A Day in Downtown Pittsburgh

After my experience in Downtown Pittsburgh, I can say that there is always something to do. Before my group's visit, I did a little bit of research on things to do or see, but there were still many attractions that you just have to see for yourself. While passing a historical church one second and then finding yourself next to a CVS the next, Downtown Pittsburgh is full of a variety of architecture and history. Home to various skyscrapers, the PPG Paints Arena, businesses, and restaurants, Downtown Pittsburgh is a thriving area full of excitement and fun.

 

To begin the day, my group took the 61A bus to get there from the Litchfield Towers. After using Google Maps to figure out what bus would take us there, it was pretty easy to get there, and it only took about 15 minutes. 

Once we got there, we took a few minutes to decide on where to start. Downtown can be a little overwhelming at first with all of the sights and buildings, but we decided we would walk around to get a feel for what it was like. During our walk, we spotted the Wood Street Galleries. Free and open to the public, this building houses different art exhibits that change throughout the year. Since I'm only 40 minutes away from Pittsburgh myself, I have heard about this, but I never had the chance to explore. Though the elevators were a little scary, it was very interesting to see the recent art being created in the area.

Next, we walked over the PPG place. Amazed by the sights of glass, the center of the complex houses a fountain during the summer and an ice skating rink for the winter. 

Afterwards, we decided to walk to Point State Park. To get there, we walked through Point Park University's campus. Point Park University is a liberal arts university that offers 90 undergraduate and graduate programs. We finally got to the park, and saw that it was a family-friendly atmosphere with a small cafe and museum. Though we did not visit the Fort Pitt Museum, it covers information of the French and Indian War As known as "The Point", this park is the smallest state park in Pennsylvania. Point State Park is the merging point of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers into the Ohio River. Point State Park also has a walkway along the river so we decided to take that route to get back to our starting point. From Point State Park, you can also easily get to the North Side for a game with the Steelers, Pitt Panthers, and Pirates. 

Though we weren't assigned to explore the Cultural District or Market Square, we took a quick browse to see what these areas were all about. Filled with restaurants, venues, and people, it was very excited to see this area of Pittsburgh.

All of this walking made us hungry so we grabbed some food from a nearby food truck after browsing through the Cultural District. We took our food and found some seats in Market Square to eat. After finishing our meals, we decided to find a bus to take us back to campus. We fetched the 71A at the corner of Wood Street and Fifth Avenue for a 20 minute bus ride.

Downtown Pittsburgh is a place that is hard to describe in words. Even after a planned trip, you are destined to have unpredictable and memorable times here. I could still go on and on about all the different things that I saw during my afternoon. I truly enjoyed my day here, and I definitely want to go back for some more exploring!

Sources: 

http://www.dcnr.pa.gov/StateParks/FindAPark/PointStatePark/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.nextpittsburgh.com/pittsburgh-neighborhoods-map-and-guides/downtown/

http://www.pointpark.edu/