Oakland, Pittsburgh

Oakland is a bustling college neighborhood on the eastern side of Pittsburgh, home to Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The surrounding area is made up of several distinct (and quieter) neighborhoods, including the pleasant districts of Squirrel Hill and Shadyside. Three other college campuses are located in the area: Carlow University is immediately west of the University of Pittsburgh's campus in Oakland, Chatham University's city campus is in the northernmost portion of Squirrel Hill, and Duquesne University is in Uptown, near Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle.

Understand

The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning

The primary attraction here for visitors and residents is the neighborhood of Oakland, home to Pittsburgh's two major universities and several major museums. Once the edge of the city, Andrew Carnegie set it up to be a cultural center with the founding of the Carnegie museums and libraries. The neighborhood continued to grow as Pittsburgh's cultural center with the growth of universities in the area, most notably the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon. Today, the area is full of ethnic diversity, students, and others seeking out culture.

East of Oakland are many smaller neighborhoods. Many of these neighborhoods are affluent and suburban-like, with an educated professional populace and stately homes in good condition. Squirrel Hill, wedged between Frick and Schenley Parks, is one such neighborhood with plenty of lovely homes, shopping, and good ethnic restaurants. While the proximity to several major colleges makes the community a diverse one, the general ethnic identity of the neighborhood is Jewish. During various religious holidays and weekly periods of worship, the prevalence of the culture is obvious. Shadyside, just outside of Oakland, is well known in the city for its shopping. Walnut Street, the core of Shadyside's shopping district, offers a bustling atmosphere of upscale boutiques, shops, lounges, and restaurants designed to suit the discriminating tastes of residents and visitors. Other neighborhoods of this type include Point Breeze and Regent Square, among others.

Immediately east of Downtown, and immediately west of Oakland, are the Hill District and Uptown. Uptown is home to Duquesne University.

Get in

Map of the Oakland area

Map of Oakland

By car

The area is directly accessible via the Parkway East (I-376). The interchange on the west end of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel leads you onto Forward Avenue, which takes you directly into Squirrel Hill. From the same exit, you can also head into neighboring Greenfield via Beechwood Blvd. and take the Greenfield Bridge into Schenley Park. The other interchange of note leads into Oakland, although the entry point is different depending on which direction you are travelling. Heading outbound from Downtown, one can exit directly onto Forbes Avenue into the heart of Oakland. Heading inbound, however, the exit will put you on Bates Street (Route 885 North) which leads up to the Boulevard of the Allies.

From Downtown, primary streets you can take to get into the district are the Boulevard of the Allies, Forbes Avenue (one-way west), Centre Avenue, or Bigelow Boulevard. Fifth Avenue runs parallel to Forbes Avenue, but is a one-way street westbound (towards Downtown) between Oakland and Downtown. On the east side of Oakland it is a two-way street and one of the primary routes used to reach Shadyside.

By bus

The Port Authority has several bus routes heading east from downtown through Oakland, making it a very convenient place to take public transit to. Any of the 61, 67 and 71 routes take you from downtown right into to the center of Oakland, and its only a 15-minute bus ride from downtown. The P3 takes the East Busway from Wilkinsburg directly to Oakland and back. The Airport Flyer 28X goes from the airport through downtown to Oakland. The 54 is a good north-south route through Oakland, taking you to South Side and the Strip District. Many other bus routes also pass through Oakland.

There are several buses routes that run through Shadyside, principally along Fifth Avenue, Ellsworth Avenue, and Centre Avenue. The 71B, 71D, and East Busway routes are all prominent routes that pass through Shadyside. For Squirrel Hill, any of the 61 routes will work fine.

Get around

Oakland is heavily congested, especially during school hours, as many are traveling here to either attend class or work at one of the many universities in the area. This is further complicated by a number of one-way streets: 5th Avenue is westbound only through most of Oakland, whereas Forbes is mostly eastbound. Parking can also be fairly difficult to find, unless you're willing to park in a garage. Most of the attractions and restaurants in Oakland are within walking distance of each other, so footing it is usually easiest.

Getting to other neighborhoods can (usually) be done easily by car. Squirrel Hill usually has ample surface parking, while in Shadyside it can be a hassle. Shadyside does have a parking garage, but of course it is more expensive.

If driving is not an option, not to worry- this area is one of the areas of Pittsburgh best served by bus.

See

• 1 Chatham University Arboretum, Chatham University (just south of 5th Ave on Woodland Rd, in North Squirrel Hill). Free. Estate of the Mellon family, landscaped in part by the Olmsted Brothers (who landscaped Boston Common and New York's Central Park) with many different flowering trees - now part of the grounds of Chatham University.  
• 2 Frick Art & Historical Center, 7227 Reynolds St, ☏ +1 412 371-0600. Tu-Su 10AM-5PM. A complex of museums and historic buildings including: Clayton (the home of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick), the Frick Art Museum, the Car and Carriage Museum, and the Greenhouse. The grounds, museums, and greenhouse are free, tours of Clayton cost $12 adults, $10 seniors, $6 children.  

