Shopping in Pittsburgh

     The Golden Triangle is the core of shopping downtown. Most heavily concentrated in the district around Market Square, 5th, 6th, Wood and Smithfield streets, stores range from specialty shops to such major department stores as Kaufmann's and Saks Fifth Avenue. Most of these have branches in the large suburban shopping malls. High fashion is the emphasis at Oxford Centre, 301 Grant St., and at Fifth Avenue Place.
     If you are looking for a novel place to shop or browse, try The Strip which offers open-air and storefront shopping along several block of Penn Avenue east of the Convention Center. Purveyors offer fresh produce, meats and fish, gourmet food, specialty imports, bargain basement housewares, cafes and bars.
     Farther out are McIntyre Square, North Hills Village, Northway Mall and Ross Park Mall--all on McKnight Road. The four malls include branches of most large department stores. On the Ohio River about 20 minutes from downtown, many Victorian houses in the old community of Sewickley now house antiques and specialty shops.
     Among Pittsburgh's most popular shopping places are the Shops at Station Square, across the Monongahela River at the south end of the Smithfield Street Bridge at W. Carson Street. The elegantly refurbished 19th-century Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad station houses a kaleidoscope of 68 specialty shops, eateries and night spots. A few blocks east on E. Carson Street, numerous shops, restaurants and coffee houses can be found in the city's ethnically rich South Side neighborhood. Nearby is the upscale mall SouthSide Works, which features Kenneth Cole NY, Urban Outfitters and Z Gallerie.
     The southern suburbs are served by the area's largest mall, the 180-store Century III Mall in West Mifflin. The 130 stores of South Hills Village are off US 19 between Upper St. Clair and Bethel Park. In Bethel Park at the intersection of US 19 and Fort Couch Road, Village Square specializes in discount retailers such as Burlington Coat Factory and Kohl's. Also in the South Hills off US 19 is the Galleria of Mt. Lebanon, which features such specialty stores as Ann Taylor, Restoration Hardware and Williams-Sonoma. Along the Parkway West (I-376) near the airport, Robinson Town Centre and The Mall at Robinson serve the western suburbs.
     East of town, upscale shopping is found on Walnut Street and Elsworth Avenue in lively, trendy Shadyside, where watching people is as rewarding as the fashion and fancy housewares stores. Pittsburghers travel to Forbes and Murray avenues in Squirrel Hill to visit their favorite delicatessens and other specialty food shops.
     Of interest in Oakland is S. Craig Street, where remodeled row houses contain specialty shops, art galleries and restaurants. Away from the neighborhood scene on US 22 near the Pennsylvania Turnpike is Monroeville Mall; its 180 stores and other establishments are the commercial heart of this suburban region.
     Northeast of Pittsburgh off SR 28 exit 12A in Tarentum is Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills. This mall features JCPenney and Kaufmann's.