Oakland, Pittsburgh: neighborhood guide

Oakland is Pittsburgh's college district, on the eastern side of the city. Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh both sit here, along with Carlow University just west of Pitt's campus. Andrew Carnegie set the area up as a cultural centre, and the Carnegie museums and library are still the anchor.

The result is a neighbourhood that feels busy in term time and much quieter in the summer. Students, staff and museum visitors fill the pavements by day; evenings are calm outside a few blocks. It is not a nightlife district and not a pretty residential one — think institutional buildings, fast food, bookshops and buses.

Around Oakland sit several separate neighbourhoods worth knowing. Shadyside, just outside the district, centres on Walnut Street with boutiques, restaurants and bars. Squirrel Hill, between Frick and Schenley parks, is a residential area with a long-standing Jewish community, shops and good ethnic restaurants. Point Breeze and Regent Square are quieter and more suburban. Uptown and the Hill District lie between Oakland and Downtown; Duquesne University is in Uptown.

Oakland works as a base if your trip is built around the museums and campuses, or if you want a cheaper room than Downtown and do not mind riding the bus. Most of what you came for is walkable from a hotel near Forbes Avenue or Fifth Avenue, and buses run frequently to Downtown, the South Side and the Strip District.

It works less well if you want to walk out of your door into bars and restaurants at night, if you are driving, or if you want a residential feel. Downtown puts you closer to the riverfront and the Cultural District; the South Side has the bar strip; Shadyside is quieter and more upmarket with better shopping and dining on foot. Families often prefer those, or a hotel with parking outside the district.

Food in Oakland is built around the student market: pizza, noodles, sandwiches, coffee shops and cheap ethnic restaurants, mostly along Forbes Avenue and Fifth Avenue. It is reliable and inexpensive rather than destination dining. Expect long queues at lunch in term time and shorter hours during university breaks.

For a better meal, walk or ride a few minutes to Shadyside or Squirrel Hill. Shadyside's Walnut Street has the widest choice of restaurants and bars in the area; Squirrel Hill is known for its ethnic kitchens, including long-established Chinese, Korean and Jewish delis and bakeries. Both are close enough for dinner and a bus or taxi back.

If you want a proper Pittsburgh food district, the Strip District is the classic answer, with its market halls and weekend crowds — reachable on the 54 bus or by a short drive.

Oakland is one of the best-served parts of Pittsburgh by bus. From Downtown, routes 61, 67 and 71 run east into the centre of Oakland in about 15 minutes. The 28X Airport Flyer connects the airport with Downtown and Oakland. The P3 uses the East Busway from Wilkinsburg, and the 54 runs north–south through Oakland to the South Side and the Strip District. Many other routes pass through as well.

By car, Oakland is reached from I-376 (Parkway East). Outbound from Downtown you can exit directly onto Forbes Avenue into the heart of Oakland; inbound the exit puts you on Bates Street (Route 885 North) up to the Boulevard of the Allies. From Downtown, the main streets in are the Boulevard of the Allies, Forbes Avenue, Centre Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard. Fifth Avenue runs parallel to Forbes but is one-way westbound between Oakland and Downtown, and two-way east of Oakland towards Shadyside.

Once here, walking is usually fastest. Parking is difficult and garages are the practical option. Squirrel Hill generally has easier street parking; Shadyside is harder and has a paid garage.