{"id":293913,"date":"2026-09-25T18:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T18:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/293913\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T18:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T18:46:08","slug":"our-guide-to-pittsburghs-cultural-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/293913\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Guide to Pittsburgh&#8217;s Cultural District"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/sinichak-jessica-march26.jpeg\" data-lb-width=\"500\" data-lb-height=\"750\" class=\" photoswipe gtxlightbox\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-370477\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/sinichak-jessica-march26.jpeg\" alt=\"Sinichak Jessica March26\" width=\"500\" height=\"750\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Doesn\u2019t everything always come back to the pandemic?<\/p>\n<p>Maybe in the future there won\u2019t be such a sharp divide between what life was like before COVID-19, masks and Zoom calls all became part of our everyday lives and the after, when we all tentatively resumed business as almost usual \u2014\u00a0 but I doubt it will be any time soon.<\/p>\n<p>The days of virtual schooling and working had a profound effect on all of us, and it nearly put businesses and entities in Pittsburgh\u2019s Cultural District out of business.<\/p>\n<p>The effect of shutting down the 14-square-block arts-and-entainment district in the heart of Downtown took years to recover from; it\u2019s only recently that visits to the Golden Triangle have returned to almost pre-pandemic levels.\u00a0 But the future is bright.<\/p>\n<p>Despite people\u2019s entertainment habits having shifted, maybe permanently, during the pandemic to streaming services and ordering DoorDash at home rather than heading out to dinner and a play in Pittsburgh, business, nonprofit and civic leaders in the Cultural District are finding a way to make the new normal work.<\/p>\n<p>In particular, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is investing in diversifying entertainment options and adding more public spaces in the hopes of attracting additional visitors looking to spend a day in the city. One of the highest profile examples of this commitment is the Arts Landing civic, recreation and relaxation space along the Allegheny River, which has drawn around 1,500 daily visitors since opening right before the NFL Draft took place in Pittsburgh near the end of April.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, there\u2019s a lot more to the story, and you\u2019ll find it in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pittsburghmagazine.com\/whats-the-state-of-pittsburghs-cultural-district-today\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">comprehensive guide to the Cultural District<\/a>. Contributor Adam Smeltz details the Cultural District\u2019s past and what city leaders are doing to ensure the neighborhood\u2019s success in the future while associate editor Kristy Graver maps out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pittsburghmagazine.com\/where-to-wine-and-dine-in-pittsburghs-cultural-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">15 applause-worthy spots<\/a> where visitors and city residents alike can grab a bite to eat or enjoy a pre-show cocktail. Digital editor Ollie Gratzinger also shares his tricks for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pittsburghmagazine.com\/how-and-where-to-park-in-pittsburghs-cultural-district\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">navigating Pittsburgh\u2019s parking situation<\/a>, including finding the best rates.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of this issue is all fun and games \u2014 and I mean that literally. We delve into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pittsburghmagazine.com\/why-is-mahjong-so-popular-now-in-pittsburgh\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">mahjong, the classic Chinese game<\/a> that is surging in popularity around Pittsburgh. Learn more about O\u2019Hara\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pittsburghmagazine.com\/the-bocce-house-ridc-park\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\"> The Bocce House<\/a>, where guests play another traditional game \u2014 this time Italian \u2014 while munching on handcrafted smashburgers and pizza.<\/p>\n<p>While that\u2019s not the kind of bocce that I grew up with at family reunions, it sure sounds like the swearing in Italian remains the same.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Doesn\u2019t everything always come back to the pandemic? Maybe in the future there won\u2019t be such a sharp&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74],"class_list":["post-293913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}