Bigbots are the most public part of the Robot250 festival, currently underway in Pittsburgh. Each Bigbot is a giant robot and kinetic art installation created by local artists and roboticists. I recently went to visit all of the Bigbots (save one, which is itself mobile) by bike, and am sharing my bike route for anyone interested in replicating it. Since many of the bigbots are located at major Pittsburgh museums, I would suggest allocating a full day to the tour so that you have time to check out the museums (and get the full value of your museum admission).

The following map shows the entire bike route - a total of about eleven miles of biking through the shadyside, oakland, downtown, and northside neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. A Google Earth kml file is available, as are pictures of the route.

The route is broken up into 5 parts:

Pittsburgh Center for the Arts to Carnegie Museum of Art (1.6 miles)

Carnegie Museum of Art to Phipps (0.7 miles)

Phipps to the PPG Plaza (5.6 miles)

PPG Plaza to the Northside Bigbots, ending at the Carnegie Science Center (3.4 miles)

Returning to the Eliza Furnace Trail from the Carnegie Science Center

Start at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts on Shady Ave, oriented towards 5th ave.

Cross the intersection of 5th and Shady, and go two blocks to Howe St. Take a left on Howe.

Continue on Howe until it ends on Aiken. Take a right on Aiken and then a left on Westminster Pl.

Take a right on Amberson and a left on Castleman St.

Take a left on Morewood, cross 5th ave, then take a right on Forbes Ave.

Take Forbes Ave to Craig st., which is the location of the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Note that you can also take 5th from Shady to Morewood, but that this is a much less bike-friendly route.

Continue on Forbes Ave on the left-hand sidewalk to the Schenley Ave. extension (you need to be on the sidewalk because Forbes is one-way in the wrong direction here).

Take the schenley drive extension past the library to Schenley drive.

Take Schenley drive to Phipps.

Head into Schenley park by going down the stairs at the Park station at the intersection of Schenley Ave and Panther Hollow Road.

Head towards the lake, and take the trail around the left side of the lake.

Cross the railroad tracks at the west end of the lake - there is a small clearing in the brush through which you must take your bike to find the tracks. Warning - the tracks are active, make sure you look and listen for approaching trains.

After crossing the tracks, take a left on the paved bike trail.

If you have a road bike or don't want to carry your bike down stairs or cross tracks, an alternate route is marked in red and described below.

The trail will merge with Saline st. - take the street to Greenfield Ave and get on the right hand sidewalk at the intersection. Take the sidewalk under and around the bridge to get to the Eliza Furnace trailhead.

Take the Eliza Furnace trail to downtown.

At the intersection with Grant St., take the sidewalk marked by a 'Wrong Way' sign on the left side of Fort Pitt Blvd.

Take the sidewalk to Smithfield St., then take a left onto Fort Pitt Blvd from Smithfield.

Take Fort Pitt Blvd two blocks to Market st., then take a right on Market St. Follow Market to the PPG plaza.

Take Schenley drive to Roberto Clemente Drive, turn left on South Bouquet st.

Turn left at Joncaire, and then right at Boundary st. Take boundary street for about 0.5 miles until you arrive at a fork - take the left fork (blocked off to cars) to get to the trail.

Continue on Market St. to Market Square. Take a right in the northern corner of the square, and follow that street one block to liberty.

Take a right on liberty, and then left on seventh st.

Continue on Seventh st. accross the bridge. Watch for the You're #1 Bigbot on the roof of the Andy Warhol museum while crossing the bridge.

Continue going straight to the Andy Warhol museum.

Note that you will likely encounter heavy traffic during this part of the bike ride. You may want to consider walking your bike down Liberty ave and 7th St.

Continue down Sandusky St to where it becomes East Commons.

Turn left into the Allegheny Center complex at the intersection of East Commons and East Ohio St.

Follow the footpath to the Children's Museum.

Head west from the Children's museum, and cross West Commons.

Continue one block to Arch St., and turn right.

Follow Arch st as it turns right and then left, and cross E. North Ave.

Turn left at Jacksonia St., marked by a colorful yellow building on the left side.

Follow Jacksonia 5 blocks to the Mattress Factory. Meet the Made is one block further down Jacksonia.

Continue down Jacksonia to Brighton Rd.

Turn left on Brighton Rd and continue to where it dead-ends at Ridge Ave.

Turn right at Ridge Ave.

Continue to Allegheny Ave., turn left and continue to the science center.

Continue down Allegheny Ave. to the Riverfront trail.

Take the trail to the 8th st. bridge.

Take a staircase up to Isabella St., then go down the 8th st. bridge

Turn right at Liberty Ave.

Turn left at Wood St.

Turn left at Blvd. of the Allies.

Take a very slight right onto Court Place, and then turn right at Ross St.

Take 1st ave to the courthouse, then turn left before the courthouse into a parking area. Just past the courthouse is the Eliza Furnace trail.