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Sept 9, 2005
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Volume 33
Issue 36
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Out of Town - Pittsburgh has plenty to offer Queer folk |
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| Out of Town - Pittsburgh has plenty to offer Queer folk | ||
| The first thing many Gays and Lesbians think of when they consider Pittsburgh is cable TV's Queer as Folk, which was set here although filmed in Toronto. The show depicts Pittsburgh as more of a Gay-party hotspot than it really is, but this city known for its close-knit ethnic neighborhoods and working-class roots does have plenty to offer queer folks. There's a tremendously vibrant arts scene and dozens of Gay-friendly cafes, bars, bed-and-breakfasts, and shops. And the Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau produces a handy "Gay and Lesbian Travel Guide" that ranks among the slickest such publications around.
Once the nation's leader for mining and metals manufacturing, Pittsburgh has re-emerged as a thriving center of health and medical research, education, and computer software development. Air and water pollution have been largely eradicated, and many former industrial sites now house cultural attractions. The Gay community is well-integrated within the mainstream population. The city has numerous theaters with artsy and Gay-themed films and a high appreciation of alternative culture - consider that two of its top attractions are the Mattress Factory contemporary art museum and the Andy Warhol Museum. Also, the city hosts the well-attended Pittsburgh International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival over 10 days in October, and the fast-growing Pride Theater Festival over two weekends in June. Although downtown contains but a fraction of metro Pittsburgh's top attractions, its handsome, contemporary skyline strikes a regal pose over the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers. You can't miss the city's most remarked-upon building, PPG Place, a neo-Gothic monolith designed by the late Gay architect Philip Johnson. Near here, Liberty and Penn avenues form the spines of a 14-block Cultural District of theaters and performance halls housing the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Ballet, and the Pittsburgh Opera. You'll also find numerous theaters, including the Gay-popular Cabaret at Theater Square, which contains a cool restaurant, Cafe Zao. Penn Avenue continues into the historic Strip warehouse district, which abounds with nightclubs, hip restaurants, produce and food markets, and offbeat shops - it's also home to the superb Sen. John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center. The neighborhood leads northeast into the cool 16:62 Design Zone, where a slew of boutiques, home-furnishings shops, and galleries have sprung up in recent years. Pittsburgh's North Side lies just across the Allegheny River from downtown and is home to the city's new sports stadiums as well as the Andy Warhol Museum, which celebrates the life of the late pop art icon, who grew up in nearby Oakland. Created inside an eight-story 1911 warehouse, the museum contains more than 4,000 works and is an outstanding, engaging, and often very funny museum, laid out with abundant commentary on Warhol's life (and his homosexuality). Close by are the Carnegie Science Center, the National Aviary, and the Mattress Factory, known for its provocative, larger-than-life installations created by visiting artists in residence. South of downtown, the city rises sharply above the Monongahela River toward Mt. Washington, a workaday neighborhood with spectacular views of downtown. Ride up the slope via the historic Monongahela Incline, which leads to a viewing platform and a small museum. A short drive east is the bohemian South Side, a repository of funky shops, galleries, and eateries that once anchored Pittsburgh's Lithuanian and Polish communities. Still farther east of downtown, Oakland was built from the gobs of money generated during Pittsburgh's industrial heyday and today contains hospitals, universities, and high-tech firms. Forbes and 5th avenues anchor the University of Pittsburgh and formidably endowed Carnegie Mellon University campuses. Be sure to visit the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History, which contain well-conceived architectural and decorative arts exhibits, a cache of artifacts from ancient Egypt, and the nation's third-largest dinosaur collection. Nearby Schenley Park, ideal for a stroll, is anchored by the 1893 Phipps Conservatory, comprising 13 rooms of exotic flora. East of Oakland is Shadyside, a gentrified patch of neatly kept yards and attractive old homes, many of them Gay-owned. Ellsworth Avenue (around the 5800 block) has several Gay-popular eateries and businesses, and more chichi Walnut Street (along the 5500 block) holds mid-to-high-end chain stores. It's a short drive east to