CALLING ALL TRAVELERS & YINZERS!! I recently had the opportunity for an awesome “sports night” staycation at the DoubleTree By Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown and I want to share ALL of the details with you! I was so excited when I was presented with this opportunity because if you don’t know, I am a HUGE Pittsburgh sports fan. Staying at the DoubleTree and heading to a Pens game is the ideal way to spend a Friday! With the DoubleTree’s location being a few minutes’ walk to PPG Paints Arena, I couldn’t have picked a better hotel for my pre-game prep and post-game slumber!
My evening started with a 4:00 pm check-in. When I arrived downtown, there was signage on how to navigate to the parking entrance for the DoubleTree’s connected garage with valet parking. The valet situation is SUPER convenient because the staff sends you a text message with a link that you can access to retrieve your car. This way if you need to go in and out of the garage, it’s super simple to coordinate and you don’t spend time waiting around! This being said, while the in and out privileges are convenient, you may not even need them during your stay as you are right downtown near many restaurants and activities!
Upon my check-in, I was greeted with the DoubleTree classic – warm chocolate chip cookie. Then I headed up to my spacious King Bedroom Suite to freshen up for dinner and the Penguins game.
The game began at 7:00 pm so there was no restaurant more perfect to dine at than Bigelow Grille, the restaurant on the first floor of the DoubleTree Downtown Pittsburgh. I ordered a tequila sour to sip on while I looked over the dinner menu. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were so friendly and took my simple cocktail over the top with the addition of fruit and cherry juice. My friend and I decided on the pierogies as a sharable appetizer. The pierogies had the perfect crispy outside and fluffy cheddar potato inside. They were accompanied by a bruleed onion sour cream that was INCREDIBLE. For our meals, my friend ordered the Greek chicken wrap with fries, and I went with the mushroom ravioli. The ravioli was delicious! The portions were hefty and the variety of local mushrooms in my dish was divine. The local mushrooms, wilted greens, beurre rouge, and crispy leeks made the dish so much more than a simple mushroom ravioli. If you’re local to Pittsburgh, Bigelow Grille is participating in The 412 Deal for Yelp. This means that as long as you have a Yelp account, you can redeem the deal of $4.12 for the pierogi appetizer anytime this April! Check this spot out for yourself 😉
After filling up on these tasty dishes, it was time to head to the Pens Game! The Pens were playing the Las Vegas Knights and we were ready for an awesome game. The game was the week before St. Paddy’s Day so the souvenir cups were super festive, meaning those were necessary purchases. Our seats were awesome and probably my new favorite seats in the arena – the front row of the upper bowl. A couple of seats over was a group of three people that we struck up a conversation with and ended up chatting with throughout the game. With the theme of the awesome evening, the Pens won!! We headed out of the arena and over to The Souper Bowl, a local bar across the street from PPG Paints Arena.
Before this night, I had never been to The Souper Bowl, but it is the perfect spot for post-game drinks (especially after a WIN)! We got drinks and headed back to the DoubleTree to end the evening. The sofa bed and separate king bedroom accommodate 4 people and like I said, is very spacious. We ordered some pizza as a late-night bite and closed out the evening. In the AM we called our car with the text message link and the car was conveniently waiting for us on the parking level. A successful staycation in the books!
Below you can see a full look at the King Suite I stayed in! Whether you’re looking for a staycation, or are visiting from out of town, the DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown is a great option. Top off your trip with breakfast or dinner at Bigelow Grille and a concert or sporting event at PPG Paints Arena! Happy hotel stay!
The 412 Franimal 