Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's 'Second Downtown' Has Museums, Restaurants, And Lively Culture

Oakland has it all. Tall buildings? Check. Sprawling parks? Check. Bars, cafés, and global restaurants? Theaters, specialty shops, and stately museums with stone pillars? You'll find them all in Oakland, the action-packed university district in the middle of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Indeed, many describe Oakland as Pittsburgh's "Second Downtown." The real Downtown Pittsburgh is more photogenic and cohesive, located just a couple of miles down the road — and the recently revitalized area is "criminally underrated — yet Oakland is the city's cultural heart, where thousands of students and professionals come together each day. Oakland has something for everyone, whether you're a freshman starting your first college semester or a well-heeled tourist in search of gourmet meals and urban hikes.

At the same time, Oakland is compact and walkable, and it's still pretty budget-friendly, which is why it's one of the five go-to places to take friends when they visit Pittsburgh that won't break the bank. Oakland has a long history of education and innovation, architecture, famous residents (like a young Andy Warhol), and funky nightlife. Oakland isn't very big (you can walk from one end to the other in about 45 minutes), but this is a district of towers, bridges, statues, and sports complexes. A first-time visitor could spend days in Oakland and still find things to do — as long as you find a place to park your car.

The most famous landmark in Oakland is the Cathedral of Learning, a Gothic Revival-style tower that rises 535 feet above the city. The Cathedral is the second-tallest educational building in the world and the University of Pittsburgh's flagship facility. The buildings around the Cathedral all feel like experiments in different styles of design. There's the handsome brick William Pitt Union, the Brutalist Hillman Library, the neoclassical Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, and the cylindrical high-rise dormitories known as "The Towers."

Locals have easy access to the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and the Carnegie Library's main branch, all of which are housed in a single, commanding complex. At the art museum, you can admire works from international and local artists, highlighting historic works and photographs. The Carnegie Museum of Natural History features dinosaur fossils, Egyptian artifacts, and exhibits for wildlife from around the world. You can easily disappear into the woods and trails of Schenley Park or while away a sunny afternoon in Schenley Plaza, with its landscaped lawns, diverse food kiosks, and vintage-style carousel.

Pitt is the biggest campus in Oakland, with nearly 30,000 enrolled students, yet the neighborhood houses two more, as well: Carnegie Mellon University's New Ivy-like grounds are located right along Forbes Avenue, and Carlow University stands just a five-minute drive away. This youthful spirit keeps Oakland feisty and fun, and most residents — both in the dorms and surrounding blocks of row houses — are students or recent graduates, as nearly 70% of the people who live here are under the age of 25.

First-time visitors may struggle to pick a place to eat. Oakland has a few excellent fine-dining restaurants, yet the neighborhood specializes in variety. Ali Baba has served authentic Syrian cuisine since 1972, and Viva Los Tacos is a lively taqueria right next to Pitt. Oakland's nightlife scene is mainly focused on low-key bars and pubs, including the hole-in-the-wall Gene's Place, popular with locals and a favorite for darts. Hemingway's is a classic pub that hosts trivia nights and karaoke, and Mario's Oakland Saloon is a sports hub and restaurant with classic bar food. For weekend action, more and more folks are heading to Lawrenceville, one of Pittsburgh's trendiest neighborhoods that is redefining cool.