Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park

Before moving out of Pittsburgh for some summer employment, I dragged my roommate here for Cinema in the Park. We saw the movie Million Dollar Arm, and it was a super fun outing. Some suggestions:
–Skip the before hand concert. This concert starts at seven, and there is no reason to get there at seven. The group we heard was unimpressive, and you won’t want to waste time doing this.
–There is no «start time.» We saw the city advertising an 8:00 start time, but the movie starts at dusk. So we sat until 9:30. This meant almost 2 hours of listening to the one-​man band.
–Bring a picnic! We stopped at Uncle Sam’s before hand to grab subs and brought bottled drinks. Make sure to grab napkins and anything else you need for your picnic.
–Bring a nice big towel or blanket to eat on, jackets or blankets, and bug spray. It starts to cool off at night, and there were a lot of bugs.
This is a really fun night for a group of graduate students or young professionals who want to have fun but are on a budget. There is plenty of parking, or you can take the bus to CMU and walk through campus.
I’d like to touch on the irony of people complaining about CMU students studying here, yet we don’t complain that park people use CMU’s bathrooms. It’s called a public space for a reason, y’all. Anyone can come here. There will be homeless people with their stuff at the movie. Be open-​minded, and you will enjoy your night!

I finally had the experience of seeing a movie in the park here last Sun. evening with a friend, and it was awesome! In the summer, the city shows outdoor movies here twice a week – once on Wed. with a concert from a local band beforehand, and once on Sun. Despite having known about this for almost as long as I’ve lived in PGH, it took me this long to finally experience it – I actually was planning to go the weekend before last, but was rained out.
The movies start at «dusk,» which ended up being around 9pm last Sun. The city publishes a schedule that states what movies they’re playing on what days, so you can plan accordingly based on your tastes. The movie I saw was Big Hero 6, which was a great movie, and was family-​friendly, so there were a number of children in the audience. Although others had told me that the sound quality wasn’t the best, I had no trouble hearing the sound track from where I was seated – but then again, I was in the middle and fairly close to the front of the crowd. I’d recommend arriving at least a half an hour in advance to secure a decent spot, and bringing either a picnic blanket or lawn chairs to sit in, as well as bug spray to ward off the mosquitos.
The great thing about outdoor movies is that there’s leeway to do things not otherwise acceptable at movie theaters, such as quiet talking/​whispering, running around (some kids were playing flashlight tag off to the side when I was there), and bringing snacks (I do this anyway, but it’s great to not have to sneak them in!). The park and the neighborhood of Oakland make a great backdrop for an outdoor movie, and the hill is large and gently sloping, so Flagstaff Hill is probably the best place in PGH to see one. Having said that, they are shown at some other parks around the city on different days, such as Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville, so check the listings to see where the one closest to you is located.
Needless to say, I had a great time seeing a movie on Flagstaff Hill, and would highly recommend the experience if you haven’t tried it before. It’s a great way to take advantage of the warm weather, so long as the rain holds off – which is an ever-​present issue in the summer in PGH.

Oh Schenley, how one crazy teenager’s actions benefited a whole city immensely. Flagstaff hill is a large gently sloping hill, part of Mary’s E. Schenley’s gift to the Director of Public Works [Edward Bigelow] in Oakland between the campuses of Carnegie Mellon and the U. of Pitt.
If you are not walking your dog or playing Disc Golf come here every Sunday in the Summers for outdoor movies, or simply to lay out and tan while you «study» for your finals in April and May. Plenty of activity are hosted here by various organizations ranging from the City of Play’s Indiana Jones’ 500 [where you get chased by an oversized «boulder» down the hill] to the city’s if not the state’s largest annual Pillow fight.
Make sure to stop by to see what’s going on or on your way to Conversatory or the rest of the Park

This is by far one of my favorite places in the city. This is Pittsburgh in the summer. With a perfect view of the city, this is the ideal place for hanging out, laying out, throwing the frisbee, and picnic-​ing in anticipation for an amazing outdoor movie. During the last couple of summers they’ve started creating huge events with food, live music, pillow fighting, and just all-​around amazingness. I’m grasping onto dreams of warm nights here while I’m curled up next to my space heater in the dead of winter…

I ask you, is there any better way to spend a hot summer night than enjoying a movie and a picnic dinner under the stars at Flagstaff Hill?
My girlfriends and I met up at my house in Squirrel Hill, then schlepped our blankets, picnic baskets, and soft coolers down to Schenley. We laid out our spread of homemade chicken, appetizers, veggies, cheese-​n-​crackers, etc & had a great al fresco meal while enjoying a fine cinematic feature.
I know I’ve said nothing new in this review, but movies in the park are just one of the things that make summer in the city great.

As others have said, it’s crazy that you can review «a hill». However, Flagstaff Hill really is a great place to hang in the nice weather.
Lots of grass games and picnics happen here. Plus, the sunbathers usually are wearing an appropriate amount of clothing compared to some of the things I’ve seen in other parts of Schenley Park recently. Of course, in general, CMU students wear more clothing than Pitt students so choose your locations accordingly.
The parks dept shows movies here during the summer, and the view is spectacular… nestled between Phipps and CMU with views of the city… it’s almost perfection! On weeknight movies they even have bands play! For movie information go to:
The best part is that if you need modern conveniences – read: bathrooms – the CMU buildings are right there! Plus, there are food options as well although less things are open during the summer.

