There was an audible groan in our family when it was announced we’d be spending spring break not on a tropical beach but in Pittsburgh, a place I’d been meaning to visit for years. And I’ll admit that, as we arrived on an April morning to a blustery snowstorm, I had a momentary fear I’d led my family astray.

But the thing about Pittsburgh is—no matter what your feelings are regarding the Steelers (more on that later)—it’s a city that’s impossible not to fall in love with.

Located in western Pennsylvania at the junction of three rivers, Pittsburgh is a relatively easy four and a half hours from Baltimore. We stretched our legs at The Coffee Pot in Bedford, Pennsylvania, along the Lincoln Highway. This roadside gem is 18 feet tall and 22 feet in diameter, making it just big enough to hold approximately 800,000 cups of coffee, according to the Uncovering PA website. It was originally built in 1927 by David Koontz, a local gas station owner, as a small restaurant. It’s also been a bar and a bus stop, but now it merely exists as an excuse to get out of the car for five minutes and snap a few pictures.

But back to Pittsburgh. For years, this city has lived in the mind of Baltimore Ravens fans as the home of Ben Roethlisberger and Heinz Stadium. Neither exist anymore. “Big Ben” retired earlier this year and Heinz Stadium was recently renamed Acrisure Stadium, after an insurance company with big pockets. (Steelers fans don’t like it either.) But I’m here to tell you an entire world exists in Pittsburgh beyond its stadium, located in the North Shore neighborhood right where the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers meet.

We spent our days eating, sightseeing, and shopping. There’s a ton of hotel options to choose from. We stayed at a major chain downtown—which I picked because of its central location. Next time I will stay in one of the more charming neighborhoods, like Lawrenceville or the Strip District. We drove our car everywhere but there are bike rental options, decent public transportation via buses, and all sorts of rideshare services. It’s hard to say what endeared me so much to Pittsburgh. Maybe it’s all the bridges and hills, including the steepest street in a U.S. city (yes, including San Francisco). More likely, it’s the fact that, with its distinct neighborhoods and striking architecture, it felt like a cousin of Baltimore.

Besides, how can a city that claims ownership of both ketchup and Mister Rogers be bad?

► DO & SEE

The first must-do in Pittsburgh is The Andy Warhol Museum, the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. The museum, which has timed entries so plan ahead, holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives from the Pittsburgh-born pop art icon. We spent a solid three hours exploring the seven floors that include 900 paintings, 4,000 photographs, and nearly 2,000 works on paper. Highlights included photographs of Warhol as a tow-headed young boy, his self-published book of cats, his Miss Dior window display for Bonwit Teller in New York, early illustrations for the I. Miller shoe company, his “Cowboy Elvis” silkscreen printing, and, of course, his famous soup cans and portraits of Jackie Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, Marilyn Monroe, and himself.

Another don’t-miss spot was the Heinz History Center (which elicited more groans from the children—“History? It’s vacation!”—but ended up being a favorite stop). The century-old, Smithsonian-affiliated center, housed in what was once the Chautauqua Lake Ice Company building, is named for John Heinz, the U.S. senator from Pennsylvania who died in a plane crash in 1991. The center’s mission is to showcase Western Pennsylvania’s history from past to present to future. That includes a “How Pittsburgh Changed the World” exhibit that embraces everything from Jonas Salk’s discovery of the polio vaccine to the invention of the Big Mac. (It was introduced in the Greater Pittsburgh area in 1967 and nationwide in 1968.)

There’s also a Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. (Trigger warning: There’s a whole lot of Steelers and Pirates stuff.) Our two favorite exhibits were the history of the H.J. Heinz Company, including an 11-foot ketchup bottle and video loops of vintage Heinz TV ads from around the world and “The Special Collections Gallery” that holds artifacts from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.

There’s the entryway and living room set of Mister Rogers’ home, the Great Oak Tree where Henrietta Pussycat and X the Owl resided, King Friday XIII’s castle, McFeely’s “Speedy Delivery” tricycle, the bench that Mister Rogers sat on during each show, and, of course, his iconic cardigan sweater. We also visited the Mister Rogers bronze sculpture that resides along the North Shore (near the stadium). Officially called “Tribute to Children,” it sits over 10 feet tall and shows the beloved figure tying his shoes as he would at the start of each episode while singing “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.”