Frick Park Entrance

• 3 Frick Park, to the east of Squirrel Hill. A wonderful wooded park (and Pittsburgh's largest) with a network of trails ideal for walking the dog or bicycling. There are several entrances to the park, the main ones being at Reynolds St and Homewood Ave (across the street from the Frick Art & Historical Center) at the north end of the park, Beechwood Blvd just south of Forbes Ave and at Nicholson St on the west side of the park, and at Forbes and Braddock Avenues on the east side of the park. From any of the entrances you'll head down shady, wooded slopes to a small valley which runs south to the Nine Mile Run Watershed, where a small stream flows into the Monongahela River. The 4 Frick Environmental Center, off of Beechwood Blvd just south of Forbes Avenue, hosts nature programs for children and has a small pond and a woodland area for wildlife viewing. There is also a pair of excellent playgrounds in the park, one at Beechwood Blvd and Nicholson St and the other at Forbes and Braddock Avenues, along with softball fields and tennis courts.  
• 5 Homewood Cemetery, 1599 S Dallas Ave (north of Frick Park), ☏ +1 412 421-1822. A large cemetery founded in the mid-1800s. While not a tourist attraction like the old cemeteries of New Orleans or Paris, Homewood houses many ornate mausoleums, statues and memorial edifices.  
• 6 Pittsburgh Center For the Arts, 6300 5th Ave, ☏ +1 412 361-0873.  
• 7 Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden, 4905 5th Ave, Oakland, ☏ +1 412 621-6566. A bible-themed garden on the grounds of a temple hosting Western Pennsylvania's oldest Jewish congregation.  
• 8 Roslyn Place, off of Ellsworth Ave just east of Aiken Ave, Shadyside. Turn-of-the-century wood paved street built in 1914, lined with restored houses. 
• 9 Schenley Park. A 456-acre park that is a haven for exercisers, sunbathers, and anyone who appreciates beautiful green space. On Sunday and Wednesday nights during the summer, a free movie is shown on Flagstaff Hill in the park, next to the Carnegie Mellon campus. There is a network of trails running through the park, a couple of which run to 10 Panther Hollow Lake, a small lake just south of Phipps Conservatory. A trail runs to the lake from the park visitor center across the street from the conservatory. There's also several playgrounds, a skating rink, a 400-meter track, a swimming pool, several playing fields, 13 tennis courts, an 18-hole disc golf course, and the public, 18-hole Bob O'Connor Golf Course.  

Phipps Conservatory in Schenley Park is an impressive Victorian botanical garden

• 11 Phipps Conservatory, 1 Schenley Dr, Oakland, ☏ +1 412 622-6914. Sa-Th 9:30AM-5PM, F 9:30AM-10PM. A Victorian glass conservatory with gorgeous indoor and outdoor floral and botanical displays. Dating to 1893, expansion through the years has resulted in 14 indoor rooms and several outdoor gardens, each with unique garden designs and excellent assortments of plants. There's also quite a bit of colorful sculpture throughout, including multiple pieces by Dale Chihuly, that help to decorate the already lush indoor displays. Renovations have been undertaken to make Phipps one of the greenest buildings in the world. $15 adults, $14 seniors/students, $11 children, children under 2 free.  
• 12 Schenley Plaza (across from the Cathedral of Learning and between the Carnegie Library and Hillman Library). A five acre plaza features features a restaurant, food kiosks, a tent, regular events, free wi-fi internet access, and the PNC Carousel.  
• 13 Schenley High School, 4101 Bigelow Blvd. A historic high school built in 1916 and noted for its unique triangular shape. The school is a on the National Registry of Historic Places and was the first school in the United States to cost more than a million dollars to construct.  
• 14 Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, 4141 5th Ave, Oakland (across the 5th Avenue from the University of Pittsburgh's William Pitt Union near the Cathedral of Learning), ☏ +1 412 621-4253. M-Sa 10AM-4PM. Housed in a historic Beaux-Arts temple inspired by the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the museum explores the evolution of equipment and technology as well as the effects that military conflicts have had on society, honoring and educating about the sacrifices made during wartime. $10 adults, $5 seniors/children, active military/veterans/children 5 and under free; family of military serving in a current conflict free. (updated May 2015)
• 15 Warhola House, 3252 Dawson St. This is the home where Andy Warhol lived for 15 years with his family, and where he developed much of his interest in the art that would later make him famous. The house was purchased by the Warhola Family in 2005 after decades of ownership by various other tenants. Since its purchase, it has undergone continuous restoration in order to preserve it as a historic site. 