Am I the only one amused by the fact that one of the things we can review in Pittsburgh is a bloody hill?
Anyway. Flagstaff Hill is the first big hill that you see as you walk from Oakland, past the library, and over the bridge towards Phipps and the park. It’s a very familiar place for me, since the best part about this spot is that you get the sense of being in the middle of a park without actually having to walk to the middle of one. It’s a great location for anyone looking to take a quick walk and get a short break from the bustling Oakland — which I admittedly needed a lot when I lived in the area.
In addition to being a great place to be with yourself, it’s a fun place to hang out with other people. Back when I was a student, my classmates and I would take time to just sit in the grass or would play Frisbee on nice days during the school year here. We weren’t alone in this, either. College or local sports teams will regularly practice various sports here, including flag football. Flagstaff is also a favorite spot for studying, reading, sunbathing, and other similar activities.
Side note: if you find that you avoid the hill a lot during the year because of said students and sports teams, try a summer visit. During the summer the hill kind of switches from a student haven to a public area, especially during free movie nights in the park. I admittedly have a difficult time making it out to these events now due to how late they tend to run, but it is very nice that we have this option in our city, and a lot of the movies make for great family outings or friendly get-​togethers.
No matter what time of year it is, the hill’s usually occupied to some degree, whether by sunbathing students, locals playing a game, or just people casually sitting at the top enjoying the view. It’s definitely a useful and multipurpose hill. (Never thought I’d get the chance to write that!) I have plenty to say about the rest of the park, but that’s for another review. For now, I want to leave on the note that I am giving 5 stars… to a hill.
Yes, I’m still laughing about that.

Hey Schenley how come you’re so much harder to navigate than Frick? Yet so awesome because you have your own little track with a soccer field in the middle.
Schenley landed smack between oakland and downtown, its a frisky fraternizing park, more suited to bring your friends for a picnic or barbeque, than for a long distance run.
It boasts a Frisbee golf course, so give way to those pesky frisbees if you’re hiking through the course pretending you’re in Scotland. Can’t think of another place the rolling green of Schenley reminds me of. There are some decent trails, a murky little pond at the bottom of the park.
This park has a playground, and smallish swimming hole. Shelters you can rent for events.
Dog friendly— on leashes unsure if it has an off leash dog area.
All in all I would say it is worth checking out this park, thought not my favorite it is likeable enough. If you’re not that into parks this one is small, you can spend a short time here and see most of it. It does border Phipps conservancy which is a plus, also if you are going to any events in Oakland but looking for cheaper parking, you can find it near Schenley around the back side of CMU.

A nice cool summer evening, Cinema in the Park, a bottle of vino and a blanket to lounge on. Flagstaff is easily one of my favorite places to go in the summer.
Check out
to look for the Movies in the Park schedule!

yeah, it’s a big hill — but it’s a big hill with a great view, and a big hill that’s actually used by the community for a number of different uses.
when it’s nice out you will always find people on the hill, playing frisbee, studying, napping etc.
for me, it doesn’t get much better than sitting towards the top of flagstaff hill in the summer and taking in the view of oakland in front of you. as others mentioned, once or twice a week in the summer they put up a big screen and show movies on the hill.
if my life was an indie romantic-​comedy, flagstaff hill would be the spot where the quirky, beautiful record store worker realizes she loves me and we first kiss.

I have fond memories of this place growing up… we would watch movies on the lawn on a big projector in the summer, sled ride down it in the winter and play frisbee all other times. When I was in college, I would bring a blanket and my books to lay there and study in the sunshine.
I love flagstaff hill!

I went to…*get ready for this*…an anarchist picnic there last summer. August to be exact, weeks before the G20 madness.
Yeah, South Park wouldn’t be the right place for that kind of thing.
It’s BIG, I’ll say that. Although for something in the city, it’s a little tricky getting there sans a car.
Imagine my ride’s reaction upon seeing their flag!
«What kinda people are you gettin’ mixed up with here?»
Coppers came by, as did every reporter in the city.
I really don’t know what else to say about it other than it’s South Park’s yuppy (yippie?) cousin.
However, I do prefer South Park, perhaps because it’s just closer to home and seems more pastoral to me.
Besides, does Schenley Park have a legend like The Green Man or ever had a Sasquatch sighting?
Yeah. South Park wins this duel but not by a whole lot. It’s the mythology, people.

I call this… a Pittsburgh child of Hippie Hill and Dolores park minus the bums, pot, short shorts, the drum circle and open containers. But this is the busiest, coolest public park spot you’ll find to lounge around in the grass, read a book, or catch one of the free movies on Sunday or Wednesday. And unlike the Schenley Oval, the other sun-​bathers here are young and someone you might actually enjoy talking to.
If you get hungry, pop into one of CMU’s eateries. There is a great coffee stand in Wean Hall on main floor — amazing, frothy lattes!

What’s not to like?!
Plenty of open space to throw a frisbee around or just run around playing tag with friends. (yes, we still do that) Night time movies in the summer which is perfect for friends or a date. There’s a nice picnic area at the top of the hill and the view up there overlooks some of the most beautiful parts of the city.
Seriously, such a relaxing spot in the middle of two hectic universities. Love it.

Bitchinest place for kite flying, frisbee, free city-​sponsored summer movies (Wed & Sun), high school cross-​country races, and meeting young lassies of a better quality than you’d find at the mall.
Why only four stars? Because thinking of all the times I had to sprint to the top of this hill kinda makes me want to puke. Ah, memories.