It’s best to wait for a beautiful clear day, like we did, to visit the Duquesne Incline, a funicular located near Pittsburgh’s South Side. (A funicular is a cable railroad, usually on a mountainside, in which ascending and descending cars are counterbalanced.) This one, which scales Mt. Washington, was designed by Hungarian-American engineer Samuel Diescher and completed in 1877. The bright red Duquesne Incline, one of the few remaining in the country, was lovingly restored by locals in 1963 and maintains its wooden cable car feel with elegant tin ceilings and stunning views of the city skyline. One thing to remember: Make sure you have exact fare upon arrival. There is no change, no online reservations, and no credit cards or debit cards are accepted.

From the top of Mt. Washington, you get a great view of the Three Sisters self-anchored suspension bridges spanning the Allegheny River at 6th, 7th, and 9th streets. The bridges have been given formal names to honor important Pittsburgh residents: Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Rachel Carson. Designed by the Allegheny County Department of Public Works, they were all built by the American Bridge Company from 1924 to 1928. The Three Sisters are the only trio of nearly identical bridges, as well as the first self-anchored suspension spans, built in the United States.

Back in 2001, when the downtown area bridges were due for maintenance, the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation suggested a fresh color instead of the standard Aztec Gold, according to the Pittsburgh City Paper. Among the colors proposed were perfect peach and purple ice. “Not everyone was happy with the proposals,” wrote Chris Potter. “Tom Sokolowski, who as head of The Andy Warhol Museum is sort of the city-planning equivalent to Joan Rivers at the Oscars, groused that bridges ‘are not bath towels.’ And if the PH&LF’s Arthur Ziegler was so interested in redecorating, Sokolowski was quoted saying in The Post-Gazette, ‘Why doesn’t he go and work for IKEA?’” The bridges remain Aztec Gold.

 

“BESIDES, HOW CAN A CITY THAT CLAIMS OWNERSHIP OF BOTH KETCHUP AND MISTER ROGERS BE BAD?”

 

We spent our last day in Pittsburgh visiting the Mattress Factory, a contemporary art museum in the city’s Northside neighborhood. In 1975, artist and Mattress Factory founder Barbara Luderowski purchased a former Stearns & Foster mattress warehouse—hence the name. The museum now includes several buildings around the neighborhood and a garden plot where we met a very friendly cat. Favorite installations included Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Dots Mirrored Room and Jennifer Angus’s “The Museum of All Things”—an entire room dedicated to Victorian furnishings, taxidermy, and insects.

If you look up from pretty much anywhere in the city, you’ll see the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning. Tucked inside is the Nationality Rooms, a group of 31 classrooms depicting and donated by the national and ethnic groups that helped build the city. Other places not to miss include the beautiful art tribute in front of the Tree of Life Congregation, where 11 people were murdered inside their synagogue in October 2018. A total of 101 pieces of artwork submitted from around the world were chosen to appear on the block-long canvas. There’s also the Carnegie Museum of Art, with its impressive Hall of Architecture; the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which includes the world’s first specimen of a Tyrannosaurus Rex; and the Carnegie Science Center, with its four levels of interactive exhibits and an impressive planetarium show. Also, don’t miss the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a stunning botanical garden in Schenley Park; the National Aviary, the country’s largest aviary with over 500 different types of birds; and Point State Park, a 36-acre park downtown with great views.

► EAT

Since our trip was family-focused we didn’t do much fine dining. (Though there is plenty of that.) Instead, we stuck with kid faves: noodles, pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and sweets. Our very first meal was in Squirrel Hill at Everyday Noodles for pork bao buns, bok choy, soup dumplings, dan dan noodles, and braised beef noodle soup. We ordered way too much and ate every single bite. And right up the street is Gaby Et Jules, a fancy bakery with macarons, eclairs, and tarts.

“One of the coolest parts of Pittsburgh is that every corner has a church and a bar,” said a friend who attended college there. “Love seeing them in the same place.” She was referring to the often-recommended Church Brew Works in Lawrenceville—one of our favorite neighborhoods—located in a turn-of-the-century church now turned brewery. We ate pierogies with sautéed onions and sour cream and a traditional Pittsburgh-style salad with grilled chicken, mixed greens, red onions, Monterey Jack cheese, and fries (served on the salad) washed down with a few beers. (The kids had handcrafted birch beer.)

