Thursday, July 3 Back

Hop On - Hop Off Tour

Website: Hop On - Hop Off Tour

The Pittsburgh Tour Company offers the Hop On - Hop Off Tour where you ride on red double decker tour buses from London. There are 21 stops and it covers so many areas of the city. The ticket price is $29.95 but it is worth every penny. The guides do a great job and you really get a feel for the city. Also, we were impressed how well they were able to stick to the schedule, so we never had to wait very long to get back on the bus.

Wholey's Fish Market

Website: Wholey Market

The Robert Wholey Company was founded in 1912 in McKees Rocks PA. After Wholey's son returned from WWII, they opened a store in the Diamond Market area. But in 1959 this area was converted to a park (now Market Square), so they moved to their current location in the Strip District. At that time there were no retail or entertainment facilities, but just a warehouse district where the trains moved in and out. Seafood was added to the large poultry selections in 1960, and fresh meat was added in 1976.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Website: Phipps Conservatory

'Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, a great steel and glass Victorian greenhouse, has been inviting visitors to explore the beauty and mysteries of plants since 1893. Set amidst one of Pittsburgh's largest greenspaces, Schenley Park, Phipps Conservatory stands as a cultural and architectural centerpiece of the city's Oakland neighborhood.' It's a beautiful conservatory and should definitely be on your list of Pittsburgh places to visit.

 

Fat Head's Saloon

Website: Fat Head's Saloon

We had several choices for a late lunch on the Southside and we chose Fat Head's because the location on E. Carson St is the original headquarters. Now they have two in Ohio and one coming soon in Portland Oregon. They have several of their own brands of beer, but we chose it because they served some traditional Pittsburgh food -- like Pierogies, which are a dumpling mainly stuffed with potato or cheese, but a lot include shaved beef or sausage. Some are boiled and some fried. We had both.

Pirate Baseball at PNC Park

In the early stages of vacation planning, Marilyn mentioned that the Pirates would be in town and wondered if we would like to include a game in our plans. Of course, I said, 'Yes!' Neil and Marilyn had seen games at PNC Park before. I had only watched them on TV and thought it was a gorgeous stadium. Our hotel was just across the street, so it was so easy for us to get there and back. The weather was absolutely perfect! Pirates lost to the Diamondbacks that night, but we had a great time.