June 2, 2012
Except for two football Sundays a year, when the colors you wear can spell life or death, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are sister cities.
It's not the architecture. Pittsburgh has more of an East Coast feel to its neighborhoods than Cleveland -- more Queens than West Park.
It's because the two places are so complementary: We have the orchestra and an art museum full of Old Masters; they have Andy Warhol and an internationally celebrated festival of contemporary art every few years. We have the Heights and acres of Tudor homes; they have Shadyside and Squirrel Hill, where old money meets students with nothing going on but the rent.
A weekend by the Three Rivers can make for a great summer getaway. Just be warned: Unless you have a compass strapped to your wrist, abandon all hope of knowing where you are for your first two or three visits. This city of one-way streets, steep hills and detour-laden bridges can be an adventure to navigate.
But there is help. Here is our notebook from a warm May weekend.
Friday: shopping and strolling
After dropping into town via I-279 South and zigzagging onto the Boulevard of the Allies, we headed straight to Walnut Street in the Shadyside neighborhood, east of downtown, for a morning of boutique-hopping and a stylish alfresco lunch.
We parked in one of the public parking lots behind Walnut (beware the resident-only side streets with their pricey parking tickets) and immediately fortified ourselves with espresso drinks and croissants at the Coffee Tree. This airy, open-fronted coffeehouse is a perfect starting point to plot a Shadyside morning or afternoon.
Walnut Street is chock-a-block with a mix of local and national upper-end retailers. One favorite of ours is Toadflax, a chic shop full of exotic flowers, plants, antiques and tastefully curated items for the home.
We continued strolling on Walnut, popping into a branch of Williams-Sonoma, admiring women's designer shoes in the windows of several shops, picking up a jar of locally made cacciatore sauce at a gourmet grocer and sniffing heavy bars of French soap on display at Schiller's Pharmacy.
Imagine that, Cleveland: Strolling and shopping right in the city, not in a suburban mall.
Lunch was a pleasant outdoor affair at Girasole, Pittsburgh's answer to an Italian trattoria. Girasole is a favorite of Pittsburgh's "ladies (and gentlemen) who lunch."
If the weather is good, there is a tiny outdoor patio perfect for a long, lingering meal. We enjoyed a glass of wine and pasta dishes including spaghettini with littleneck clams. Girasole uses specially made pasta from Fede, a Pittsburgh-based company with a passion for Old World pasta-making. (We were strongly tempted to put in a mail order then and there.)
From Walnut Street, it was a short ride to South Highland Avenue, another Shadyside enclave, this one specializing in antiques, home furnishings and independent shops. We loved popping into River House Antiques and navigating the jampacked rooms -- yes, plural -- of authentic 18th- and 19th-century furniture, prints and paintings. (Just remember, as Debbie Harry once sang, that dreaming is free.)
On the other end of the aesthetic spectrum -- but nearby -- is Weisshouse, an ultra-contemporary Pittsburgh furniture store. Between the two, we always enjoy Penhollows, a locally owned gift/book/decor shop.
En route to our accommodations, we stopped on South Craig Street and headed for the Caliban Book Shop, a great example of the dwindling breed of independent, used-and-rare bookstores. You could easily spend an hour browsing the inventory of quality nonfiction, art or history titles. One of us was pried out long before that.
Friday night: charming digs and eats
Driving across town to the South Side, the historic neighborhood across the Monongahela River from downtown, we checked in at the Morning Glory Inn on Sarah Street. The Victorian-style bed-and-breakfast is a convenient and comfortable way to experience an evening on the South Side without having to drive.
The inn has open living-room areas on the ground and second floors, perfect for pre-dinner lounging. Rooms are decorated in period style, right down to the clawfoot tub with brass shower, but with extremely comfy foam mattresses. Rates range from $155 to $450 a night (the latter for a separate guest house). Note that it's often full on weekends from spring to fall for wedding parties, so book early.
A five-block-long walk from the Morning Glory took us to Dish Osteria. An unassuming door on 17th Street leads into one of the most charming restaurants in Pittsburgh.
We swore we were in a true Italian osteria (casual eatery), what with Dish's polished wood tables, muted lighting and authentic Sicilian menu and wine list. We enjoyed a perfect aperitivo (cocktail) at the atmospheric bar before moving to a table and savoring dishes such as carpaccio of tuna with shaved fennel and the lightest ricotta gnocchi imaginable.
We strolled back to the inn via East Carson Street, which is literally lined with bars catering to the 20-something crowd that streams in from across the bridges every weekend, chuckling at the "colorful" language (and high, high heels) of the revelers.
Saturday morning: a cultural beginning
Breakfast at the inn is leisurely and homemade; fresh fruit, juice, buttermilk waffles, good strong coffee and newspapers in a converted, fireplaced kitchen lent a good start to the morning.
Thinking we would have a more cultural and less retail-driven day, we started off at a Pittsburgh cultural institution: the Carnegie Museum of Art.
The Carnegie regularly hosts important special exhibitions such as the recently closed examination of artist/sculptor Maya Lin, along with owning a world-class permanent collection of painting and sculpture.
In the past, we've been lucky enough to be in town for the Carnegie International, a curated, cutting-edge show of contemporary art that the museum hosts every few years (next up in October 2013).
A visit here can be a full-morning event if you also visit the adjacent Carnegie Museum of Natural History, usually ringed in school buses.
Saturday afternoon: sushi and history
After the Sicilian food at dinner the previous night, we were craving sushi. One of Pittsburgh's best Japanese spots was a short drive away. Sushi Two in Shadyside features some of the freshest fish in town, along with reasonably priced specials, guaranteeing a steady lunchtime crowd.
