Recently in Pittsburgh Category

The legacy of industrialist Andrew Carnegie can be seen all over Pittsburgh, but one of the greatest gifts he gave the city was the gift of art. The Carnegie Museum of Art, in the Oakland neighborhood, was founded in 1895, and for over a century it has delighted visitors with a remarkable collection of classic and contemporary art. Its five main galleries house masterpieces of painting, sculpture, and architecture, but it's the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Gallery of decorative arts and design that just might be the most fascinating. Reopened this past November following a major renovation, it's better than ever, with an expansive collection of works that spans through contemporary art history. An inaugural exhibition entitled Past Meets Present: Decorative Arts and Design at Carnegie Museum of Art has a display of significant early acquisitions, such as a French furniture and exquisite German porcelain, but you might find yourself drawn to some of the more eye-catching displays. A black-footed chrome chaise longue (pictured), for example, evokes a vision of the future as seen from the distant past, and what it lacks in comfort it compensates in style. The museum currently has a variety of temporary exhibits, ranging from Renaissance tapestries and prints to vivid photographs of Palm Springs, again evoking an era of optimism and American resolve. Starwood has five hotels in Pittsburgh, including the luxurious Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh.

[image via Carnegie Museum of Art]

No matter how cold or dreary it gets in Pittsburgh this winter, there's always one place in town that's beautiful and in bloom. The Phipps Conservatory is one of the country's biggest Victorian-style "glass houses," an ornate greenhouse divided into 13 different rooms containing exotic flowers and plants, and a stroll through its various sections is like a journey around the world. Built in 1893, the conservatory is designed to let people experience radically different climate zones in one place, with rooms such as the Palm Court, Desert Room, and Orchid Room within steps of each other. Of particular interest is the conservatory's collection of bonsai, amazing miniature trees that look like the mightiest giants in the forest were magically shrunk to the size of a houseplant. I'm partial to rain forests, so I'll be exploring the new Tropical Forest Conservatory, a Thai forest with waterfalls, a canopy walk, and some of the densest jungle you'll find in Pennsylvania. If the weather's pleasant, be sure to take a stroll through the outdoor rose garden and lily pond area. It's so beautiful that you'll never look at Pittsburgh the same way again. Starwood has four hotels in Pittsburgh, including the nearby Sheraton Station Square Hotel.

Pittsburgh is for the birds. That's no insult, the Steel City happens to be the home of the National Aviary, America's premiere bird park. With 600+ birds of more than 200 species that are able to fly about in a state-of-the art facility, visitors get an unparalleled look at some of the planet's most beautiful - and in some cases, endangered - birds, from Pacific Parrotlets to Andean Condors. Guests are free to wander the aviary meeting and interacting with birds of all kinds, but there are a few daily events to be aware of. First of all, you don't want to miss the various feeding times throughout the day. At 11:00 am. and again at 3:00 pm, for example, trainers in the Tropical Forest area deliver a feast of wiggly worms, crickets, and grapes to birds such as golden-breasted starlings, fairy bluebirds, and Carmine bee-eaters. Delicious! And at at 2:30 pm, they sky opens up and a tropical rainstorm falls inside the Wetlands of the Americas pavilion. You'll stay dry while the birds frolic in the gentle mist, just like nature intended. The National Aviary is five minutes away from the Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh and less than ten minutes from the Sheraton Station Square Hotel.