A sea of heavy fog surrounds the Downtown Pittsburgh skyline in this view from the West End Overlook. (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)

Photo ops

By Darrell Sapp / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I work the early shift at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, so I often get to see Pittsburgh just as she's waking up. You can go to the same locations time after time and get different views, thanks to Mother Nature's changing touch. Here are some of my favorite easy-to-get-to vantage points for photographing the Pittsburgh skyline.

Franco Harris demonstrates the Immaculate Reception as John Frenchy Fuqua looks on at the unveiling of a historical marker designating the spot where the the play occurred on the North Side on Saturday, December 22, 2012. (Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette)

Sports pilgrimages

By Gene Collier / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh is so rich in sports history that you can find yourself waist deep in it almost by accident; you could right now, for example, be standing on the spot where Bruno Sammartino wrestled an orangutan. But here are five places you should find yourself on purpose.

A suite guest room at the Ace Hotel with a craftsmen-inspired platform bed with a Pendleton blanket designed by Atelier Ace at the Ace Hotel in East Liberty on Thursday, December 10, 2015. (Rebecca Droke/Post-Gazette)

Room service

By Mark Belko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If there's anything that has been going up faster in Pittsburgh these days than apartments, it's hotel rooms. Developers can't seem to help themselves. By the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's count, there are 4,952 rooms in the Golden Triangle, the North Shore, the lower Hill District, the South Side and the Strip District, with more than 1,000 of those opening in the past seven years. Another 1,709 are in the pipeline. With all of those rooms, you would think we were a tourist destination. Here are some new hotels to give you sweet dreams in 2016.

Snow slopes

By Lawrence Walsh / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A few of the following ski runs are easy and others are more challenging, but all are memorable. And each feeds directly to a chairlift.

Running routes

By Gretchen McKay / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Despite its hills, or maybe because of them, Pittsburgh is one heck of a great running town. Home to one of the largest marathon- and half-marathon events in the country, it boasts trails and scenic running routes for every type of runner, whether you’re itching for an easy run along water or want to test your mettle on a super-steep incline. Here are some of the city’s finest runs.

Ailani Mitchell of Homewood, goes down the blue slide at Blue Slide Playground in Frick Park. (Chris Kasprak/Post-Gazette)

Play places

By Anya Sostek / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Show a kid kids a playground — any playground — and they’ll be pretty happy. But nestled amongst the hundreds of slides and swings across the Pittsburgh region are a few playgrounds that bring something special. Whether it’s a million-dollar art installation or a cardboard-fueled concrete slide, these (free!) playgrounds are worth a detour, if not their own road trip.

The North Shore Segment of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail --- with the Ft. Duquesne Bridge and the Pittsburgh skyline in the background. (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)

Biking trails

By Lawrence Walsh / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As an avid cyclist, I have a hard time naming my favorite multipurpose trails. But especially after considering their proximity to Pittsburgh and Allegheny County; their multiple access points for comfortable out-and-back rides; their nearly level surfaces, some of which are paved; sufficient trailhead parking and proximity to apres bike restaurants and related businesses, these stand out.