Also, in Lawrenceville is La Gourmandine bakery and pastry shop. There will be a line out the door, there will be lots of dogs to pet, and it will be worth the wait. The flaky pain au chocolat and abricotine with vanilla cream and apricot filling are ridiculously good. You can’t go to Pittsburgh and not hit Pamela’s Diner for her famous hotcakes. These oversized, buttery, crepe-style cakes with crispy edges—served with syrup or stuffed with fresh fruit, sour cream, brown sugar and topped with whipped cream—must be eaten with Pamela’s Lyonnaise potatoes. There’s the Pittsburgh Hash version with kielbasa, sauerkraut, and Swiss, or Pam’s Trash Hash with sloppy Joes, jalapeño, bacon, and American cheese. Go early or expect a wait and, like many of the greatest things in Pittsburgh—it’s cash only. Another can’t miss in the Strip District is Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop, with 250 different kinds of candy bars, over 100 bulk candies, lots of brightly colored soda pop, and a chance to be a hero when you hand your kids a bag and say, “Fill it up.”

Then there’s the original Primanti Bros. It felt like something we had to do, like eating crabs in Baltimore. Joe Primanti operated a sandwich cart in the Strip District in 1933. Business was good and he opened his first storefront there that same year. What makes a classic Primanti Bros. sandwich is Italian white bread loaded with meat, melted provolone, tomatoes, fresh-cut fries and coleslaw—stacked high. People either love it or hate it. We landed somewhere in the middle. It was messy, complicated, and really tasty. I dig the Pittsburgh initiative of putting fries on everything.

There’s also Beto’s Pizza, which has been around for 65 years. Pizzas are all made to order and sold by the “individual cut”—not whole pie. They’re definitely unique: They come out of the oven with a traditional crust, hot bubbly cheese, special sauce, but then fresh, cold provolone cheese is put on top—plus whatever else you order. Cold toppings on a pizza are weird but also intriguing. The cold cheese melts a little while you eat. The pepperoni and banana peppers do not. Other favorites include Pigeon Bagels, conveniently located near the Frick Park Blue Slide Playground—which houses a really long blue slide. Redhawk, a small Pittsburgh-based roastery, Meat & Potatoes gastropub, Threadbare Cider House in Spring Garden, DiFiore’s Ice Cream Delite, Bae Bae’s Kitchen for casual Korean, and Tocayo for Mexican in Shadyside, another fantastic neighborhood, are also great options.

► SHOP

There are so many wonderful neighborhoods to explore in Pittsburgh, each with its own set of boutiques, coffee shops, and bookstores. Our favorites included the Strip District (Roxanne’s Dried Flowers, City Grows), Lawrenceville (Wildcard, Pavement, Boheme Pittsburgh, Toll Gate Revival), Squirrel Hill (Amazing Books and Records, Little Shoes, Jerry’s Records), and Southside (Highway Robbery Vintage, Indigo Owl Culture Shop, Three Rivers Vintage). New shops are always popping up and our favorite thing when exploring a new city is walk, walk, walk.

A friend who grew up in the Burgh told me before the trip, “You won’t believe how beautiful Pittsburgh is,” and she was right. Pittsburgh even beats out Venice, Italy, for the city with the most bridges—with over 400. To extend our trip a little longer we stopped at Fallingwater on our way home (it’s about 70 miles southeast from Pittsburgh). It’s a home designed in 1935 by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the Laurel Highlands and built partly over a waterfall. It’s divine and dreamy—a recommended detour.

But if you leave Pittsburgh after a long busy weekend and simply drive straight back home, chomping on a Prantl’s burnt almond torte, it still will have been completely worth it.

Ravens at Steelers, Sunday Nov. 2, 8:30 p.m., Heinz Field, NBC

When these two teams played back in Week 2, I swallowed hard and wrote that it was “as close to a must-win situation as I’ll ever declare in September.” The Ravens won, so although this matchup is important, it’s not a must-win. Let’s call it a would-be-damn-comforting-to-win. Pittsburgh opened as 1 1/2 point favorites.

I always chuckle when I hear Ravens fans declare their hatred not only for the Steelers (understandable), but for the entire city of Pittsburgh (less so). The Steel City is not unlike Baltimore in its working-class roots, love for its sports teams, proximity to water (rivers vs. harbor), and occasionally less-than-sterling national reputation. I’m a fan of the place, its people, and its culture—just not its football team.

What to Eat: One of Pittsburgh’s signature dishes is the chipped chopped ham barbecue sandwich. Originally made in 1933 at Isaly’s, a local family chain of dairy/convenience stores, you can now buy the packaged deli meat at certain Walmarts here in Maryland. (Really you can use any ham, just make sure it’s shaved razor thin.)

