[.ca] Insiders' Guide to Pittsburgh, 3rd (ISBN 0762735074)

information you don't find elsewhere:
With summer travel in full swing, I found this guidebook pointed out several things about Pittsburgh I hadn't known -- namely, the great architecture and kids-oriented activities (amusement parks, science center, museums just to name a few). I'd once read an article in an airline magazine by one of the authors, and it piqued my curiosity to take a closer look at Pittsburgh. Glad I did. Also, I had no idea there were so many golf courses in Western Pa. I know people who will use that chapter more than myself, but still....lots of new facts learned about a city that has progressed over many decades.

The Insider's Guide to Pittsburgh:
What a valuable book! Here is a great guide for entertaining out of town guests. Festivals and annuals events, area attractions, the arts, nightlife, restaurants, recreation, kidstuff, and much more are described in the book. Each description includes an address and telephone number for easy reference. The book is well organized and includes something for everyone in Pittsburgh - including seniors. The Insiders' Tip, a small rectangular box highlighting the authors' suggestions or comments, adds a special touch to almost every page. Now we have a book that answers the question, "What can we do?".

Pretty Useful:
I used this book to plan a recent trip to Pittsburgh and was generally pleased. I especially liked the information on local restaurants-- it was very detailed, and they took care to point out restaurants with vegetarian options, which I found helpful. However, some of the other recommendations were way off. The authors fall all over themselves praising Pittsburgh's Strip District, which is mildly interesting but also dirty (and it gives off a faintly creepy vibe)-- trust me, we found much better shopping/dining areas on our own. More maps would also help a lot! However, given that there are very few Pittsburgh travel guides on the market, I would recommend this book over the others that I glanced through (CitySmart, etc.) It also seems like it might be useful to people who are moving to Pittsburgh-- it has lots of information on childcare, healthcare, real estate, etc. which is basically useless to the common traveler but would probably help the new Pittsburgh resident.