The Carnegie

A large complex along Forbes Avenue between Craig Street and Schenley Plaza holds the Carnegie Museums as well as the Main Carnegie Library and a music hall.

• 16 Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - Main. Andrew Carnegie funded 2,507 libraries all over the world. Today, his libraries here in Pittsburgh comprise the city's public library system. The welcoming Oakland branch is Pittsburgh's central library, with vast collections of not only printed matter, but also music, film, photographs, and more.  

Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History

Carved doors in the Hall of Architecture, Carnegie Museum of Art

17 Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 622-3131. M-W, F-Sa 10AM-5PM, Th 10AM-8PM, Su noon-5PM (closed Tu Labor Day-Memorial Day). Museum of Art. Museum of Natural History. $19.95 adults, $14.95 seniors, $11.95 students/children/teens, children under 3 free (admission includes entry to both museums). (updated May 2015)

A main attraction in Oakland and a highlight for any visit to Pittsburgh, these two museums sit in different wings of the same building, but blend together well and have a wealth of treasures.

The Carnegie Museum of Natural History has extensive exhibits covering the fields of paleontology, geology, mineralogy, and biology. Naturally, the highlight exhibits are the dinosaur halls on the first floor, which make up one of the best dinosaur skeleton collections in the world, thanks in large part to Andrew Carnegie's funding of scientific field work just as knowledge of dinosaurs became known to the world. Among the many specimens on display are complete skeletons of Diplodocus, Camarasaurus, and the most complete Apatosaurus skeleton in the world. These, along with the museum's Tyrannosaurus Rex, are all the original holotypes - the skeletons used to determine how each species lived. Other fossils include Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Allosaurus, and sea dinosaurs, along with other rare fossils. The museum has acquired a so-far unnamed species of Oviraptorosaurus, which will be used as a holotype for this species.

Also on the first floor is the excellent Hall of Minerals and Gems, where you'll see many exquisite and beautiful specimens, as well as a hall of fine jewelry. On the second floor, there are rooms full of habitat dioramas with North American and African animals, such as lions, zebras, polar bears, and many others. Of particular interest is a diorama of two lions attacking a man on a camel, a memorable display which predates the museum. The third floor has some changing exhibits and some interesting anthropological exhibits, with halls dedicated to ancient Egypt, the people of the Arctic, and Native Americans.

Not to be outdone by the Natural History Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Art is a world-class exhibit space with a permanent collection of paintings that include Rembrandts, Van Goghs, Cezannes, Picassos and many more. In addition it hosts temporary exhibits from other museums all over the world and funds the Carnegie International, a biennial staging of "the most important and prestigious international survey of contemporary art in North America." Most of the exhibit spaces are on the second floor, but on the first floor are the Halls of Sculpture and Architecture, which showcase other interesting works, both contemporary and classical.

Pitt campus

The half-acre, 52-foot-tall Gothic Commons Room of the Cathedral of Learning is surrounded by 29 unique Nationality Rooms on the 1st and 3rd floors that are a must to explore.

The main campus of the University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as "Pitt", comprises approximately 132 urban acres (0.53 km²), much of which is in Schenley Farms-Oakland Civic Center National Historic District. The university's centerpiece is the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, the second-tallest university building in the world, which serves as obvious a landmark for the explorer of Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, no matter where one is located. Pitt's campus has been termed "a theme park of replica buildings", and contains an eclectic mix of architecture that includes Greek revival, Neogothic, Italian Renaissance, Brutalist, and modern. Many of the University of Pittsburgh buildings are accessible to the public and are within short walking distance of each other. Scattered throughout the campus are many noted works by master blacksmith Samuel Yellin, stained glass artist Charles Connick, sculptor Tony Smith, and sculptor and enamelist Virgil Cantini. The campus is also adjacent to the major attractions in the Carnegie Museum complex and Schenley Park.

• 18 Cathedral of Learning, between 5th Avenue, Bigelow Blvd, Bellefield Avenue, and Forbes Ave. The 42-story Charles Klauder designed Gothic Revival skyscraper, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, serves as the symbolic and physical heart of the University of Pittsburgh. Construction began in 1926 and took a decade to complete. Visible from almost anywhere in Pittsburgh, it is the tallest school building in the Western hemisphere, and has been described as the "culmination" of Late Gothic Revival architecture. While impressive on the outside, it can be even more spectacular on the inside. On the first and third floors, surrounding its immense Gothic-style Commons Room, are the 29 Nationality Rooms. These working classrooms are each designed, constructed, and decorated in the characteristic style of 29 different cultures which represent the diverse population of Pittsburgh. A self-guided tour of the Nationality Rooms is available for a small fee ($4 for adults, $2 for youth; +1 412 624-6000, M-Sa 9 AM-4 PM (last tour 2:30 PM), Su 11 AM-4 PM (last tour 2:30 PM), audiotape tours only on weekends), while guided tours can be reserved in advance that give in-depth explanations of each room and can allow access to areas normally inaccessible to the public, like the historic Croghan-Schenley Ballroom and Early American Room. The Nationality Rooms on the 3rd floor are sometimes freely open to explore, depending on time and class schedule. Much of the upper floors of the Cathedral are composed of offices and other university facilities, however a trip to the Honors College on the 35th and 36th floors, accessible by most of the elevators, provides marvelous views of the city. Entry is free. (updated May 2015)