Clayton, the former estate of industrialist Henry Clay Frick - it now consists of a magnificent mansion and other historic outbuildings, including the Frick Art and Historical Center, which has an outstanding collection of European master paintings. If you're looking for a bite to eat, head back to the Strip to dine at Kaya, part of Pittsburgh's extremely "family-friendly" Big Burrito restaurant group. Kaya presents creative Caribbean food in a noisy but fun warehouse setting. There are several other great Big Burrito hangouts around town, among them Soba Lounge, a Pan-Asian fave in Shadyside, and Casbah, an elegant but whimsical spot in East Liberty specializing in Mediterranean cuisine. Off the lobby of the Downtown Courtyard Marriott, Sonoma Grille presents innovative Wine Country-inspired food, along with an incredible vino list. It's a great place to take a special date. On Mt. Washington, consider the Monterey Bay Fish Grotto, whose contemporary seafood fare (like macadamia-crusted sea bass) draws almost as many "wows" as the knockout skyline views. The South Side has plenty of great restaurants, among them City Grill, a hallowed burger joint where the juicy patties are hardwood-grilled in an old-fashioned coal-fired oven. A bit more refined and romantic, Le Pommier Bistro serves exceptional but reasonably priced country French fare. Nearby, swell-elegant Tuscany Cafe - a cross between a java joint and a cocktail bar - is a favorite spot for people-watching. Known simply as the "Big O" by the students and locals who pig out here, Oakland's Original Hot Dog Shop doles out huge portions of greasy food - french fries, hot dogs the size of full-grown dachshunds - at rock-bottom prices. Shadyside's quintessentially queer video lounge and cafe, 5801 is a hip but friendly place for cocktails, good home-style cooking, and great conversation. For a hearty breakfast or lunch, pop inside the friendly Square Cafe, a homey neighborhood spot in the diverse Regent Square neighborhood serving hefty sandwiches, omelets, Belgian waffles, and buttermilk pancakes. In up-and-coming Lawrenceville, Ray's Marlin Beach Bar and Grill serves a wide range of imported and microbrewed beers plus Caribbean-inspired seafood and creative comfort fare, from chicken potpie to stuffed meat loaf. Probably the most popular of the downtown Gay bars, Pegasus is a see-and-be-seen dance-and-video lounge that's especially popular for after-work cocktails. The sprawling Pittsburgh Eagle, in a barren industrial neighborhood a 10-minute drive north of downtown, draws huge crowds for dancing on weekends. Donny's Place is a lively country-western dance bar with a pool hall drawing a mixed-gender crowd. Downstairs, there's a guy-oriented basement nook known as Leather Central. Trendy types head to True Cafe and Bartini, a snazzy lounge on the North Side that exudes sophistication. Fans of karaoke, pool, and videos congregate at Images, an unpretentious and friendly downtown spot, as well as the nearby Liberty Avenue Saloon, which serves tasty pub fare, too. The low-keyed Real Luck Cafe sits a short walk from the music clubs and restaurants in the Strip and draws a mix of women and men. Among accommodations, you can't beat either the location or the swank decor of the Westin Convention Center, which sits near Liberty Avenue's Gay nightlife and the Strip's restaurants and markets. But for sheer history, check into the old-world Omni William Penn, a 1916 beauty in the heart of downtown. The excellent, mid-priced Courtyard Marriott chain has two fine Pittsburgh properties. In the Cultural District, the Courtyard Marriott Pittsburgh Downtown occupies four adjacent historic buildings. A few miles east, the Courtyard Marriott Shadyside/Oakland is close to Gay-popular shopping and dining along Liberty and Ellsworth avenues. A delightful South Side urban retreat, the Victorian Morning Glory Inn is filled with memorable touches, from an 1890 grand piano in the music room to late-afternoon wine that you can enjoy on a shaded terrace. Rooms have fine antiques, tasteful fabrics, and luxe marble baths. Another Gay-friendly option, the Arbors Bed & Breakfast occupies a handsome 19th-century house on 2 pastoral acres. Rooms have cable TV with VCRs, refrigerators, and unfussy but elegant furnishings. On the North Side, the Priory is a highly romantic inn created out of a converted 1888 home for traveling Benedictine monks and an 1852 German Catholic church. Filled with Victorian antiques and oozing character, the inn has a well-trained staff committed to first-rate service. Best of all, it's just a five-minute walk from the wonderful Warhol Museum. The iconoclastic pop artist probably would have approved of Pittsburgh's most Gay-popular inn occupying a former house of worship. Andrew Collins is the author of Fodor's Gay Guide to the USA and nine additional travel guides. He can be reached care of this publication or at OutofTown@qsyndicate.com. |
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