Steel Your Heart
After a lengthy home stretch, your Cincinnati Bengals are back on the road. This Sunday, they head to Acrisure Stadium to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in a historically heated division rivalry. If you’re brave enough to venture to Pittsburgh for the game and become the most hated in a room of 68,000, here are some suggestions on what to do the rest of the time you’re in the Steel City.
Diehard Fans
As a diehard fan, a great home base while invading enemy turf for the weekend is the Residence Inn by Marriott Pittsburgh North Shore. It’s within walking distance of the stadium formerly known as Heinz Field and looks out directly toward PNC Park. Once you’re all set up there, it’s time to explore. Guessing you already know way too much about the Steelers due to the Bengals many blunder years in this rivalry, so check out the Heinz History Center for a broader view of Pittsburgh sports along with general history of the city. The museum is six full floors of artifacts with the second and third dedicated solely to sports. Plus, these historic exhibits will be perfect to get you prepped for Sunday’s ancient QB matchup of Joe Flacco vs. Aaron Rodgers aka “Unc Bowl II”!
If you’re still craving more knowledge, another bit of Pitt history can be found at Primanti Bros. With locations in almost every part of town, their sandwiches have become cultural icons of the city. Primanti’s signature move is to put French fries on the sandwich which seems odd, but we can't really talk since we put chili on top of spaghetti. Hey, maybe we have more in common with Pittsburgh than we think! (Until Sunday, that is.)
On the bandwagon
If you’re on the bandwagon, staying at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown hotel will put you within range of the stadium, but not too close to where you’d get heckled by Steelers fans for the entire duration of your stay. It also comes with nice views of the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers and direct access to Point State Park. Once checked in, take one of the three bridges across the Allegheny to visit the National Aviary. While the other major Pennsylvania city may be known for their birds in the sports world, Pittsburgh is home to the only independent indoor nonprofit aviary in the entire country. Unlike your typical zoo, the National Aviary allows you to get close and personal with rare birds as you walk amongst them in specially built habitat rooms. You could even feed a penguin while there!
Cross the Monongahela River on the opposite side and grab dinner and drinks at Bigham Tavern for an authentic neighborhood bar feel. While you’re over there, ride the Duquesne Incline to take in some picturesque views of the city and the rivers. Also called a funicular, an incline is a short railway system up a steep slope. (Cincinnati had them back in the day.) The Duquesne Incline in particular takes you up to Mt. Washington for a spectacular overlook. With the sun setting earlier and earlier every day now, you’ll be sure to see some beautiful city lights.
Along for the ride
If you’re just joining for the vibes on this trip to Pittsburgh, consider staying at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown. This will put you right by the Strip District, one of the city’s coolest neighborhoods. Once an industrial area, the Strip has since transformed into a lively market with street vendors, delicious restaurants and iconic shops. You can shop ‘til you drop (and then some), stopping in funky stores like Mon Aimee Chocolat, Posman Books and Hot Haute Hot. With so many vendors and small-bite restaurants along the way, your meals could consist of several separate courses.
The area is also known for its unique breweries with one of the most eclectic being The Church Brew Works. This brewpub opened in 1996 as the first and only brewery in the country to be housed in a former church. While the exterior may be the selling point, their beer lives up to the hype as well with a few of their offerings winning the gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2019.
As a Cincinnati fan, a distaste for all things Pittsburgh because of sports is totally understandable. But if you separate the city from the team, you’ll see that there is a lot to love. Except on Sundays, of course.
– Meredith Ruhland