Heinz Chapel sits immediately to the east of the Cathedral of Learning and provides free docent led tours. Its stained windows, by noted artist Charles Connick, are some of the largest and most spectacular in the world.

• 19 Heinz Memorial Chapel, ☏ +1 412 624-4157. M-Th 8:30 AM-5 PM, F 8:30 AM-3:15 PM, Sa weddings scheduled, Su noon-5PM. Located on the grounds of the Cathedral of Learning, this chapel was built with funds left to the school by H.J. Heinz (of ketchup fame). The French Gothic Revival nondenominational chapel features 23 amazing stained-glass windows by Charles J. Connick, the largest single collection of his work. The windows total approximately 4,000 square feet (370 m²) and contain nearly 250,000 pieces of glass with 391 identifiable people from religion, history, science and the humanities, and the transept windows are reputedly the world's tallest such windows. Free tours may allow one sample the acoustics of the 3,770 pipe organ, and concerts and recitals are typically held on Sundays. See the website for calendar. Free. (updated May 2015)
• 20 Stephen Foster Memorial, ☏ +1 412 624-4100. M-F 9AM-4PM. Serves as a memorial, museum, and archive of the works of American folk songwriter Stephen C. Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "My Old Kentucky Home"). The Gothic Revival building also houses the two primary theaters for the university's Department of Theatre Arts. A schedule of shows is available on their website. Admission is free and guided tours are available for a small fee when reserved in advance ($5 adults, $2.50 seniors and children).  

Home Plate from Forbes Field's final game in Posvar Hall

• 21 Forbes Field. Though it no longer stands, you can visit what remains of the former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates (1909–1970). Inside Pitt's brutalist-styled 22 Posvar Hall, open to the public, you can see the old home plate in a glass case embedded in the floor near its original location. Of note, and hanging nearby on the ground floor of Posvar Hall, is one of two surviving Langley Aerodromes, Aerodrome No. 6, which in 1896 became one of the first heavier-than-air powered craft capable of sustained flight. Outside and just south of the building, you can see what remains of the left field wall and the stadium's flagpole, a replica of one of the stadium's gates and ticket windows, as well as a marker where Bill Mazeroski hit the 1960 World Series winning walk-off home run against the Yankees. Every year in October, Pirates faithful will come out to the wall to listen to a recording of the game. (updated Sep 2016)
• 23 Frick Fine Arts Building. Designed to reflect an Italian Renaissance villa, this building contains in its cloister a large collection of scale reproductions by Russian artist Nicholas Lochoff of 15th-century Italian Renaissance masterpieces, considered to be among the best copies in the world. The building is open to public and free to explore. It is also home to the University Art Gallery, which contains rotating exhibits and is free to the public. (M-F 10AM-4PM; +1 412 648-2423) There are also several sculptures on the grounds around the building, including the popular photo spot of the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain, titled A Song to Nature, by Victor David Brenner. (updated Sep 2016)

The Nicholas Lochoff cloister in the Frick Fine Arts Building contains some of the best reproductions ever created of classical works of art. The building also contains Pitt's University Art Gallery which is free to the public.

• 24 William Pitt Union. Built as the Schenley Hotel in 1898, this historic beaux-arts building that was Pittsburgh's premier luxury hotel in its day. As a hotel, it hosted many dignitaries including four Presidents of the United States, a slew of Hollywood celebrities such as Lillian Russell and Katharine Hepburn, along with many of the visiting baseball teams that played across the street at Forbes Field. The turn-of-the-century grandeur of the main floor lobbies and ballrooms have been restored by the university and can be freely accessed by the public. The Millennium Panther statue outside the building serves as a popular photo spot. (updated Sep 2016)
• 25 Alumni Hall. Freely accessible to the public, Alumni Hall is a restored former Masonic Greek Revival temple completed by Benno Janssen in 1915. The facility contains many of its original elements, the University's Legacy Gallery of electronic kiosks in its lobby, a gallery of portraits of the university chancellors stretching back 200 years on the Connolly Ballroom's balcony, and an exhibit of “365 Views of the Cathedral of Learning” by renowned Spanish artist Felix de la Concha on the 7th floor. (updated Sep 2016)
• 26 Salk Hall. Now the home of the schools of pharmacy and dental medicine, this Art Deco building on the upper campus was home to Jonas Salk's lab which produced the world's first polio vaccine, considered to be one of the most significant accomplishments in medical history. (updated Sep 2016)
• 27 Petersen Events Center, ☏ +1 412 648-3078. The campus' basketball and concert venue. On non-event days, the facility's 6,000 square foot, 90-ft-high lobby is open to the public and contains the McCarl Panthers Hall of Champions which showcases artifacts from some of the university's championship teams (free, M–F 9AM–5PM). Also inside are the Panthers Team Store and a food court. Pre-arranged tours of the center are available for groups of 10 or more.  

