Downtown

Jake McDonald
Amanda Pawuk
Kai Sorbin


We started our trip by riding the 61C bus to Downtown and getting off at the 6th and Liberty stop. This is only a short walk away from Market Square, so we decided to head there first. Being that it was a cold and windy Sunday, there wasn't much going on, aside from a woman hula hooping and a man playing what looked like a fancy clarinet. On a warmer day, one might find events going on with tents and stands selling food. The area is also surrounded by many restaurants and shops.

Right next to Market Square is the PPG Place, which is a huge building complex made of glass. At the base is an open area that holds an ice skating rink in the winter.  The construction of the rink seemed to just be starting during our visit. As we were taking pictures, a bunch of people started approaching the area on their phones - apparently there was a Pokemon Go event going on.

Next we walked a few blocks to get to Point State Park, also know as "The Point." To get to the fountain you have to walk under the highway and across the remains of Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne. There is also a small museum that commemorates the French and Indian War. From The Point you can see Heinz Field and the Duquesne Incline.

To finish our trip, we decided to walk to the Cultural District. The Cultural District of Downtown Pittsburgh has many art galleries and historic theaters. Below are pictures of Heinz Hall and the Byham Theater, as well as a closer view of Heinz Field and one of the many bridges of Pittsburgh.

On our way to the Cultural District we passed a small gift shop with original gifts made by locals. There were a bunch of cool posters and t-shirts inside, as well as some smaller items. It was unusually crowded for such a small shop.

Finally, we took the 71C to get back to Oakland. Even though it was cold, we all enjoyed our time strolling through Downtown and seeing some of its famous landmarks. If you want to see all that Downtown has to offer, we don't recommend going on a Sunday afternoon, as many of the small shops were closed for the day.