Pittsburgh City Tours

Click here for online sign-up form.

Day	Date	Time	Tour	Cost
Monday	3/14	9:30-11:30	Molly’s Trolleys Sightseeing	$20
Tuesday	3/15	9:30-12:00	Carnegie International Art Exhibit	$10
Tuesday	3/15	10:00-11:30	Architectural Walking Tour of the Downtown	$ 5
Wednesday	3/16	9:15-12:00	Frick Mansion	$20
Thursday	3/17	9:45-11:45	Senator John Heinz History Center	$8
Friday	3/18	7:45-9:45	National Aviary Breakfast with the Birds	$15
Friday	3/18	9:45-11:45	Andy Warhol Museum	$10
Saturday	3/19	9:45-11:15	Walking Tour of the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail	$10

All tours using Molly’s Trolleys can accommodate wheel chairs.

Descriptions of Tours

Monday, 3/14 Molly’s Trolleys Sightseeing Tour
Come be intrigued by the beauty and excitement of Pittsburgh; it’s no longer the smoky, dull city of the past. This will be a two-hour tour leaving at 9:30 a.m. from the front of the Westin Convention Center Hotel. Relax and enjoy a narrated tour of Pittsburgh highlighting the city’s magnificent array of museums, rivers and historic landmarks. Travel through our Golden Triangle, which was formed by three rivers and is bordered by new river front parks. The tour contains historical information, interesting facts about famous Pittsburgh products, companies and people plus a ride on the Duquesne Incline to the top of Mt. Washington for spectacular city views. Also included is an overview of the “Strip District” an area of colorful markets and interesting shops and restaurants.

Tuesday, 3/15 Carnegie International Art Exhibit
This year marks the exhibition's 54th installment, on view from October 9, 2004–March 20, 2005, at Carnegie Museum of Art. The exhibition features a diverse and exciting array of established and emerging artists, all at the forefront of contemporary art. Their work is equally varied from painting, drawing and sculpture to photography, film and video . Join us for a tour of the Carnegie International, the premier North American showcase for the best new art and artists from around the world. A trained docent will lead you through some of the 400 works by 38 artists from five continents. Sign up now for this morning tour. Cost, including transportation, is $10 and will leave the Westin Convention Center hotel at 9:30. Transportation provided by Molly’s Trolleys. For more information, go to: www.cmoa.org/international/default.asp.

Tuesday, 3/15 Architectural Walking Tour of the Downtown
Tour some of downtown's finest historic buildings during this
90-minute walk along Grant Street, once the eastern edge of our frontier town and now Pittsburgh's grand civic boulevard. We will also see and discuss several modern skyscrapers and historic churches and pause in Mellon Square Park to view the surrounding architecture. Pittsburgh has a plethora of fine Art Deco architecture. This is an outdoor walking tour that will be lead by docents from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation. The tour will leave from the front of the Westin Convention Center Hotel at 10 a.m. For more information, go to: www.phlf.org.

Wednesday, 3/16 Guided Tour of the Frick Mansion, “Clayton”
Thousands of visitors have enjoyed the art, elegance, style and warmth of Helen Clay Frick's " dear old home " and so can you. The Frick Art and Historical Center is a fascinating complex of museums and historical buildings located on over five acres of lawns and gardens in Pittsburgh's residential East End. The Center is devoted to the interpretation of the life and times of industrialist and art collector Henry Clay Frick. Exhibitions of fine and decorative art are also presented at the Center. This magnificent structure is one of the nation’s most intact Victorian residences, containing 93% of the original artifacts. The tour leaves from the front of the Westin Convention Center Hotel at 9:15 a.m. and will return by 12:00. Transportation provided by Molly’s Trolleys. For more information, go to: www.frickart.org/features/clayton.

Thursday, 3/17 Guided Tours of the Senator John Heinz History Center
Step inside a 1790 log cabin, find out about the Underground Railroad or climb aboard a 1940 Pittsburgh trolley. Five floors of interactive exhibits bring 250 years of our region's history to life. If sports are your thing, a new 20,000 square-foot exhibit has just opened featuring recreated environments, interactive elements, video presentations and artifacts. If your interest is genealogy, the center has extensive archives. This tour will leave from the front of the Westin Convention Center Hotel at 9:45 a.m. and travel the few blocks to the history center by taxi where docents will lead us through the exhibits. Return by 11:45. For more information, go to www.pghhistory.org.

Friday, 3/18 National Aviary Breakfast with the Birds
Enjoy a continental breakfast and interactive bird-show featuring some of your favorite feathered friends. Then, take a behind-the-scenes tour with the keepers as they tend to their morning rounds. Learn what the birds eat for breakfast and what’s involved in caring for more than 600 exotic and endangered species. From the smallest of hummingbirds to the towering Red-crowned Crane, the National Aviary features a wide variety of colorful--and camouflaging--birds that will amaze you! The sights and sounds of these winged creatures are both entertaining and educational. This tour will leave from the front of the Westin Convention Center Hotel at 7:45 a.m. and return at 9:45 in time to go on to the Andy Warhol Museum Tour. Transport by Molly’s Trolleys. For more information about the aviary go to www.aviary.org.

Friday, 3/18 Tour of Andy Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum presents the work of one of the most influential American artists of the second half of the 20th century. It is also a primary resource for anyone seeking insights into contemporary art and popular culture. This museum features extensive permanent collections of art and archives and is a vital forum in which diverse audiences of artists, scholars and the general public are galvanized through creative interaction with the art and life of Andy Warhol. In addition, there will be a special exhibit of Jack Mitchell’s photographs entitled “Icons & Idols: A Photographers Chronicle of the Arts 1960 – 1995.”
A one-hour tour will include an introduction to Andy Warhol and the museum together with a focused discussion on specific themes and related social and cultural issues. This tour leaves from the front of the Westin Convention Center Hotel at 9:45. Transport by Molly’s Trolleys. For more information about The Warhol, go to www.carnegiemuseums.org.

Saturday, 3/19 Walking Tour of the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail
Stunningly beautiful. Singularly graceful. A symphony of arches. Considered by many to be the leading architect of the 19th century, Henry Hobson Richardson's 19th century neo-medieval design combines stunning brickwork and crisp granite detail. An outdoor fountain in the courtyard park highlights the magnificent riverfront structure, while the Bridge of Sighs (mirroring the Venice original) - at one time used to transport prisoners - connects the courthouse to the jail. What Richardson considered his best work remains among elite architectural company in Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle. A leading expert, Al Tannler, from the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation will lead this tour. By special arrangement, we will tour the interior spaces also. Participants will walk about two blocks from the William Penn Hotel to the courthouse. Leaves from the Grant Street lobby of the Omni William Penn. at 9:45 a.m.

For advance reservations click here for online sign-up form or contact one of the following.

Jean Picone
Phone: 412-241-8070
E-mail: p1cone@comcast.net
Mailing address:
1023 LaClair St.
Pittsburgh PA. 15218-1266

Trudy Cohn
Phone: 412-247-4466
E-mail: trudycohn@comcast.net
Please make checks payable to: 2005 Spring NABC