Off-campus on Pittsburgh's North Side, is the university's Allegheny Observatory, an active and historic astronomy observatory in Riverview Park.

Carnegie Mellon University campus

The Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) campus lies just to the southeast of Oakland between Oakland and Schenley Park, and has some sights to see and nice architecture to take in. With a few exceptions, most Carnegie Mellon buildings are in the neoclassical style, with tan brick walls, hardwood doors, and iron railings. Nearly all the buildings demand a certain amount of exploration, with many hidden corners and interesting spots.

• 28 The Cut. Starting from the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Morewood Avenue, the Cut is a greenway which runs through the middle of the campus. The Cut used to be a small valley which was eventually filled in to be used as green space. The entrance to the Cut is clearly marked by the Walking to the Sky statue, a copy of the original by Jonathan Borofsky which shows a group of people walking up a steel pole. In the middle of the Cut is The Fence, a hand-painted fence which is adorned by various student messages and announcements on an ever-growing coat of paint.
• 29 Miller Gallery, in the Purnell Center for the Arts (on the Cut just off Forbes Avenue), ☏ +1 412 268-3618. Tu-Su noon-6PM. A very nice and often intriguing contemporary art gallery with constantly changing exhibits. Free.  

Hammerschlag Hall, Carnegie Mellon

• Turning right at the Fence, you will see 30 Hammerschlag Hall at the end of the greenway. Its distinctive tower, which makes it one of the more visible buildings on campus, was built for an interesting function - to hide a large smokestack which emerges from the building (Carnegie was a titan of industry, after all).
• 31 Wean Hall, a Brutalist-style building just north of Hammerschlag Hall, which is home to the School of Computer Science. Inside you will find some unique features, such as displays on the history of computers and the world's first internet-enabled soda vending machine. The building to the north of Wean Hall (and down a very steep hill) is 32 Newell-Simon Hall, home to the Robotics Institute. If you can find the main entrance to the building, you may come across their "Roboceptionist", a computer program that greets you and answers questions.
• On the eastern side of the Fence is the 33 College of Fine Arts building, which holds some reproductions of classical sculpture inside. To the east of the Fine Arts building is a labyrinthine garden atop 34 Posner Center and just down the street is 35 Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall, home to the Carnegie Mellon School of Design, with a nice entrance rotunda and interesting artwork inside.
• 36 The Frame, 5200 Forbes Ave (at the southeastern corner of Forbes and Margaret Morrison Street). A student-run art gallery featuring the work of Carnegie Mellon students. 

Do

Athletics

• University of Pittsburgh Panthers (Pitt Panthers), University of Pittsburgh upper campus, Oakland, ☏ +1 412 648-7488. Oakland used to be home to all of Pittsburgh's major sports teams. Although their vintage stadiums have been demolished, and the University's football team now plays its games in Heinz Field on the city's North Shore, you can still cheer the remainder of the school's teams, including its nationally regarded basketball program, in its on-campus sports facilities. The Petersen Event Center is home to both the men's and women's basketball teams which play schedules against the nation's top collegiate competition and command a large fanbase in Western Pennsylvania. Adjacent to the Petersen is the 1 Fitzgerald Field House and 2 Trees Hall, home to the gymnastics, swimming, wrestling and volleyball teams. Behind Trees Hall is the 3 Petersen Sports Complex, home to the baseball, softball, and soccer teams.  

