Against our Mariners, no less!
You can walk from downtown to the casino through some parks and riverside trails, but itâs almost 2 miles.
For Pittsburgh transit, make sure you check the schedules - they donât run all night. Your concierge should be able to help.
Not sure thereâs much to do around 4 a.m. - itâs not in my usual schedule! There are some 24-hour diners, but I think they mostly require a taxi or car from the William Penn. If youâre randomly wandering the streets, I would expect downtown (where youâre staying) to be mostly abandoned until the day workers start showing up. There could be some homeless people - some might be a bit crazy, but theyâre typically not aggressive. If youâre asked for spare change or told a story about being stranded and needing bus fare, a polite refusal is fine.
Safety-wise, Pittsburgh is quite safe in general. Thereâs a poor neighborhood east of the city (past Consol Energy Center and Duquesne University) that tends to have more crime, so you might not want to wander that way alone. Also across the river on the north side (past the baseball stadium) are some pockets of low income with associated strangeness. But I think even our criminals tend to be nice to touristsâŚmaybe I donât know. (Also, Iâm assuming youâre white; if youâre black or âlook like a muslimâ my advice might be slightly different. Other asians we donât seem to persecute much. I mean, weâre not cavemen or anything, but the US in general has some hangups that Iâm not proud of.)
There are some trails and parks down by the Allegheny river that might be a nice walk when the sun starts coming up. Check with the concierge about early morning workout routes (not that you need to go running, but that they might have advice about where to go around that time).
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Also skippable in my book: Church Brew Works. Yeah, itâs a gorgeous building, but the food and beer and service are meh. If you want pierogies I recommend Butterjoint (bar/pub near Oakland) or anywhere that buys from Pierogies Plus (which also does takeout-level meals at their location but isnât near anything and has limited hours).
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Any suggestions for craft beer/bars in the area?
There will be a âpostcardâ that was created listing several eateries. It will be available at the information desk. This thread seemed to pretty helpful, the card will be available to those not on this forum and the general public!
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Totally agree.
The lookout at the top of the Duquesne incline is sweet, also has a bunch of historical info you can read through in their lobby with some interesting old pics of the city.
In general, Pittsburgh is beer savy and most places that serve beer have craft brews. Sharpe Edge Bistro downtown has a decent selection of beers. Kaya in the Strip District (converted wholesale district) usually has a good selection. The Sharpe Edge in the East End has an amazing selection with lots of Belgians on draft (but youâll need a car to get there). Fat Heads on the Southside has a great selection of beers to go with their âPittsburgh Saladsâ and large, excellent, meat-centric sandwiches.
East End Brewing just opened a new tap room in the Strip on 19th St. Thatâs a little bit of a hike after being on your feet for the entire day, but itâs reasonable. Also, I donât know that they have their hours nailed down â this is a new location that opened less than a month ago.
If youâre not restricted to walking, check out Brew Gentlemen, Roundabout, Full Pint, Draai Laag, or Grist House.
Yeah, we ate at the Thai place last year (Im strict vegetarian). They were super helpful and made sure there was nothing in my food I didnt eat. Food was awesome. The cheese/veggie/fried egg sandwich at Primateâs is pretty damn good too.
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Sharp Edge on Penn Ave about a block from the convention center has a ton of Belgians on tap, decent selection of local Pennsylvania brews, and a modest selection of other American craft beers. Highly recommend their house beer Over the Edge, a dangerously drinkable 9.5% Belgian triple IPA brewed by Brouwerji Van Steenberge.
In general, my Pinburgh advice is to escape the concrete hangar as often as possible, especially if the weatherâs nice. Take a quick stroll around the strip district between rounds to clear your mind. Cut through an alley to take in some street art. Grab dinner somewhere different every night. Gaucho Parilla Argentina is a quick Uber ride away, packed at peak times, but worth the wait.
If you donât make finals, get knocked out early, or just enjoy pop art, the Warhol museum is a great place to spend a few hours. Itâs within walking distance if youâre able-bodied, with a great river view while crossing the bridge to get there.
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