OPTION A, YOU ARE A:

Globetrotter

When most students need a study break, they go to Starbucks. But University of Pittsburgh students travel to Wales, Austria, and Yugoslavia—sometimes between classes. Located in the Oakland neighborhood, the University of Pittsburgh’s 42-story Cathedral of Learning—the tallest educational facility in the Western Hemisphere—houses 27 nationality rooms that draw tourists from the four corners of the globe.

Each of the rooms highlights an era in a given country’s history. They take between three years and 10 years to complete, cost as much as $500,000, and require the close collaboration of professional artists, master architects, and native craftsmen to get even the minor details like hinges and door knobs just right.

To get the best look at these multicultural treats, head to the Welsh room. Dedicated in June, the room is the newest of the bunch and resembles a chapel from late 18th-century Wales. Poplar beams support the roof and a glass case holds a chalice, a Bible, and several other authentic artifacts. Bay windows backlight a pulpit that looks out on several rows of pine benches.

Go down the hall to the Ukrainian, Japanese, and Early American rooms. Quo Vadis, a student group, offers tours. Afterward, reflect on your travels over an Italian soda in the basement cafe.

OPTION B, YOU ARE A:

Park Ranger

“There is not a more delightful spot under heaven to spend any of the summer months,” Hugh Henry Brackenridge once declared, “than at this place.” The author and lawyer wrote that line about Pittsburgh in 1786. But if he saw the completed first phase of a projected $42 million renovation of Point State Park, I think he’d narrow that rave review to the park and extend it to include the whole year.

Commissioned to coincide with the city’s 250th anniversary celebration, renovation to “the Point” includes improvements to the park’s lawn, a new concert stage, better lighting, repaved pedestrian walkways, and, come 2010, a link to the city’s Monongahela Wharf and Eliza Furnace Trail. That stretch will also form part of a bike trail linking Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

For the best view of the park, start at the westernmost end where the signature fountain jets water 150 feet high and marks the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers that form the Ohio. From there, take a short walk to the blockhouse. Built in 1764, the fortification is the oldest structure in Western Pennsylvania.

Then head east out of the park to check out the Strip District, an eclectic, culturally diverse mashup of ethnic grocery stores, fish markets, and pubs. Refuel there for the return trip to the best spot of nature in the heart of Steel City. dcnr.state.pa.us

OPTION C, YOU ARE A:

Pinch Hitter

Pittsburgh served as a powerhouse of negro league baseball during the 1930s and 1940s. With a pair of world-class teams in the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords, as well as one of the game’s greatest sluggers in Josh Gibson, fans were treated every contest to legendary lineups that included several future hall-of-famers.

Today you can eyeball the bases in the same ballpark as those stars at Josh Gibson Field (joshgibson.org) located in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Formerly known as Ammon Field, the historic negro league ballpark once hosted the Crawfords. Gibson, the team’s biggest star, hit nearly 800 home runs in his career (trumping even Babe Ruth’s 714). Currently undergoing a $300,000 renovation, the field will include new bleachers, scoreboards, and a broadcast booth in time for the 2009 youth baseball season.

For a look at where Gibson spent the latter part of his career, head to Posvar Hall on the University of Pittsburgh campus (pitt.edu). The building sits on a portion of the former site of Forbes Field, where the Grays played in the ’30s and ’40s. (Gibson ended his career with the team in 1946.) Walk the original left-field wall, now covered in ivy, between Posvar and Mervis Hall. Wrap up your trip on the first floor of Posvar. Check out the original home plate from Forbes Field, where Gibson and other legends once slugged away.

OPTION D, YOU ARE A:

Warholic

Get the full portrait of Andy Warhol’s life in three stops around his hometown.

Start at the Andy Warhol Museum on the North Shore (warhol.org). In the first-floor gallery, you’ll find several of Warhol’s iconic self-portraits. Take the elevator to the fifth floor to check out his most famous early works; recent exhibits included the signature prints of Marilyn Monroe. Don’t miss “Silver Clouds,” a large room filled with floating silver balloons on the fourth floor.

Drive about four miles east to St. John Chrysostom Byzantine Catholic Church (412-421-0243). Warhol went there as a child. Inside, you can examine the icon paintings thought to have influenced his portrait style. “I’m often reminded of a painting called Marilyn x 100,” says Tom Sokolowski, director of the Warhol. “It depicts 50 images of Marilyn’s head on a golf-leaf background and 50 in black and white, and looks quite similar to those female saints in the church.”

Wrap up your tour at Warhol’s gravesite about nine miles southwest at St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery at Connor Road and Route 88 in Bethel Park. Directly behind Warhol’s stone, you can also see the Warhola family plot—Warhol himself dropped the “a” (the reasons why are unclear)—when he started taking classes at Carnegie Tech. Warhol soon skipped town, but his legacy remains rooted in the ’burgh.

Lay of the Land

GET THERE

Fly In Land at Pittsburgh International Airport (pitairport.com), about 20 miles from downtown. Grab a hotel shuttle or take the 28X Airport Flyer that goes to the University of Pittsburgh campus and the rest of the city.

Get Around With parking spaces at a premium around the city, the easily navigable Port Authority bus system (portauthority.org) provides a convenient alternative to renting a car. But you will need a car to visit Andy Warhol’s grave.

Basic Cable If you have a few hours to spare, take a 19th-century cable car up the side of Mt. Washington. The view of the city consistently rates among the best—and most romantic—in the country. incline.pghfree.net

DO THERE

Every Thursday and Friday Get a taste of the food, history, and culture of the Strip District on the Burgh Bits and Bites Food Tour. burghfoodtour.com

Starting Nov. 8 Speak with a “virtual” George Westinghouse and listen to jazz at the recreated Crawford Grill during “Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation,” a new 13,000-square-foot exhibit opening at the History Center. pghhistory.org

Nov. 21 Head downtown at dusk with a flashlight for Light Up Night, the time when the city flips on its Christmas lights for the season. visitpittsburgh.com

Nov. 29 Put on your warmest winter coat and go downtown for the annual Celebrate the Season Parade, starting at 9 a.m. The route runs from Mellon Arena to Point State Park.