Performing arts

Many of Pitt Stage's theater performances occur in the gothic revival Stephen Foster Memorial's Charity Randall Theatre, just one of many performance and theater spaces in Oakland

• University of Pittsburgh Stages (lower level, Stephen Foster Memorial), ☏ +1 412 624-PLAY (7529). M–F noon–5PM and 1 hr prior to performance. Throughout the year, "Pitt Stages" performs various productions and student laboratories ranging from classic revivals to cutting-edge contemporary pieces. Venues include the historic theaters located in the Stephen Foster Memorial, the department's primary facility, to the black-box Studio Theatre located in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning. 
• University of Pittsburgh Department of Music Performances (Various locations on campus, typically Bellefield Hall or Heinz Chapel). The University of Pittsburgh's Department of Music has multiple performance groups including the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, String Quartet, Carpathian Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, African Music and Dance Ensemble, Gamelan Ensemble, Women's Choral Ensemble, Chamber Music, and the renowned Men's Glee Club and Heinz Chapel Choir. 
• Ionsound Project, ☏ +1 412-422-8042. Performs innovative concerts, commissioning works of new music, collaborating with artists in a variety of disciplines, and exploring the boundaries between concert and popular music. 
• 4 Pittsburgh Playhouse, 222 Craft Ave, ☏ +1 412 392-8000. Home to The REP, a professional theatre company and three student companies of Point Park University's Conservatory of Performing Arts.  
• Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theater, ☏ +1 412 561-6000. An acclaimed theatre company, frequently ranked among the city's best, that regularly performs in the Stephen Foster Memorial. 
• Ruckus (formerly Friday Nite Improvs), Studio Theatre, basement of the Cathedral of Learning. 11PM. Pittsburgh's longest-running theatrical/comedic production is also the city's only all-audience participation comedy improv show. Takes place, you guessed it, every Friday night during the school year. $3. 
• Check for rotating professional performances and events scheduled at the 5 Carnegie Music Hall and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial in addition to major concerts at the Petersen Events Center.

Events

Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in Schenley Park

• Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Held in July, is a vintage car festival that includes parades, a vintage car show along Walnut Street in Shadyside and a road race through Schenley Park. 
• Annual Pitt Jazz Seminar & Concert. Held each fall for over 40 years, the four-day Annual Jazz Seminar and Concert combines the best in scholarship, performance, community involvement, cultural diversity, and musicianship with some of the nation's biggest names in jazz. 
• Walnut Street Jam, hosted the last Saturdays of June, July, and August. Local bands play on Walnut Street in Shadyside, which is closed to vehicular traffic, and beer is allowed on the street.

Buy

Oakland

Looking towards the Pitt campus from the Forbes Avenue business district

Oakland is a book lover's dream. Sample any of the many used book stores to see what treasure you can find.

• 1 Caliban Book Shop, 410 S Craig St, ☏ +1 412 681-9111. Buy, sell, and appraise books, autographs, photographs, printed material, and original art. 
• 2 Irish Design Center, 303 South Craig St, ☏ +1 412 682-6125. M-F 10AM-5:30PM, Sa 10AM-5PM. Offers a wide variety of knitwear, clothing, gifts and jewelry from all over Ireland and Scotland. 
• 3 Maggie & Stella's Cards & Gifts, 209 Oakland Avenue, Sennott Square, ☏ +1 412-648-1353. M-F 9AM-6PM, Sa 10AM-5PM, Su closed. Located on the Pitt campus, Maggie & Stella's features an eclectic range of merchandise including jewelry, accessories, frames, kitchenware, bags, cards. 
• 4 Nationality Rooms Gift Center (located in the Cathedral of Learning, first floor, directly inside the Fifth Avenue entrance), ☏ +1 412-624-1282. M-Sa 9AM-4PM, Su 11AM-4PM. A selection of gift items imported from the countries represented in the Nationality Rooms of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. The inventory constantly changes based on availability and includes seasonal merchandise. 
• Pitt Paraphernalia. As with any college or university, check out the university's 5 Campus Bookstore and 6 The Pitt Shop, near the Cathedral of Learning for t-shirts, hoodies, magnets, and other souvenirs. The Pitt Shop is well known for $2.99 Pitt t-shirts while the Bookstore prides itself as being one of the largest independent book stores in the city. On the upper campus, near the medical center, a different selection of merchandise can also be obtained at the Pittsburgh Panthers Team Store inside the lobby of the Petersen Events Center. The Team Store is the only place you'll find retro "Script Pitt" merchandise. 
• 7 rue21, 3800 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 682-0353. 

Shadyside

Walnut Street in Shadyside

Shadyside has two shopping districts: the Walnut St. district specializing in apparel, and variety stores, and the Ellsworth Ave. district specializing in art galleries.

