More like why not Pittsburgh?! In addition to being a fun, hip city with lots of interesting local flare, it's also the bride's hometown (okay, well technically she's from a quaint suburb about fifteen minutes away, but close enough) and the groom grew up just about an hour and half down the road in lovely Uniontown, PA. A lot of people might say that a big city girl would never end up with a small town boy from rural PA, but we're here to prove them wrong!
For those driving from DC, Pittsburgh is about 4 hours, mostly along the PA turnpike. If you're looking for a more scenic route and can spare another 20 minutes on your drive, the groom highly recommends catching Route 68 and taking a trip through Fayette County on your way there. You can even swing by Frank LLoyd Wright's Falling Water on your way, if you have some time to spare. For those choosing to fly, American Airlines has several direct flights from DCA to PIT. One good option is leaving on Friday from DCA at 4:59 PM and returning at 3:15 PM Sunday. There's also a later flight on Friday leaving DCA at 7:45 PM and returning on Sunday at 6:05 PM. Total flight time is just over an hour.
Once you arrive in the City there's really no need to drive. All of the wedding activities are within walking distance of each other. And for those wishing to explore different neighborhoods Pittsburgh has plenty of Uber / Lyft options. Please note, for the wedding ceremony and reception, buses will be available to shuttle guests back and forth between the venues. That said, everything is walkable. If you're staying at the William Penn Omni or Industrialist, it's about a fifteen minute walk to the church -- St. Benedict the Moor. And the reception is just a fifteen minute walk back towards the hotels. The hotels are all located less than five minutes away from the reception at the Duquesne Club.
For those driving into Pittsburgh, most of the hotels will have valet parking. There's also a parking garage called Mellon Square Garage that's located within a few minutes walk from the hotels and the reception venue that offers very affordable rates.
For the Friday welcome party anything goes. For the wedding, it's black-tie optional.
Unfortunately, kids aren't invited to this one. We'll miss not having them but also hope that it's a chance for those parents out there to have a little weekend getaway!