We then made our way to another great Pittsburgh institution: the Frick Art & Historical Center on Reynolds Street, just east of Shadyside. Most people associate Frick with the Frick Collection in New York City; however, Pittsburgh was the home of Henry Clay Frick, the turn-of-the-20th-century industrialist millionaire. Unlike John D. Rockefeller and Cleveland, Frick and his money stayed put.
Within the compound are the Frick home (open for scheduled tours), an extensively manicured yard and gardens, a small yet impressive museum of 18th- and 19th-century European painting (including works by Rubens and Fragonard) and an impressive collection of vintage automobiles.
The latter is especially delightful, with examples ranging from horse-driven carriages to Frick's daughter Helen's sleek 1931 Model K Sport Phaeton Lincoln. She must have been a pistol.
A video presentation on the history of Pittsburgh's auto industry shows early cars being raised up the city's hills on a funicular. Even with modern roads, the traveler can sympathize.
In need of a lift of our own, we enjoyed afternoon tea at the Frick cafe, a lovely formal restaurant on the grounds. We drank special Russian tea and nibbled on homemade scones with jam and clotted cream in the open air on a gorgeous afternoon.
We made our way back to the Morning Glory Inn for some relaxation time before dinner. The New Orleans-style courtyard at dusk is the perfect setting for an evening drink -- we schlepped in our own mini bar -- in preparation for a night on the town.
Saturday night: elegant exploration
We called a taxi and ventured into the Strip District near downtown for dinner and drinks at Eleven Contemporary Kitchen on Smallman Street, an elegant starting point for exploring the area.
(Like Cleveland, Pittsburgh is not a big taxi town, so we had to call back and "remind" the dispatcher twice that we had a tough-to-get weekend reservation at the restaurant.)
The Strip District is a half-square-mile patch northeast of downtown Pittsburgh and a bustling zone of late-night restaurants and bars. Acclaimed television chef Lidia Bastianich, whose son is a business partner of uber-chef Mario Batali, has a restaurant here.
Eleven is definitely an upper-end, "Saturday night out" kind of place. We enjoyed exquisitely crafted martinis (made with Dolin Blanc vermouth and goat-cheese-stuffed olives) and entrees such as grilled swordfish with Italian sausage and mussels.
Back on the South Side, after a much nicer cab experience, we decided on a nightcap at the bar of Ibiza, a bustling, contemporary Spanish restaurant on East Carson catering to a more sophisticated and older clientele than most of the college or sports bars on the street.
We enjoyed the atmosphere and music -- and mused on how irrelevant the Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh debate has become, with each city now boasting great eateries, cultural institutions and unique finds.
Sunday: a favorite stop
Over breakfast at the inn, we navigated a path out of the city (which was more complex than usual, since a marathon had shut down most of the major thoroughfares -- and bridges -- in and out of town). Kudos to Google Maps on our Kindle Fire and the good advice of our evening taxi driver, who pointed us to the obscure but crucial Hot Metal Bridge.
Before leaving the city, we dropped into City Books, a rickety yet beloved bookstore run by a retired Pitt philosophy professor. This shop, nestled on East Carson not far from the Morning Glory, has always been a fond stop for us.
A big portion of our collection of rare art books has come from the shelves here. It's also fun to chat with the owner about the changes the city has seen over the years.
We're always a little worried that it might not be there whenever we return, but the owner manages to hold out and hold on. If it ever did close, it would be a big loss for anyone addicted to book culture.
Car packed, we made our way to Robinson Town Centre, a sprawling suburban mall that is famous for one thing that irks true Clevelanders (because we don't have it) -- a branch of Swedish retail giant Ikea. After an hour of looking at sofas, beds, kitchen implements and trash cans with elaborate, unpronounceable names, we left with tired feet and a $6.99 cheese knife.
By 4 p.m., we were back on the North Coast, where north is a lake and no one bothers with bridges. We said sister cities, after all, not twins.
Eric Susyne is a freelance writer in Cleveland Heights. John Kappes is arts and entertainment editor of The Plain Dealer.
48 hours in Pittsburgh
- Miles from Cleveland: 133.
Main attractions: Museums (the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Mattress Factory Art Museum); schools (Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University); high-end shopping (see below); riding the hills on the funicular.
Don’t miss: Home-decor shop Toadflax (5500 Walnut St.; 412-621-2500) in Shadyside; City Books (1111 E. Carson St.; 412-481-7555) on the South Side.
Family-friendly attractions: The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is a huge hit with the under-12 set (and their parents). The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, Carnegie Science Center and the National Aviary also earn high marks from residents and visitors alike.
Adult quotient/cool quotient: Although its blue-collar roots still show, a solid 6.5 out of 10 on both scales, with a growing dining scene as well as live music along East Carson Street on the South Side.
Shopping: Walnut Street in Shadyside has everything from a Sephora and a Benetton to a local shop selling Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik shoes.
Lodging: Victorian-style bed-and-breakfast Morning Glory Inn, with rooms from $155 (2119 Sarah St.; 412-431-1707 or gloryinn.com); the stately Omni William Penn Hotel, with rooms from about $200 (530 William Penn Place; 412-281-7100 or tinyurl.com/williampenn).
Dining: Favorites from this trip include Dish Osteria (128 S. 17th St.; 412-390-2012); Eleven Contemporary Kitchen (1150 Smallman St.; 412-201-5656); Girasole (733 Copeland St.; 412-682-2130).
Getting around: Some areas such as Walnut Street and the South Side are easily walkable, but this is a city of bridges, so a car or taxi remains essential.
Along the way: Robinson Town Centre (off I-376 at exit 59) for Swedish megastore Ikea (see ikea.com/us/en/store/pittsburgh).
Total cost for weekend: $850, including about $400 for accommodations and $350 for dining out.
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