• 8 La Feria Gift Shop, 5527 Walnut St. #2, ☏ +1 412 682-4501. A gift shop selling Peruvian handicrafts, as part of the La Feria restaurant. 
• 9 Kards Unlimited, 5522 Walnut St, ☏ +1 412 622-0500. An unusual store which sells novelty books, stationary, toys, etc. 
• 10 Kawaii Store, 5413B Walnut St. #B, ☏ +1 412 687-2480. This little shop sells Japanese stuff. It has a lot of Choco-Cat and Totoro merchandise. 
• 11 Maser Galleries, 5427 Walnut St, ☏ +1 412 687-0885. Much of the art is contemporary, but the collection is eclectic, including sports art, traditional oil paintings, and work by the finest national and international masters. 
• 12 Schiller's Pharmacy, 811 S Aiken Ave, ☏ +1 412 621-5900. Great pharmacy with upscale bath products and cosmetic lines. Friendly staff. 
• 13 Shadyside Variety Store, 5421 Walnut St, ☏ +1 412 681-1716. Another variety store. 
• 14 Tokyo Japanese Food Store, 5855 Ellsworth Ave, ☏ +1 412 661-3777. 
• Brand stores on Walnut St. include 15 Apple Store, 16 Banana Republic, and the 17 Four Winds Gallery (Native American art).
• 18 S.W Randall Toyes & Giftes, 806 Ivy St, ☏ +1 412-687-2666. (updated Sep 2020)

Squirrel Hill

• 19 Jerry's Records, 2136 Murray Ave. More vinyl of all genres than you've probably ever seen in one place. 
• 20 Tea Pittsburgh Margarets Fine Imports, 5872 Forbes Ave (near the intersection of Forbes and Shady), ☏ +1 412-422-1606. M-Sa 11AM-7PM, Su noon-5PM. A vast assortment of loose and bagged teas, over 400 at last count. A wonderful place to buy gifts mostly imported: teapots, chocolates, coffees, cookies, aprons, even cosmetics and corporate gift baskets. The best smelling store in Squirrel Hill. 

Eat

Oakland

Put some 20,000 college students in a small urban area and you can be sure you won't go hungry. Or thirsty. If you've outgrown college food and college bars there are also a number of very good restaurants in the area. There is always The O, the place for some of the best fries in Pittsburgh. All along Craig Street and Forbes Avenue are restaurants ranging from Chinese and middle eastern to Subway. Here is a small sample of what's there:

The "O", as it is known to local students, is one of Oakland's oldest and most famous student eateries. It has received national publicity for its hot dogs but is well known locally for its greasy food, cheap pizza, extremely large portions in each order of french fries. For decades, the neon on its facade has broadcast its location adjacent to the Pitt campus.

• 1 Dave & Andy's Homemade Ice Cream, 207 Atwood St, ☏ +1 412 681-9906. 11:30AM-10PM. Their ice cream, made right on the premises, is continually ranked as the best in the city. 
• 2 Pamela's Diner, 3703 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412-683-4066. M-Su 7:30AM-4PM. This local chain has been in Oakland for years. It is the place to go in the neighborhood for breakfast. They are famous for, well, many things, but particularly their crepe hotcakes, decadent waffles and pancakes, and omelets. Barack Obama was so impressed during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh, he had Pamela's cater at the Whitehouse. Be aware that the wait on weekends can get very long. 
• 3 Union Grill, 413 S Craig St, ☏ +1 412 681-8620. Classic American Food - burgers, desserts and other American food. This place can get really crowded at lunch time. 
• 4 The Porch, 221 Schenley Dr (In Schenley Plaza across from the Cathedral of Learning), ☏ +1 412 687-6724. American bistro serving locally sourced food. Also has a walk-up window. 
• 5 Tamarind, 257 N Craig St, ☏ +1 412 605-0500. Closed Mondays. Further away from the campuses in an old Victorian house, specializing in south Indian fare. They offer a very good lunch buffet daily. 
• 6 Primanti Bros., 3803 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 621-4444. Su-W 10AM-midnight, Th-Sa 10AM-3AM. A local chain, Primantis offers the quintessential Pittsburgh sandwich. No trip to Pittsburgh is complete without experiencing one of their coleslaw and french fry topped extravaganzas. Profiled in numerous national programs and articles, if you only have time to eat at a Primantis once during your trip to Pittsburgh, than Oakland has this location ready for you. 
• 7 Hello Bistro, 3605 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412-687-8787. Specializing in salads and burgers, but also has a breakfast menu of mostly scrambled eggs available all day. 
• There are also many restaurant chains along Forbes Avenue southwest of the Pitt campus, including Chipotle, Q'Doba, Five Guys Burgers, McDonald's, Arbys, and Panera Bread.

Squirrel Hill

Squirrel Hill is home to a diverse assortment of cafes and restaurants - from kosher to Asian to Middle Eastern - along Forbes and Murray Avenues.

