A Young Couple in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is first and foremost a sports town. The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, and the town is football crazy. The Pirates and Penguins are struggling (and perhaps leaving town in the near future), but they are fun to watch, and plenty of good seats are still available.
The Strip District, just east of downtown Pittsburgh, is a popular destination for unique shops and restaurants. The Cultural District, in the northeast section of Downtown, is home to the performing arts centers. These neighborhoods offer the best bang for your buck in the Downtown area. The northern section of Pittsburgh also houses many of its fine museums.
In the suburbs, the Homestead Waterfront exemplifies the modernization of Pittsburgh with its shops, massive movie theater, and nice family restaurants. Oakland, home of the University of Pittsburgh, has many great eateries and a handful of Carnegie-endowed institutions.

Quick Tips:

The Post-Gazette is the major newspaper in the area, and its Weekend section, in particular has a lot of information and discounts for local events.
The Entertainment Book also has a lot of nice coupons for local attractions.
During the first week of October, many local attractions offer free admission during RADical Days, sponsored by the Allegheny County Regional Asset District.

Best Way To Get Around:

You'll want to drive throughout Pittsburgh and its suburbs. Many parking garages offer rates after 5:00PM, and they are convenient to most attractions. Buses are fairly convenient and inexpensive. I recommend parking downtown for sporting events and walking to the stadium. It's less convenient, but it's usually cheaper, too.

Palomino is a great restaurant near the western end of Downtown Pittsburgh. They offer a wide variety of dishes that can't be classified under any single designation. The food is excellent and the atmosphere is comfortable, nice, and romantic.
The service is prompt and the waitresses are knowledgeable and helpful. I enjoyed the Linguine with Rotisserie Chicken, and there are plenty of other pasta, seafood, and meat dishes to choose from. Palomino also offers wonderful desserts.
Palomino is close to Point State Park and offers fine dining at good prices. Its superb menu and excellent service demand multiple visits.

Primanti's is synonymous with Pittsburgh. It is renowned for its unique sandwiches, prepared Pittsburgh style--stacked with meat, a pile of coleslaw, and an unhealthy helping of French fries.
Legend says Primanti's developed these sandwiches for mill workers who didn't have the time for plates, silverware, or routine heart exams. But you haven't been to Pittsburgh if you haven't been to Primanti's.
There are a half-dozen locations these days, but the original restaurant is located in the Strip District. Sure, you can go to the other locations and find the same food, but it's like going to see the Statue of Liberty...in Las Vegas. The atmosphere and service are very informal, but people come in droves for the food.
Primanti's is an acquired taste. Some people might find it revolting; others might find it wonderful. Nevertheless, it's certainly unique. Did I mention it's synonymous with Pittsburgh?

Don Parmesan's is a delightful little Italian restaurant in the North Hills of Pittsburgh.

The best meal here is their lunch buffet, served daily from 11am to 3pm. The buffet has two soups, a loaded salad bar, pizza, and delicious nuggets of garlic bread. The highlight is the pasta bar, which has two kinds of pasta and about a dozen kinds of sauces. I prefer the Chicken Cacciatore sauce, as well as Diablo--don't' worry, it's not that hot!

The restaurant is small and quiet, and it's never very busy. It's a hidden gem. It's a better deal than Olive Garden's Unlimited Pasta because it's less expensive, you have more choices, and you can serve yourself.

Savings Tip: Visit the link above or click here for $5 off a $25 purchase.

Spice Island is an amazing Pan-Asian restaurant in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Everything is delicious.

The overwhelming culinary influence is Thai, but such labels are a disservice to the variety of dishes offered here. I recommend a Popiah for an appetizer, which is a rice-paper egg roll dipped in a plum sauce. A tip: save some of the sauce to accompany your entree. For an entree, I recommend Chiang Mai, a plateful of spicy noodles in a red sauce, complemented by ground chicken and cilantro. That said, you really can't go wrong here. There is also an extensive list of exotic teas, which are prepared using fresh herbs and served in your own teapot.

In all fairness, there are a few shortcomings. The location is somewhat inconvenient, among a myriad of one-way streets, and only scarce on-street parking is available. As for the restaurant itself, the dining room is dark, the furnishings are mismatched, and the menus are made of cardboard and twine. But if you can look past some of these minor aesthetic issues, you're sure to have a fantastic dining experience.

At first glance, Spice Island looks like just another crummy hole-in-the-wall. But the food is fabulous, and that's what important, right?