Place the meat in a skillet and cook over medium heat until it breaks into small pieces. Add some ketchup (Heinz, of course) and barbecue sauce to the skillet, then simply pile as much of the concoction onto a bread of your choice (most people seem to use a standard hamburger bun or Kaiser roll).

What to Drink: This being the conclusion of Halloween week (by the way, when did Halloween become an entire week/month/season?), a black and gold martini seems particularly appropriate for Sunday. First, add a few drops of blue, red, and green food coloring to a bottle of vodka. Shake the bottle well and the booze should darken. Pour two ounces into a shaker, add one ounce of Goldschlager Cinnamon Schnapps, shake well and pour into a cocktail glass.

If You Go: Much like Baltimore, Pittsburgh is a city of neighborhoods. The Strip District is filled with bars and restaurants, the original location of the famous/notorious Primati Bros. (46 18th St.) among them. (There’s also a location inside Heinz Field.) People seem to get very worked up about this place. Opinions vary from the “putting fries and cole slaw on the sandwich is the kind of revolutionary thinking that made America great” to “it makes the sandwich a soggy, gross mess.” I fall somewhere in the middle. My Primanti Bros. sandwiches have been tasty, but I have to say, I find the concept a bit gimmicky. Regardless, if you’ve never been, you need to decide for yourself.

In the Oakland, near the University of Pittsburgh, the Original Hot Dog Shop (3901 Forbes Ave.) is an institution. A greasy spoon popular with students, drunk people (they’re not always one and the same) and everyone in between, it’s known for huge portions, cheap prices, and some of the best cheese dogs and cheese fries around.

Downtown, Braddock’s Pittsburgh Brasserie (107 6th St.) in the Renaissance Hotel features a deep lineup of bourbons, mixes some of the city’s best cocktails, and serves local-inspired dishes like braised short rib pierogies and grilled Strip District kielbasa.

Wherever you go and whatever you eat, wash it down with an ice cold Iron City, the Natty Boh of the ‘burgh. (I say that both as a compliment and a, well, have one and you’ll understand.)

When the Ravens head to Heinz Field stadium to
take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, dedicated Baltimore fans will be in hot
pursuit to cheer on their team. But rivalry and team loyalty aside,
there’s plenty to do in The Steel City before and after the game. About a
four-hour drive from Baltimore, Pittsburgh is an ideal destination for a
three-day weekend or longer getaway. Stay in one of the many hotels in
town (The Westin Convention Center, 1000 Penn Ave., 412-281-3700, starwoodhotels.com/westin,
is lovely) for access to incredible museums, beautiful rivers,
restaurants, bars, and streets that invite poking around and bargain
shopping. Whether you wear your purple is up to you. (Fortune favors the
brave.)

Situated between the East Coast and the Midwest, this city of
about 307,000 has a distinctly American infatuation with
self-improvement, innovation, and achievement. And it happens to be a
city with a desire to make sure its visitors and citizens know and
appreciate its history. On nearly every street, it seems, there are
signs explaining the historic significance of certain locations: A labor
strike started here, the site of the first professional football game
in 1892, and even one dedicated to Johnny Unitas, a Pittsburgh native.
(Nice try, Pittsburgh. He’s ours.)

Perhaps the best way to get an overview of the city is to make the slow, steady ascent up the steep Duquesne Incline (1197 W. Carson St., duquesneincline.org),
as we did, in an 18-seat car pulled by a thick metal cable. There’s PNC
Field; there’s Heinz Field; and there’s the PPG building, looking like a
fairy-tale castle made of crystal as the sun sets over the city and the
Monongahela River.

But, for now, we’re more concerned about the cable that seems
to be groaning with the effort of lifting the half-full car, with its
opaque transoms and ornate wooden trim up the hill. Of course, the car
makes the 794-foot journey with its 400-foot elevation gain.

The Duquesne Incline, one of many examples of Pittsburgh
ingenuity, has been in operation almost continuously since 1877. These
days, riders pay a standard $2.50 fare (exact change required) to get to
Grandview Avenue and the ritziest restaurants in town. Or families ride the car for the adventure of it and the great views of the city.

A history museum at the top of the Incline is another place for
Pittsburgh to tell its story, matching views from the wide windows with
photographs from the 1800s, showing fires, floods, and the infamous
Pittsburgh smog. In keeping with the city’s affection for ingenuity, the
massive gears of the Incline are also open for viewing for 50 cents.

