Southside and Mount Washington

The areas of Pittsburgh we explored were the neighborhoods of Southside and Mount Washington. The first neighborhood we visited was Southside. You can take the bus (54 or 75) from Fifth and Thackeray, across the bridge and into the neighborhood. There were two distinct parts to Southside. The first area we walked to was the ‘Southside Works’, a more modernly developed shopping area, complete with a movie theater and food options (such as the Cheesecake Factory). If you plan on going on a shopping outing to Southside Works, you might want to bring a decent amount of cash with you. While some of the store’s might be affordable for your average shopper, due the modern development a large portion was quite pricey in what they sold.

This area had a much different atmosphere than the rest of the neighborhood, as we found out when we walked out towards Carson Street and the other half of Southside. The first thing we noticed was how many murals covered the streets. Exposed brick had been painted over, and everything had an older feel to it. This main strip of the neighborhood had lots of food, clothing boutique and exchange stores, and tattoo parlors. As mentioned, This area of Southside had a lot of art, ranging from murals to paintings and even graffiti. All the buildings looked original and old, unlike the renovated Southside Works area.

For Mount Washington, We took the transit bus to Southside on a Sunday afternoon, it was sunny and 75 degrees outside. From Southside we then called an Uber to take us up to Mt. Washington because we weren’t sure that the transit buses took us up to Mt. Washington and google maps also said that it would take over an hour by bus. Another option is to take the incline up to Mt. Washington.

Mt. Washington is a unique place on a hill overlooking the city of Pittsburgh. It is one of the most popular neighborhoods visited in Pittsburgh because of its incredible view where you can see the rivers, bridges, and buildings that give character to the city. Most of the houses in this neighborhood are extremely expensive due to its popularity and special location.

We met some people on the grandview overlook who were enjoying the breathtaking view as much as we were. They said they usually come here to get a good picture, watch the sunset, or watch the city lights at night. I have also seen people take homecoming and prom pictures here.

This is a great place for tourists and even native Pittsburghers to visit to get a new perspective on the incredible city of Pittsburgh.