Moon Pittsburgh

by Dan Eldridge

Former music editor for the Pittsburgh City Paper , Dan Eldridge provides a quirky look at Pittsburgh, from visiting the Andy Warhol Museum to grabbing a beer at a hipster bar in South Side. Eldridge includes unique trip ideas like "Go Where the Locals Go," "Fun and Cheap," and "Out with the Parents." Packed with information on dining, transportation, and accommodations, Moon Pittsburgh has lots of options for a range of travel budgets. Every Moon guidebook includes recommendations for must-see sights and many regional, area, and city-centered maps. Complete with details on the best insider spots in the city and how to make the most of two days in Pittsburgh, Moon Pittsburgh gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience. With expert writers, first-rate strategic advice, and an essential dose of humor, Moon guidebooks are the cure for the common trip.

Genres: Travel, Family, Nonfiction

250 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2007

About the author

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dan Eldrige was raised in a military family and lived in California, Wyoming, Nebraska and Texas before moving to Western Pennsylvania. During his junior year at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied journalism, Dan circumnavigated the world as a student aboard the SS Universe Explorer, a 617-foot-long floating campus that visited ten countries on four continents in 100 days.

After graduation, Dan moved back to Northern California before returning to Pittsburgh and launching Young Pioneers, a magazine about independent travel culture that was nominated for an Independent Press Award by Utne Reader. He has also worked as a contributing writer for dozens of magazines, newspapers and websites; his reporting has taken him to locations as remote as the Buddhist temples of Chiang Mai, and as close to home as the New Vrindaban Hare Krishna compound in West Virginia. Dan spent a year as a staff editor at Pittsburgh City Paper, where he covered news, culture and the arts, but has since returned to full-time freelancing, with an emphasis on travel writing.

Before creating a career in journalism, Dan held dozens of jobs in a handful of fields. He worked as a bicycle messenger in San Francisco, a bookseller in New York City, a barista in Seattle, a taxi driver in Pittsburgh, an English teacher in Istanbul, and a busboy in Dublin. He currently resides in Philadelphia. Dan's blog is JoinTheLaborParty.com, and website is PioneerContent.com.

Reviews

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some regards, this guidebook is better than Moon Pennsylvania for planning my trip to Fallingwater and surroundings. The information is more detailed and up-to-date than the other guidebook, but it lacks the food and culture recommendations found in the other one.

What I learned:

Near Fallingwater, Bear Run Nature Preserve has some good hiking trails.

Kentuck Knob was built on a hexagonal grid, and the hexagonal theme is repeated throughout the house.

Laurel Caverns looks like fun: the largest cave in Pennsylvania, with 2.8 miles of passages. Plus a mini-golf course inside the caverns!

Horseshoe Curve reduced the travel time from one side of PA to the other by skirting the Allegheny Mountains, and "because of the curve's economic importance to the country, a Nazi plan to explode it was in place during World War II." (245)

While this book may not be the greatest for my little niche trip, the rest of the advice and tips for Pittsburgh look great, and now I'm thinking of visiting there... Too many places to go, too little time.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to Pittsburgh, filled with interesting facts about history, culture, sightseeing and things to do in Pittsburgh. A comprehensive guidebook I would recommend to anyone visiting Pittsburgh.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to approach my hometown as a travel destination. What a great city!