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You've Arrived, Now What?: The Pittsburgh Community: Parks
Over 2600 acres of land within the Pittsburgh city limits are devoted to parks. The four largest parks are Frick, Schenley, Riverview, and Highland, but fans of green spaces also know about the Roberto Clemente Memorial Park, Point State Park, West Park, Mellon Park, and the South Side Riverfront Park.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of parks in the Pittsburgh area, but it might give you a sense of what's out there. Mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, bird watching—there are places near Pittsburgh to do all these things, so ask around and find out where they are. Nothing keeps you saner in grad school than escaping to a park! (In case you're interested, a full directory of Pittsburgh's parks, including addresses and available facilities, can be found at this City web site.
The city's largest and least developed park. Steel tycoon Henry Clay Frick donated the park to the city in 1919. Its 476 acres fall between Squirrel Hill and Regent Square, with most of the area devoted to birds and other wildlife. The Nature Center (near the Beechwood Boulevard entrance to the park) sponsors nature classes, day camps, and an annual Maple Festival; call (412) 422-6538. One of Frick Park's non-natural treasures is its lawn-bowling green off Reynolds Street at the Point Breeze end of the park. For more information on lawn bowling, call (412) 782-0848.
The closest to Pitt; just walk past the Frick Fine Arts Building and over the bridge and you are in Schenley Park. About 100 years ago, Mary Schenley donated much of the 456 acres of the park after listening to the persuasive palaver of Public Works Director Edward M. Bigelow. A statue of him stands in the middle of the road in front of Phipps Conservatory. Schenley Park is designed with people in mind (rather than wildlife): it holds an ice-skating/hockey/inline skating rink, tennis courts, golf course, swimming pool, frisbee golf course, and miles of jogging/hiking trails. Look for the black squirrels and wild turkeys!
On the North Side, is home to the Allegheny Observatory, and the lawn around the observatory is great for picnics or a game of frisbee. Ride your bike on Riverview Drive : it's "wheeee" all the way down the winding hill. Call (412) 321-2400 for reservations at the observatory.
Has a swimming pool, the reservoir, the zoo, and the Super Playground. The zoo has been renovated to simulate the natural habitats of its animal residents; you can look across the lions' savannah and catch just a glimpse of a high-rise, or lose track of the Pittsburgh winter while meandering through the primates' tropical forest. Walkers and runners like to use the walkway around the large reservoir, the closest thing to a lake within city limits. Volunteers assembled the Super Playground, which was designed by Robert Leathers (a big name in playground design circles) and is a collection of towers, tunnels, and slides made mostly from wood and old tires.
These are the parks Pitt students are usually the most familiar with and which offer the quickest retreat from urban noise and school stress. Pittsburgh has a number of other parks as well.
On Fifth Avenue at the eastern edge of Shadyside, has an herb garden and hosts the Bach, Beethoven, and Brunch series on Sunday mornings in July.
Point State Park (downtown, across the river from the Steelers Football Stadium) is the site of numerous outdoor concerts, an annual regatta, a huge 4th of July fireworks display (Pittsburghers love fireworks), and the Three Rivers Arts Festival.
East of the city, offers a wave pool as well as (relatively tame and cheap) downhill skiing slopes and lovely cross-country trails, with ski rentals available. In Ohiopyle, a town an hour or so southeast of Pittsburgh on the Youghiogheny River, you can raft or canoe the rapids, rent a bike, play in natural waterslides, and get the cheapest hamburgers left on earth. Moraine State Park, north of Pittsburgh, offers sailing, bike trails, swimming and lots of goose poop.