Chihully Exhibit

A girlfriend and I plan to visit Pittsburgh to see the Chihully exhibit. We plan to stay over on a Saturday or Sunday night in early October and visit the museum the next day before we fly back home later that night. Any suggestions for the best place(s) to stay nearby? Also places to eat and other things to do while there for this short visit?

Chihully Exhibit

nanswa,

We just happen to have seen the Chihuly exhibit at Phipps Conservatory tonight! It%26#39;s spectacular! SO much more glass than I expected -- and absolutely gorgeous in its settings. I%26#39;d guess it%26#39;ll take three hours to see everything if you%26#39;re garden people as well as glass aficianados. Nice little cafe, BTW, if you need a break.

We spent all day in the Oakland neighborhood, close to Schenley Park where Phipps is. Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Natural History are in Oakland -- one admission fee covers both museums. We loved the Natural History museum. We had lunch on the sidewalk at Union Grill, on Craig St., right around the corner from the museums -- quite good. U of Pitt and Carnegie Mellon are in the same neighborhood. The Nationality classrooms in Pitt%26#39;s Cathedral of Learning (a block or so from the Museums) are highly recommended, though we didn%26#39;t have time this trip.

We%26#39;re staying at the Courtyard Marriott downtown. It%26#39;s a very nice hotel with great service, and some pretty good restaurants within walking distance. The Chihuly exhibit is about 3-4 miles away. The Courtyard has a shuttle that%26#39;ll take you to some nearby attractions, but Phipps is beyond their shuttle range. You might want to ask, though, about a shuttle before you decide on your hotel. It%26#39;s really handy.

If you can, take the Duquesne Incline up to one of the many restaurants with fabulous views overlooking the city. We ate at Monterey Bay and enjoyed it, but there are many others. Make weekend dinner reservations soon!

We thought the Chihuly exhibit alone was worth the five-hour drive we made. And we%26#39;ve had a ball seeing much more in the city. Enjoy!

Chihully Exhibit

I%26#39;d recommend staying in the Oakland area so you%26#39;ll be within walking distance of the Phipps. Here%26#39;s a link to the University of Pittsburgh website which lists accomodations near the University:

http://www.pitt.edu/~oafa/lodging.html (FYI: The University of Pittsburgh is located in Oakland).

I have stayed at the Residence Inn (North Oakland) and it%26#39;s very nice. We had a one-bedroom suite and they offer a good buffet breakfast in the morning. (They have light meals in the evenings, but only Mon - Thurs). It%26#39;s located in a nice residential area just a few blocks from campus.

Another place I have stayed near campus and which is not on the Pitt lodging list is the Quality Inn University Center 3401 Blvd of the Allies 412-683-6100. While this property doesn%26#39;t have all the ';bells and whistles'; that other places have, it%26#39;s clean and comfortable. This is the only place I have found in Oakland which offers free parking and there is a Panera bakery there for breakfast. I have written a favorable review of it on this site and will be staying there again for a weekend in October.

Since my daughter is a student at Pitt, I%26#39;ve had the chance to visit campus and the Oakland area some. There are a lot of fun and funky restaurants along Forbes Avenue and the side streets off of Forbes. One of our favorites is Joe Mama%26#39;s for Italian food. The previous poster recommended the Nationality Rooms at the Catherdral of Learning. I did the self tour last month with my daughter and it was fabulous. (There should be an account of that tour here if you do a search.) Also, my daughter saw the Chihuly exhibit a couple weeks ago and loved it. I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll have a great time at the exhibit and in Pittsburgh.

The Carnegie Museums in Oakland are closed on Mondays, so you%26#39;ll need to plan around that.

LuLu%26#39;s Noodles is a tasty Asian restaurant on Craig Street, and there are lots of funky places in Oakland.

If you want Italian food, you can do better than Joe Mama%26#39;s, in my opinion, but you%26#39;ll have to leave Oakland.

You can search the Pittsburgh forum for restaurant discussions--very common topic and many enthusiastic recommendations.

Have a good visit--the Chihuly exhibit is worth the trip!

You will love the exhibit. If you%26#39;re going to be in Pgh. just one night, I would recommend you take a ride up the incline to Mount Washington for the view. I would also recommend you stay in Oakland, but you may find the crowd a tad young on a Saturday; maybe have a drink in Shadyside instead.

I am from Pittsburgh, but now live in the Boston area. I am also planning a trip in October and plan to stay in a small hotel called Friendship Suites http://www.friendshipsuites.com/. It%26#39;s not far from Phipps Conservatory and is more like a B%26amp;B.

Friendship Suites is also close to the Pittsburgh Glass Center, which has a small gallery. http://www.pittsburghglasscenter.org/.

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