If you look at a map of Pittsburgh, there appears to be a highway immediately adjacent to the hotel. Well there is...but there isn't. The Marriott, like many other buildings in Pittsburgh, is partially built into the side of a hill. On the Fifth Avenue side of Chatham Center, you'll see a raised highway, but on the Center Avenue side, this highway actually goes under Center Avenue. So walking from the hotel into downtown proper does not involve risking life and limb.
When you leave the lobby of the Marriott to go into downtown, always turn left. Across the temporary parking area, you'll see a diagonal walkway that connects directly to Center Avenue. The hotel is three short blocks to Grant St., where you can have afternoon tea at the Westin William Penn or a bagel at Bruegger's (one of the few fast food places open all weekend). It's five short blocks to Barnes and Noble or Kaufmann's (a huge department store) and seven short blocks to Lazarus, another large department store. Unlike New York City, we tend to have "short blocks" and "shorter" blocks. Pittsburgh is an extremely walkable city.
Like many other cities, the diners and delis in downtown close on Saturday and Sunday. There is a convenience mart on the Fifth Avenue side of the Chatham Center garage that is open until mid-afternoon on Saturday. Likewise the Barista Cafe which is on Fifth Avenue just past the overhead highway offers pastries, gourmet coffees, pizzas and sandwiches until Saturday afternoon. Most of the better and ethnic restaurants are open all weekend. If you're not busy Saturday morning into the early afternoon, the Strip District is bustling with people selling interesting ethnic food from carts. (Sorry, no classic dim sum in Pittsburgh though.) It's a six block mob scene - take a cab or a bus to 20th Street and walk two blocks to the corner of 20th and Penn to see what I mean!
You can walk anywhere in Pittsburgh during the day and it's quite safe. Pittsburgh has a very low crime rate. If you walk up the hill past the Civic Arena, some of that area can be a little dicey at night. Parts of Oakland, including the neighborhood near the Atwood St. ethnic restaurants, are not always safe at night (another good reason to go there by cab rather than any other means). But the downtown streets and the T are all fine.
All of the following places are a $5.00-$10.00 cab ride from the Marriott area.
Pittsburgh Mass Transit: Pittsburgh has good mass transit, including inexpensive mass transit to the airport. You'll find busses all over downtown, and the Steel Plaza T station is within three blocks of the hotel. You'll see it on your left as you walk down Sixth, almost on the corner of Sixth and Grant. The subway is the world's "shortest" subway, with just three underground stops - Steel Plaza, Wood St. (near Heinz Hall and lots of restaurants) and Gateway Center (the end stop near Point State Park and Market Sq.). However, from Steel Plaza you can also take the T to Station Square and the South Hills. Station Square is overly touristy, but you have to go there to hop a bus down to the South Side or take a trip on one of the two working inclines.
At one point, Pittsburgh had 15 different inclines, to lug people and coal over the steep hills. Pittsburgh still has two, they're open from about 7am - 12:45 am every day, and they cost $1.00 each way. You can take the inclines up to the restaurants of Mt. Washington, or just go up in the evening to get a view of the city.
Another place to visit if you like heights is the 62-story USX Tower. It's directly across from the Steel Plaza T-stop on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Grant St. During the day if you just want a look, you can take the incredibly fast express elevator up to the Top of the Triangle. While it's a very expensive restaurant, they're usually pretty nice about letting folks take a quick look during the afternoon. If you want a very nice, expensive dinner while you're in town, Top of the Triangle has the best view and good food.
The best dinner in town is frankly no further than the Marriott hotel lobby. The Steelhead Grill lacks the pretention of Top of the Triangle and has been rated highly by a number of publications, including Esquire Magazine.
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