PITTSBURGH

We <3 Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is an awesome city with a lot of history: it was a fort in the early days of the US, it was a hub of the steel industry, and it’s now becoming a center of technology, education, and health care. We have many active technology user groups, startups and incubators, and headquarters of large companies. Pittsburgh is also cheaper to travel to and stay in than larger cities like New York City or San Francisco, and we’re conveniently located near Ohio, West Virginia, DC, Philly, Buffalo, and many other places that have Ruby communities but not a regional Ruby conference.

Until now!

Our “ulterior” motive of the conference is to show off our city as the beautiful, affordable, and fun place it is. We’d love to feed the growth of the area and make more people aware of the opportunities here! To that end, at Steel City Ruby Conf you will experience a showcase of local Pittsburgh speakers, sponsors, food, and activities.

Lodging

Right across the street from the conference venue is a Hampton Inn. We have reserved a block of rooms for the nights of Thursday Aug 2 through Saturday Aug 4 at $149/night. You can reserve one of these rooms at this rate by calling the hotel before July 6 and mentioning Steel City Ruby Conference. The hotel has free parking for guests!

Getting Here

Pittsburgh International Airport is located west of downtown. It is served by most major airlines and there are many convenient direct flights. You can then reach downtown by taking the 28X, a Port Authority bus that runs about every half hour and costs $3.25 one way. You can also take a taxi, SuperShuttle, or rent a car. Some downtown hotels have shuttle services.

Detailed instructions for taking the 28X:

• Follow the signs in the airport for Ground Transportation until you are outside at a curb.
• Look for a sign sitting on the ground that says 28X; if you see a group of people standing around, it’s likely nearby.
• The bus runs about every 1/2 hr, departing on the hour and half hour from the airport, from 5:30am until midnight on weekdays. Check the schedule for exact times.
• When the bus arrives, get on it and pay $3.25 per person (exact change only).
• The ride to downtown takes 40 min to an hour, depending on traffic.
• The closest place to the conference venue to get off is 7th Ave and William Penn Plaza. It is about a 10 min walk from there to the Heinz History Center.
• Check out the Google Transit directions for more details.

The Amtrak and Greyhound stations are also very close to the venue, and Megabus drops off at the convention center which is also nearby.

Conference

Heinz History Center - 1212 Smallman Street

Most of the conference will take place here.

ModCloth Party

Finnigan’s Wake - 20 East General Robinson Street (0.8mi)

The party sponsored by ModCloth takes place at Finnigan’s Wake on Friday night. You can get there via a walk across one of the city’s many bridges. We will also have a bus running between the conference and party locations throughout the evening.

Food

The restaurants below have agreed to provide discounts to our attendees during the conference. Please be sure to wear your conference id and let the restauarant know you are interested in the discount.

Lidia’s (0.2mi)

15% off pasta tasting trio, dinner only 3rd & 4th

Sonoma Grille - 947 Penn Avenue (0.8mi)

15% off lunch

Wholey’s - 1711 Penn Avenue (0.5mi)

10% off lunch

Pittsburgh Public Market - 2100 Smallman Street (0.6mi)

Soup Nancy’s - Bowl of soup, grilled cheese, and beverage for $7 OR 10% off other menu items during lunch

Chicken Latino - 155 21st Street (0.6mi)

10% off lunch

Local Attractions

Warhol Museum - 117 Sandusky Street (0.8mi)

The Andy Warhol Museum is just a couple blocks away from the ModCloth party on Friday night. On Friday nights, the Warhol has “Good Fridays” - half-off admission and a cash bar 5-10pm.

PNC Park

The home of the Pittsburgh Pirates is just a few blocks away from the party.