We are starting to get into a good routine with baby which has included learning how to have affordably family day trips again! We recently took a road trip to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on our way home from Michigan. Pittsburgh is three hours from where we live and we’ve been talking about visiting for a while. We were really taken aback by all of the beautiful architecture in Pittsburgh and how walk-able the historic districts of the city are. While the town is industrial, it would be really shocking how many classical elements there were. We only had half a day to visit the city, but we quickly found places to visit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and realized that we will be making more trips back!
5 places to visit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DUNESQUE INCLINE
The Dunesque Incline is a funicular that opened in 1877 and gives beautiful views of Pittsburgh! The funicular is 800 feet long and uses the original wooden cars (which have been restored). We’ve been on a lot of funiculars, but this is the only one that we’ve been on that had been preserved in a historic condition; the paint was even stripped off of the cars to show the original wood.
According to Wikipedia:
The Duquesne Incline was built to carry cargo up and down Mt. Washington in the late 19th century. It later carried passengers, particularly Mt. Washington residents who were tired of walking up footpaths to the top. Inclines were then being built all over Mt. Washington. But as more roads were built on “Coal Hill” most of the other inclines were closed. By the end of the 1960s, only the Monongahela Incline and the Duquesne Incline remained.
The Duquesne Incline was closed in 1962 with major repairs being needed. However, local residents ran a fund raiser to help the incline. The incline was opened again in 1963. The view of the incline is beautiful and offers a beautiful view of the city, but with a short walk you can see the Point of View Statue on Mount Washington that a lot of people forget about! The view from the Point of View statue is a lot better than the one at the Duquesne Incline funicular, honestly. We also loved being able to see the trademark steel fences on our walk.
The Duquesne Incline is definitely an affordable family day trip with each ticket being $5 round trip, but you should note that you have to have exact change. However, the parking below the Duquesne does charge hourly.
See my funicular photos from Slovenia and Austria.
CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING
We were walking to Primanti Borthers sandiwch shop when we were completely awestruck by the Cathedral of Learning. We realized that we needed to make a longer stop in Pittsburgh because the architecture was really impressive, in general. The Cathedral of Learning is on University of Pittsburgh’s campus and is the second tallest gothic-styled building in the world, the second tallest university building in the world, and the tallest educational building in the Western hemisphere (wikipedia, as source). The first class was held in 1937.
According to Wikipedia:
The main part of the Cathedral’s first floor is the Commons Room, called one of the “great architectural fantasies of the twentieth century”, is a fifteenth-century English perpendicular Gothic-style hall that covers half an acre (2,000 m2) and extends upwards four stories, reaching 52 feet (16 m) tall. The room was a gift of Andrew Mellon. It is a piece of true Gothic architecture; no steel supports were used in the construction of its arches. Each arch is a true arch, and they support their own weight. Each base for the arches weighs five tons, and it is said that they are so firmly placed that each could hold a large truck. The large central piers act only as screens for the structural steel that holds up the upper floors of the building.
Upon entering the common rooms, there is wrought iron on the gates that says “Here is eternal spring; for you the very stars of heaven are new.” I was honestly amazed by the architecture and how beautiful the common rooms are. I felt like I was in a room in Europe instead of a town that had been stereotyped as so industrial to me in the past. You can take a tour of the Cathedral of Learning here.
HEINZ MEMORIAL CHAPEL
Right across a green lawn from the Cathedral of Learning on University of Pittsburgh’s campus is the Heinz Memorial Chapel. The chapel was created to honor the mother of the Heinz family and honor her family legacy of education and religion. The Chapel was intended for interdenominational use from the beginning and hosts “approximately 1,500 events involving more than 100,000 people take place there annually including religious services, weddings, concerts, classes, memorial services, and guided tours (source).”
The chapel is made in a neo-Gothic style was designed by the same person who designed the Cathedral of Learning. The structure of the chapel is typical of the style of religious buildings built during this time. What we loved from the building was the American figures in the stained glass alongside Biblical figures.
SAINT PAUL CATHEDRAL IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
We stopped by the Saint Paul Cathedral on the way to our parking spot. Lucky us, right?! Saint Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was established in 1834 and is within a short walking distance of Carnegie Mellon, the Heinz Memorial Cathedral, as well as the Cathedral of Learning. Following suit of the previous structures I’ve talked about in this post, the cathedral is built in a Gothic style using inspiration from the Cologne Cathedral.
PRIMANTI BROTHERS SANDWICHES
I’ve been following Daena on Instagram from Pittsburgh for years and she suggested going to Primanti Brothers for lunch. The original shop was built near an industrial area to provide food for workers. The original sandwich was created during the Great Depression. The original sandwiches combine fries, egg, and a meat into a sandwich. I didn’t know what I would think about having all of the different foods on one sandwich, but we devoured our sandwiches as quickly as two people can with a food interested infant can haha! We loved the food and we’re looking forward to going back to have another sandwich.
We loved visiting Pittsburgh for an affordable day trip! We were surprised that after half a day that we were able to see so much while only paying for parking, lunch, and the $5 each for a round trip Dunesque Incline ride! Our baby was, as always, a great little traveler and we hope to go back to Pittsburgh to see the aviary, zoo, and botanical gardens when it is a little cooler outside (almost 100 degrees isn’t our cup of tea).