• 8 Aiello's, 2112 Murray Ave, ☏ +1 412 521-9973. In contention for the best pizza in the Burgh, along with Mineo's next door. It's a local favorite, and is a common hang out for many nearby high school students. The pepperoni rolls are to die for, loaded with parm. It has a classic Italian pizzeria atmosphere with friendly and personable staff. They are open till 2AM so you can always grab a cut to go. 
• 9 Mineo's, 2128 Murray Ave, ☏ +1 412 521-9864. Another local favorite pizza place, rival of nearby Aiello's. 
• 10 Bangkok Balcony, 5846 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 521-0728. Pittsburgh has many Thai options; this, along with sister restaurant Silk Elephant (around the corner at 1712 Murray) is probably the best in this part of the city. 
• 11 Milky Way, 2120 Murray Ave, ☏ +1 412 421-3121. This vegetarian restaurant has an assortment of pizzas. They have many salads and make a great falafel. The best part about it is that it is kosher. For any people who keep religious eating habits, this would be the place to go. 
• 12 Mediterranean Grill, 5824 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 521-5505. A nondescript entry hides a hole-in-the-wall restaurant below the street level. The menu is predominately Lebanese, but contains a variety of foods in a range of prices. BYOB. 
• 13 Sichuan Gourmet, 1900 Murray Ave, ☏ +1 412 521-1313. M-Th 11AM-8PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-10PM. Excellent, authentic Sichuanese Chinese food. Always has lots of Chinese students. $10-$20. (updated Jan 2018)
• Uncle Sam's Subs, 5808 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412-521-7827. This classic Pitt sub shop specializes in cheesesteaks. One of several Uncle Sam's city locations. 

Shadyside

• 14 Mercurio's Mulberry Creamery, 5523 Walnut St, ☏ +1 412 621-6220. Outstanding gelateria. It serves delicious wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizza and antipasto. 
• 15 Prantl's Bakery, 5525 Walnut St, ☏ +1 412 621-2092. Excellent baked goods, low prices. 
• 16 Soba, 5847 Ellsworth Ave, ☏ +1 412 362-5656. Part of the popular Big Burrito fine-dining empire, serving pan-Asian cuisine. 

Drink

Bars

Walking a few blocks down Atwood St from Forbes will get you to Oakland's only hookah bar, the Sphinx Cafe, which is located in a former church and is across the corner from the original Mad Mex, famous for their margaritas, which has now expanded into other cities.

Garage Door Saloon at 223 Atwood St.

• 1 Hemingways, 3911 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 621-4100. $1 Miller Lites, microbrew selection, combined with the food, great place to drink. A lot of girls. Usually so packed during the school year it's hard to order a drink...or even move. As with many places in the U.S. don't be fooled by the $1 draft drink specials as you're getting a small plastic cup of beer, not a pint. Pay attention to happy hour specials. Half of food (on a special menu) 11AM-11:45AM, appetizers 2-4PM, half of food (on a special menu) 9PM-midnight. 
• 2 Gene's Place, 3616 Louisa St, ☏ +1 412 682-9213. Really cheap drinks ($3 mixed, $2-3 22oz beers, $5.50 pitchers). Some microbrews. No food. College neighborhood bar. If you are looking to drink cheap, here is the place. 
• 3 Stew Wood Fire Fusion, 212 Oakland Ave, ☏ +1 412-586-5439. Very stew-themed. 

Coffee

• 4 61c Cafe, 1839 Murray Ave, ☏ +1 412 521-6161. Named for the bus of the same name that stops nearby. Pretty good coffee, friendly baristas - one of the hipper spots to hang out, usually full of grad students. Free Wi-Fi. There are only 2 outlets for laptops, and they are in high demand. 

Sleep

Since Oakland is a "college town", as well as a center of research and technology, there are some accommodations including most of the big name chain hotels. In addition the area has very frequent bus connections to Downtown which is only a ten or fifteen minute ride to all the large downtown hotels.

• 1 Hampton Inn Pittsburgh University Center, 3315 Hamlet St, ☏ +1 412 681-1000. Situated on the west end of Oakland closest to and Carlow University and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. 
• 2 Hilton Garden Inn University Place, 3454 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 683-2040. Borders the Pitt campus and closest hotel to the University's Medical Center's Oakland hospitals. 
• 3 Inn on Negley, 703 S Negley Ave, ☏ +1 412 661-0631. 
• 4 Courtyard Pittsburgh University Center, 100 Lytton Ave, ☏ +1 412 682-6200. In the heart of Pitt's campus and the closest hotel to the Cathedral of Learning and Carnegie Museums. 

Connect

In addition to the many cafes in the area with wifi for their customers, there is also free wifi available along Walnut Street in Shadyside and in Schenley Plaza.

The branches of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh also offer free wireless.

• 1 Main Library, 4400 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 622-3114. Su noon-5PM, M-Th 10AM-8PM, F Sa 10AM-5:30PM. 
• 2 Squirrel Hill Library, 5801 Forbes Ave, ☏ +1 412 422-9650. Su 1-5PM, M F Sa 10AM-5PM, Tu-Th 10AM-8PM.