Pittsburgh
The JuIs guide to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh surprises people. Three rivers meet downtown, 446 bridges cross them, and the skyline appears all at once when you come out of the Fort Pitt Tunnel. You get world-class museums, ballpark views nobody else has, and a food scene that starts on our own street.
We live here, and this is the guide we send guests before they arrive — real places, with honest travel times from the front door in Lower Lawrenceville.
Home base
Lower Lawrenceville
Lawrenceville is one of Pittsburgh’s urban, energy-rich neighborhoods, located 5 minutes northeast of downtown along the Allegheny River. Butler Street is lined with sidewalk dining, trendy cafes, bars, retail and boutique shops with the stability of long-time residents.
The property is minutes and walkable to trendy dining, shopping and night spots in Lawrenceville and Bloomfield. Minutes to Downtown Pittsburgh, The Strip District, ShadySide, local hospitals, all Arenas, Universities and all the area has to offer. Just outside our doors, we are located on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Biking Trail which runs along the Monongahela River and connects Pittsburgh to the Laurel Highlands.
Eat & drink
Butler Street, end to end
Lawrenceville is Pittsburgh's food neighborhood, and it starts at the front door. You can eat somewhere different every night for a week without getting in the car.
- Driftwood Oven8 min walk
Wood-fired sourdough pizza. Get there early on a Friday.
- Espresso a Mano6 min walk
The neighborhood's long-standing coffee bar — the morning stop.
- Cure / Morcilla10 min walk
Salumi-driven tasting menus and Spanish small plates. Book ahead.
- Church Brew Works5 min walk
A brewery inside a restored 1902 church. Worth it for the room alone.
Downtown
The Point, the bridges and the Cultural District
Pittsburgh's downtown is compact and walkable, wrapped by three rivers and 446 bridges. It's a five to eight minute drive from the condo, or a short ride share.
- Point State Park8 min drive
The fountain where the Allegheny and Monongahela form the Ohio.
- Cultural District7 min drive
Benedum Center, Heinz Hall and the Pittsburgh Symphony inside six walkable blocks.
- Duquesne Incline14 min drive
An 1877 cable car up Mount Washington for the postcard view of the city.
- Mount Washington overlooks15 min drive
Grandview Avenue at dusk is the single best photograph in Pittsburgh.
Museums & culture
More museums than a city this size should have
Andy Warhol was born here, Carnegie funded here, and it shows. Most of these are ten to fifteen minutes away.
- The Andy Warhol Museum7 min drive
Seven floors, the largest single-artist museum in North America.
- Carnegie Museums of Art & Natural History12 min drive
Dinosaurs and a serious art collection under one roof in Oakland.
- Phipps Conservatory14 min drive
Victorian glasshouse in Schenley Park, spectacular in every season.
- Mattress Factory10 min drive
Room-sized installation art on the North Side, including permanent Yayoi Kusama rooms.
Game day
Steelers, Pirates, Penguins
This is a sports town and all three venues are close. Book early around a home game — the whole city turns out.
- PNC Park8 min drive
Widely called the best ballpark in baseball, with the skyline over the outfield.
- Acrisure Stadium9 min drive
Steelers home games on the North Shore.
- PPG Paints Arena9 min drive
Penguins hockey and the city's biggest concerts.
Outdoors
Rivers, trails and 165 sets of public steps
The Great Allegheny Passage runs along the river below the building. You can ride it for twenty minutes or for 150 miles to Cumberland, Maryland.
- Three Rivers Heritage Trail2 min walk
Flat, paved riverfront path straight into Downtown. Bike storage is in the building.
- Frick Park15 min drive
644 acres of wooded trails — the city's wildest green space.
- Schenley Park14 min drive
Trails, a golf course and Phipps, next to the universities.
- Allegheny Cemetery10 min walk
300 acres of Victorian landscape in the middle of the neighborhood. Locals run it.
Saturday morning
The Strip District
Six blocks of market stalls, importers, delis and Pittsburgh institutions between Lawrenceville and Downtown. Go before noon.
- Penn Avenue markets6 min drive
Produce, spices, cheese and street food, stall after stall.
- Wholey's Fish Market6 min drive
A Pittsburgh institution since 1912.
- Primanti Bros (the original)6 min drive
Fries and slaw inside the sandwich. Do it once.
Here for work
Hospitals, universities and offices
A lot of our guests are here for a rotation, a conference or a project. The condo has a dedicated workspace, fast wifi and free parking, and everything is a short drive.
- UPMC Children's Hospital5 min drive
Directly up the hill in Lawrenceville.
- UPMC Presbyterian / Shadyside10 min drive
The main Oakland and Shadyside medical campuses.
- Pitt & Carnegie Mellon13 min drive
Both Oakland campuses, plus the Cathedral of Learning.
- Robotics Row4 min drive
The riverfront tech corridor between Lawrenceville and the Strip.
When to come
Pittsburgh through the year
Spring
Phipps' spring flower show, the first Pirates home stand, and the riverfront trail before the humidity arrives.
Summer
Kayaking on the Allegheny, evening ballgames, and outdoor tables the length of Butler Street.
Fall
The best season here — Steelers Sundays, foliage in Frick Park, and the view from Mount Washington in October.
Winter
Penguins hockey, Phipps' winter light garden, the Downtown holiday market and long museum afternoons.
Tell us why you're coming and we'll send a short list built around it — we do this for every guest. Ask us anything