The city’s history lesson begins at the Fort Pitt Museum (601 Commonwealth Pl., 412-281-9284, heinzhistorycenter.org),situated at Point State Park,
a green wedge formed where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet.
These rivers made Pittsburgh a valuable “gateway to the West” and the
object of acquisitive affection for France and England as well as the
western headquarters of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary
War.

The site includes the oldest structure in western Pennsylvania, the Fort Pitt Block House,
which was built in 1764 and is open free of charge. A sliding admission
fee (from free-$6) buys a trip inside the two-story museum, which
details the site’s history through exhibits and a movie.

From Point State Park, a short walk along the Allegheny River
and over the Seventh Street Bridge brings visitors to a museum that’s an
entirely different can of soup-—The Andy Warhol Museum (117 Sandusky St., 412-237-8300, warhol.org).

The museum opened in 1994, seven years after Warhol’s death
following gall-bladder surgery at the age of 58, and does an admirable
job of capturing the brilliance and contradictions of an artist who
turned the relationship between art and commerce on its head.

The stately 1911 building houses Warhol’s various prints—including
the famous Marilyn and Soup Can works, when they’re not out on loan—but
also has an entire room of televisions talking at once and another area
with movies on continuous short loops, many unsuitable for young
viewers. (I’m looking at you, Mario Banana.)

For an afternoon of quintessential Pittsburgh strolling, head over to The StripDistrict
for shopping and lunch. Though its name sounds like the plot of one of
those Andy Warhol films, The Strip is a charming jumble of restaurants
and bars, offbeat and super-cheap stores, wholesale and retail food
outlets, and flower shops.

On a Sunday morning, the lines are long outside two restaurants known for their breakfasts, DeLuca’s (2015 Penn Ave.) and Pamela’s Diner (several locations, including 60 21st St., pamelasdiner.com), a Cafe Hon-like spot heavy on the retro decorations. Good smells waft from ThePittsburgh Popcorn Company (several locations, including 209 21st St., pghpopcorn.com),which sells fresh-popped kernels in a variety of flavors, including peanut-butter-and-chocolate kettle corn.

After your meal, search through colorful board shorts and scarves, $5 each, on tables and racks outside Sunny’s Fashions (2100
Penn Ave.). Elsewhere, a table with T-shirts includes one with a very
Pittsburgh slogan: “Yinz is proper. Y’all is stupid.”

Pittsburgh, like Baltimore, is one of the few places left in
America with a distinct accent and dialect, and Yinz is part of that. If
the classic Baltimore phrase is, “Yew gowin downy ocean, hon?” the
classic morsel of Pittsburghese is “Yinz gowen dahntahn fer a sammitch?”

One highlight of The Strip is the Pittsburgh Public Market (2401 Penn Ave., pittsburghpublicmarket.org), a collection of stalls selling local beer, organic produce, clothes, soaps, and more.

There are tables in the center for eating the lunch you purchased at Sito’s,Gosia’s Pierogies, or Soup Nancys. It’s
all fresh and inexpensive. You can hand the woman at Sito’s a $10 bill
and walk away with an herbal iced tea, a Greek salad, three vegetarian
grape leaves, tabbouleh, and a dollar in change. For dessert, wander
over to the Enrico Biscotti Co. (2022 Penn Ave., 412-281-2602, enricobiscotti.com) for handmade biscotti.

Of course, it’s impossible todiscussfood
in Pittsburgh without mentioning the H.J. Heinz Co. Henry John Heinz
founded the ketchup juggernaut in the mid-1800s that still bears his
name, selling horseradish, pickles, and vinegars in and around
Pittsburgh. The company, now global, is still headquartered here, though
the beautiful red-brick buildings that were once food-processing
factories have been converted to riverside condos.

The Heinz name is prominent on museums and other buildings
throughout Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra plays at Heinz
Hall, and there’s the aforementioned Heinz Field.The Senator John Heinz History Center (1212 Smallman St., 412-454-6000, heinzhistorycenter.org)
also houses the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. Together, they
provide a heart-stirring overview of Pittsburgh history and innovation,
including sports triumphs that might rankle Baltimore fans just a
little. (But then we remember we’re the reigning Super Bowl champs, and
all is right with the world.)

