn down Fort Duquesne and abandon the site just before the British arrived. Soon Fort Pitt, one of the most elaborate British forts constructed in North America, was built on the site.

Fort Pitt lasted for several decades, defending the small settlement on the Point against various Native American attacks and serving the Americans as a headquarters for the western theatre of the Revolutionary War before being decommissioned in 1792. The growing settlement of Pittsburgh built on top of the remains of the old forts. The Point was occupied by commercial and industrial structures until the 1950s, when the city used eminent domain to acquire the land and construct the current park.



Performing Arts
The northern part of downtown (along Penn Avenue) is the Cultural District, where you can see symphony orchestra performances, opera, plays and many other events.



Festivals and events

 * During the summer, Market Square and Mellon Square play host to free concerts and other events.
 * Christmastime in Downtown can be quite fun. Among all the holiday decorations, there are a few highlights: At PPG Place, the fountain in the plaza is turned into an ice skating rink, the lobby of One PPG Place (the tall building) holds a massive holiday display, and throughout the complex are displays of beautiful gingerbread houses created by local school children. The U.S. Steel Tower puts up a nativity scene (creche) just outside the building which is a reproduction of the one at the Vatican.
 * During the summer, Market Square and Mellon Square play host to free concerts and other events.
 * Christmastime in Downtown can be quite fun. Among all the holiday decorations, there are a few highlights: At PPG Place, the fountain in the plaza is turned into an ice skating rink, the lobby of One PPG Place (the tall building) holds a massive holiday display, and throughout the complex are displays of beautiful gingerbread houses created by local school children. The U.S. Steel Tower puts up a nativity scene (creche) just outside the building which is a reproduction of the one at the Vatican.
 * Christmastime in Downtown can be quite fun. Among all the holiday decorations, there are a few highlights: At PPG Place, the fountain in the plaza is turned into an ice skating rink, the lobby of One PPG Place (the tall building) holds a massive holiday display, and throughout the complex are displays of beautiful gingerbread houses created by local school children. The U.S. Steel Tower puts up a nativity scene (creche) just outside the building which is a reproduction of the one at the Vatican.

Buy
Downtown doesn't have a particularly impressive shopping scene; shops here mostly cater to office workers and are usually run-of-the-mill places - copy stores, pharmacies, convenience stores, the like. Macy's (formerly Kaufmann's), the last of the big Downtown department stores, closed in 2015 when Macy's sold the property. However, there are some small, interesting shops scattered around. Most shops of interest to the visitor are located along Smithfield Street or in the "Cultural District" along Penn Avenue.



Sleep
There are many hotels in downtown Pittsburgh, from the venerable old Omni William Penn, where innumerable political deals were cut and business deals sealed, to the Wyndham Grand hotel near Point State Park.



Stay safe
Although nightlife Downtown has improved significantly in the past few years, it is still primarily a business district, which means much of it becomes largely deserted after 6PM. While violent crime is fairly rare here, be cautious and aware of your surroundings while walking around at night.

Connect
Almost all of downtown has Wi-Fi which can be accessed free for two hours daily.