Conference Location

The event will take place at the Carnegie Mellon Cohon University Center (CUC). This is one of the newer buildings at the Carnegie Mellon University campus, designed with collaboration and accessibility in mind. We will be on the 2nd floor of the building.

What is the best way to get to the conference venue?

The Cohon Center is located on Forbes Avenue between the Purnell Center for the Arts and Gesling Stadium.

For those of you staying in campus area hotels, the CUC building is less than 1.5 miles from the 3 Oakland neighborhood hotels.You may walk to the venue. You can also take a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus (lines 61A, 61B, 61C, and 61D) on Forbes Ave. They all stop at the main CMU campus in front of the lawn right next to the CUC. Google Maps can guide you on each option. Uber/Lyft are abundant around the campus area and arrive within 3-5 minutes.

For those driving, aim your GPS at 5000 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. The East Campus Parking Garage is the nearest parking facility. Visit Parking Services for more information.

Our conference website tab Location and Hotels provides detailed information about how to get to our campus from multiple locations and parking information.

Travel

Airport: To get to Pittsburgh, we recommend flying into the Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).

Transport to campus: You can find ground transportation options from the airport to Carnegie Mellon’s campus here.

Hotel to campus: Most of the hotels listed below are in a short walking distance to campus. Additionally, there are bus routes that go along all of these hotels to campus.

Hotels within 1.5 miles of venue

Hotels are listed in order of proximity to CMU campus

The Oaklander Hotel

5130 Bigelow Blvd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-578-8500

Courtyard by Marriott

100 Lytton Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15213
412-682-6200

Hilton Garden Inn Pittsburgh University Place

University Place
3454 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
1-877-662-6242

Residence Inn Pittsburgh Oakland by Marriott

3341 Forbes Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
412-621-5600

Hampton Inn University Center

3315 Hamlet Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
1-800-Hampton
412-681-1000

Hyatt House Pittsburgh/Bloomfield/Shadyside

5335 Baum Blvd
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
412-621-9900

Things to do

• Visit Pittsburgh is a great resource if you’re visiting Pittsburgh for the first time. Visit their Sensory Friendly Guide!
• The closest walking trails to CMU are in Schenley Park and Frick Parka>. More hiking guides can be found here. The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is a nice option for a longer hike or bike ride along Pittsburgh’s three rivers. Venture downtown (or stop there along a walk on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail) and spend time in Point State Park, located at the “point” where all three rivers meet.
• The Carnegie Museum of Art and the Natural History Museum is across the street from the meeting location. Closed Tuesdays.
• The Cathedral of Learning is the second tallest educational building in the world. Tours of the Nationality Rooms are a really nice experience, or take a walk up the 42 floors if you’re craving some exercise! The Cathedral of Learning is less than a half mile from CMU campus and is next to The Oaklander Hotel and the Wyndham.
• Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum is also in close proximity to the meeting location and hotels. It showcases artifacts from all branches of the military.
• Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens is in walking distance of CMU campus.
• If you drive 15 minutes from CMU to the north shore, you’ll find The Andy Warhol Museum (North America’s largest single-artist museum; closed Tuesdays), The Mattress Factory modern art museum which pioneered site-specific installations, and free backyard landmark Randyland.
• Arguably the best view of Pittsburgh is from the Grandview Overlook on Mt. Washington. While you’re there, take a ride up or down the steep hill overlooking the city on the Monongahela Incline, the oldest continuously operating funicular railway in the U.S.
• Pittsburgh is a sports-loving city! In addition to tours of stadiums and facilities, the Heinz History Center in the Strip District is rich with Pittsburgh history and hosts the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
• Pittsburgh is made up of 90 unique neighborhoods. Learn more about them here.

Fun facts about Pittsburgh

• Pittsburgh has 446 bridges, more than Venice, Italy.
• The emoticon was invented in Pittsburgh in 1980 by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Scott Fahlman :-)
• The Polio vaccine was created by Dr. Jonas Salk in Pittsburgh in 1950.
• Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood is home to the steepest street in the United States (and possibly the world): Canton Avenue. It is as steep as 37 degrees.
• Pittsburgh is home to the first commercial radio station in the world, KDKA. The station began on November 2, 1920 by broadcasting presidential election results.
• In 1920, 80% of the glass made in the United States came from Pittsburgh.
• The Big Mac was invented in the Pittsburgh suburbs by Jim Delligatti, a local McDonald’s franchisee.
• Roslyn Place in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood is the last wooden street remaining in Pennsylvania. The road was constructed in 1914 of 26,000 wooden blocks.
• Steel made in Pittsburgh was used to build iconic structures like the Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and many of the ships built during World War II.