Pittsburgh sports lovers can shout themselves hoarse for their teams at relatively new stadiums. Both Heinz Field and PNC Park, where the Pittsburgh Pirates play,opened in 2001.

Two stories of the seven-story History Center are devoted to
Western Pennsylvania sports, highlighting nearly every form of athletic
endeavor imaginable, including archery, rowing, mountain climbing, and
speedboat racing. One room practically throbs with stirring music and
televised moments of Steelers’ and other Pittsburgh sports teams’
triumphs. Another display shows a row of lockers filled with the
uniforms and equipment of some of Pittsburgh’s brightest athletic
luminaries.

Pittsburgh’s importance in American and world history is
highlighted through the stories of Pittsburghers who changed the world,
including David McCullough, Andrew Mellon, Andrew Carnegie, and George
Ferris (inventor of the eponymous wheel). Parenting was transformed
mid-century by a triumvirate of Pittsburgh men: Dr. Jonas Salk, who led
the team that invented the polio vaccine; Dr. Benjamin Spock, author of Baby and Child Care; and Fred Rogers, who launched his children’s television show from Pittsburgh’s WQED in 1968.

While Pittsburgh rightly celebrates its rich history, it is also a
city that now frequently tops national and international lists of
“most-livable cities.” The downtown is vibrant with restaurants, bars,
and interesting shops.

One relatively new addition is the August Wilson Center for African American Culture (980 Liberty Ave., 412-258-2700, augustwilsoncenter.org),
which opened in 2009. It’s a stunning, light-filled structure honoring
the famous playwright, who based most of his plays in Pittsburgh’s Hill
District, where he grew up. The venue is part performing-arts center,
part museum, and part school of the arts. It’s definitely worth visiting
for its exhibitions exploring African-American culture in Pittsburgh.

After soaking up history, feast at some of Pittsbugh’s finer restaurants. Seviche (930 Penn Ave., seviche.com),serving
a combination of Latin and Asian food, is jammed on weekend nights with
dressed-up crowds thumbing their iPhones as they wait for their sushi
and mojitos to arrive. Habitat (510 Market St., habitatrestaurant.com) has a stylish interior, open kitchen, and a focus on organic, local ingredients.

But the old-school eateries are still best. Pittsburgh is best known for its enormous sandwiches. Sammy’s Famous Corned Beef (217
Ninth St.) is an order-at-the-counter hangout, scuffed and dark inside,
with plenty of beer on tap and sandwiches fat with salty, delicious
meat. But no trip to Pittsburgh is complete without a sandwich from Primanti Bros.,with locations in and around Pittsburgh, including the original Strip District restaurant(46 18th St., primantibros.com), which opened in 1933.

A Primanti sandwich usually starts with a mound of meat
(pastrami, steak, and chicken are some of the more popular choices)
fried up on a griddle. Then it’s placed on a fat slice of Italian bread,
topped with French fries, coleslaw, tomato slices, and the second wedge
of bread. According to eyewitnesses, some people are able to open their
mouths wide enough to bite into these behemoths without disturbing the
contents.

Brewing equipment fills the apse at The Church Brew Works (3525 Liberty Ave., churchbrew.com),
a restaurant and brewery in a former Baptist church. Diners sit under
soaring ceilings and enjoy crowd-pleasing fare like meatloaf, pulled
pork, and many salads, including a “traditional Pittsburgh-style” salad,
which means it has French fries nestled among the greens.

If you have time, consider taking a short drive to the Oakland neighborhood, home to the awe-inspiring Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Natural History (4400 Forbes Ave., carnegiemuseums.org)and the University of Pittsburgh campus with its famous Nationality Rooms (nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/about).

The combined Carnegie museums are truly world-class. The art museum
bulges with big-name works, including spectacular Degas and Van Gogh
paintings. The natural-history museum is a wonder of reconstructed
dinosaurs, fossils, and interactive fun.

The University of Pittsburgh campus, just across the street, is home to the serene Heinz Memorial Chapel, but the real draw is the 42-story, thrillingly gloomy Cathedral of Learning with
its 29 themed rooms, decorated to represent ethnic groups of the
region, from African to Yugoslavian. The majority of the rooms are real
classrooms, and adult visitors pay $4 to tour at their leisure, with
recorded messages that explain the significance of what they are
seeing.

As it turns out, Pittsburgh is much more than the home of
zealous black-and-gold football fans. After a visit, you just may gain a
new perspective on the world. (But it’s still okay to boo the
Steelers.)