Downtown

“Downtown, no finer place for sure. Downtown, everything’s waiting for you.”

So true,… “Downtown, no finer place for sure. Downtown, everything’s waiting for you.”

So true, Petula Clark, so true.

Many say that there’s no reason to go downtown unless working or attending a big event, but Pittsburgh has enough perks to satisfy those looking for city life.

To get to center city, any 61 or 71 bus as well as the 500 or 501 will take you to the corner of Forbes and Stanwix past Market Square. The popular landmark for getting off – and getting back on to come to Oakland – is the corner McDonald’s across from the T station. This is also the T that will take students for free with a Pitt ID to Station Square.

This part of the city is probably most exciting during two of its main events: Light Up Night and First Night, the New Year’s celebration. Light Up Night features music and fireworks above The Point, and ice skating in the middle of PPG Place. This outdoor rink, like the one at Rockefeller Center, is open from November to March. It costs $7 to skate and $3 for rentals, which is more expensive than Schenley Park, but it’s a must-do at least once during your four years at Pitt.

While not quite Downtown, Mellon Arena – home of the Pittsburgh Penguins – is also on this bus route. The aforementioned buses stop at Forbes and Washington Avenue, and Mellon Arena is located just a block up the street. While also not quite within the Downtown area, if you stay on certain buses you’ll find yourself on the North Shore, home of the Pirates, the Steelers, the Panthers during football season and the Carnegie Science Center.

If you don’t want to wait for a specific bus, get off the bus at the McDonald’s, head toward the river, find a bridge and start walking.

Also located on the North Shore is the Warhol Museum, home of Pittsburgh native Andy Warhol’s collections. Head back over to Downtown for even more culture, and you’ll see the Wood Street Galleries. Both museums offer free admission with a Pitt ID.

The best reason to go Downtown during the school year – other than to ice skate – is to get to the Cultural District. The Benedum Center hosts operas and Broadway shows, almost all of which students can get cheap tickets for through Pitt Arts. Heinz Hall hosts the Pittsburgh Symphony throughout the year as well as the annual Handel’s “Messiah.”

The O’Reilly Theater’s season consists of various plays and has one of the coolest theatric atmospheres. The Cabaret Theater, part of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera or CLO, hosts “Forbidden Broadway,” another fun show to take in at least once.

While it may take awhile to pinpoint where all of these theaters are, you can’t really get lost, and if you do, there’s a map pointing all of them out in front of Heinz Hall, which can be found on Penn Avenue.

Some other notable Downtown buildings one should be able to recognize are the U.S. Steel building, PPG Place and Gateway Center. The USS building is one of the few dark colored buildings in town, and it’s also the tallest, so it’s hard to miss. PPG Place is notable for the four-pointed building just next to Market Square that surrounds the ice skating rink. Gateway Center are the three tall, silver buildings located just on the river near the Gateway Center T station.

These buildings indicate what Downtown is really all about: business. For this reason, almost everything closes after 5 p.m. There is sparse nightlife unless you’re seeing a show or eating out, but one good locale for going out is Dowe’s on Ninth, a jazz club with great bands, a classy atmosphere and salsa dancing every Thursday night.

If you should be doing business Downtown, take advantage of the new wi-fi program, offering two free hours of wireless Internet a day to anyone at select locations in the Downtown area. The Central Business District/Golden Triangle, the North Shore and the Lower Hill District have capabilities for this.

Finally, Downtown shopping. Don’t let people tell you that the Waterfront is the only place to shop in Pittsburgh – Downtown does merit some respect when it comes to shopping opportunities, the best of which is its 13-story Macy’s. Any bus you hop on to get Downtown will take you here. A few other good places are Burlington Coat Factory, Brooks Brothers and Jos. A. Bank, as well as numerous independent stores you can come across if you wander around for awhile – they’re all within walking distance once you get Downtown.

Another Downtown landmark is Point State Park, is located at The Point where the three rivers meet. The park is currently undergoing extensive renovations, according to the park’s website. Point State Park is usually home to the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival, but this year the festival will be held in Downtown streets and plazas from June 1 to 17, according to the Arts Festival’s website.