The Cheesecake Factory is a delightful restaurant chain serving all sorts of rich, exotic dishes and, of course, fabulous cheesecake.

I first had the opportunity to dine at The Cheesecake Factory in Baltimore, and, to my distinct pleasure, a new location opened in October 2006 in Pittsburgh.

The food is delicious, but the prices are a little high, although it's nice to be able to choose from an assortment of unique dishes from a variety of styles including Asian, Italian, Mexican, American, even Native American. I enjoy the Navajo sandwich, which is chicken, avocados, red onions, and tomatoes on a delicious, fluffy bread.

Here's a tip: Order the Navajo without red onions, and substitute the regular mayonnaise for the spicy chipotle mayo.

My wife and I always wonder why these restaurants aren't located on every street corner. The food is great, and the restaurant is always packed.

Here's another tip: Rather than waiting for a table for up to two or three hours, you can take a beeper with you into the adjacent mall and shop while you wait. I'm sure this tip exacerbates the waiting times, but if your schedule is flexible, I'd definitely take advantage of it.

Some come to The Cheesecake Factory and save room for dessert. Expect 700 to 1,000 calories for a slice of cheesecake, so bring a fork or two, and leave your belt at home.

Loews is probably the largest and most popular movie theater in the area. Tickets are $8.75, although matinee tickets are available for about $4 to $6. The theater is located in the revitalized Waterfront area, and it is a veritable landmark in the area.

The building is decorated with movie posters, old and new, and tantalizing movie quotes span the top of the walls--oh, which movie was that from? Heavy traffic makes getting to the theater somewhat inconvenient, but it's one of the nicest theaters in the Pittsburgh and an attraction unto itself. And there are plenty of excellent restaurants nearby, facilitating superb dinner-and-a-movie dates.

Robber-Baron-turned-Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie shaped Pittsburgh with his steel empire a century ago, but today his legacy lives on through the local institutions of learning that bear his name.

Once or twice a year, the Carnegie Museum of Art offers free admission, and it is an excellent time to enjoy its superb collection. I last visited during its Panopticon exhibition, which packed the walls from floor to ceiling with a dazzling array of art. The permanent collection also features an impressive sculptures and awe-inspiring reproductions of famous architecture.

Money-saving tip:
- Check the Post-Gazette's Weekend section for the latest exhibits and possible discounts.

North Park provides excellent recreational facilities in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh. During the winter, there is an outdoor ice skating rink. In summer, the public swimming pool opens. Both activities require a small fee, but they are worth it. North Park has recently offered kayaks, canoes and other watercraft through its partnership with Venture Outdoors. For about $10 per hour, you can go rowing throughout North Park. It's a fun, healthy, scenic, and romantic way to enjoy the Park. The Park also has a golf course, basketball courts, soccer fields, and many other sports facilities. North Park is a great place to enjoy relaxation or recreation. You can be as active as you want to be. Its versatility makes it a great place to visit.

Wildwood Highlands is a veritable amusement park compressed onto only a couple acres of land. There's so much to do there that I can't mention it all here, but I'll indicate the top three places where young couples can have fun at a place geared for children.

Miniature Golf
Price: $5.50 adults; $4 children
My wife and I enjoy the miniature golf course, and we're able to play for half price using the coupons found in the Entertainment book and website. There are two courses of equal quality and difficulty, though we generally prefer the Tropical Course.
Go-karts
Price: $5 for a 5-minute ride
Riders race for a couple laps around a hilly, winding course. There's nothing spectacular or unique about it, but it's certainly fun.
Arcade
Price: 25 cents to $1 each
My wife and I especially enjoy the SkeeBall games and challenging each other in head-to-head Pop-a-Shot basketball. We earn tickets, then head to the redemption area to cash them in. Wildwood has an automatic ticket counter, which is convenient but can be inaccurate. And what's more romantic than sharing a FunDip candy with a loved one?
I would be remiss not to mention the Snow Tubing, but we simply haven't gone there in the winter to enjoy it. The cost is $13.50 for adults ($12 for children) per 2- to 4-hour session. Wildwood offers sled rentals and lift tickets, so you don't need to drag your sled back up the hill anymore.

Before I first went to Wildwood, I was concerned that it would be too "kiddy" for adults to have fun there, like Chuck-E-Cheese, for example. But there's plenty of enjoyment to be had here, with or without children, and I recommend it.

Wildwood is located off the Yellow Belt in the North Hills area of Pittsburgh, near North Park.