<p>Hey guys! I live in Pittsburgh and have a bunch of friends at CMU. I have spent LOTS of time on the campus and am super familar with the area. So, if anyone has any questions, I'm more than willing to answer them!</p>
<p>Does it deserve the reputation it has as a purely industrial town? Whenever I say CMU and people ask where it is, I say Pittsburgh and they always get a weird look on their face. I guess my question more is, do you like it?</p>
<p>ch33zer-I like living in Pittsburgh. About 15 to 20 years ago it was purely industrial, but since the collapse of the steel mills it has changed alot. It is largely blue collar, don’t get me wrong, but it also is becoming a pretty cool place to live. We have a great underground music scene(think Anti-Flag) and also alot of great local theatre. It’s not nearly as exciting as New York or anything, but there is alot to do.
BUT, the people who call pittsburgh home do still cling to their industrial roots to some extent. People here are friendly, but not always super sophisticated. We like football and hockey, and are a little rough around the edges.</p>
<p>how’s transportation and off-campus dining?</p>
<p>Sounds like a town I would like to live in. Grew up in a town of 200 in Central California, and find NY a little overwhelming. Pitt sounds much more manageable, and more fun.</p>
<p>laure-transportation is alright. It really depends on what you are used to. The buses run pretty regularly to just about anywhere you’d want to go. They are free if you have your student ID, however we do not have a subway system. Off campus dining is really good and really cheap. You can get to Lulu’s noodles(highly recommend) or a number of Indian/Middle eastern food places within 10 minutes of walking.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh has cleaned itself up ALOT since the industrial era. Beautiful city, more white collar than you’d expect.</p>
<p>Students in Pittsburgh can use the city bus system by just showing their student IDs. Southwest Airlines flies into Pittsburgh, so it is pretty accessible. The city museums also provide free entry to student ID holders. It’s a great city.</p>
<p>MD Mom-the airport, however is NOT very accessible. There is only one main road there and it is a solid 30 minutes outside the city. You need to either rent a car or get a taxi to get into town</p>
<p>We may visit for Sleeping Bag weekend in January. Any hotel recommendations?</p>
<p>If you’re going to stay in the city I suggest the Sheraton in Station Square. You had to drive to the campus, but the hotal has a beautiful view of the city and you can easily go up to Mount washington for dinner</p>
<p>There is a Courtyard Marriott at Shadyside (can be expensive but sometimes has good deals). It’s about a 5 minute drive. There are also some other hotels just off the Pitt campus. There is also a Courtyard Marriott at the Waterfront. It is a longer drive to campus but there is shopping and a bunch of restaurants.</p>
<p>For Hotels, the Holiday Inn near UPitt was great. Very nice location; we just walked to CMU when we visited.</p>
<p>Hey, we’re looking for good Thai food. Is that what Lulu’s noodles serves?
Thanks.</p>
<p>busdriver-No, Lulu’s noodles does not serve thai food. If you’re willing to drive a bit The Green Mango has some of the best thai food around. It’s only a 10 minute drive from CMU’s campus</p>
<p>Thanks, we’ll make sure and remember that every time we visit.</p>
<p>I’m from Pittsburgh so I can help out with questions too. Here’s a link with hotel accommodations.</p>
<p>[Accommodations</a> - Carnegie Mellon University](<a href=“http://www.cmu.edu/about/visit/accommodations.shtml]Accommodations”>http://www.cmu.edu/about/visit/accommodations.shtml)</p>
<p>My daughter has used the bus round-trip to the airport twice. She had no complaints. I even offered her taxi fare for a very early flight over Thanksgiving and she opted for the bus. Of course, she’s a hardy Pitt student; her classmate who goes to CMU might want to ride in a taxi.</p>
<p>DS is a senior CS major and has been taking the 28X to and from the airport since his freshman year and has no complaints. CMU is the first stop going to the airport so at least you always get a seat outbound. He frequently takes the bus to Squirrel Hill for breakfast at Pamelas and grocery shopping at Giant Eagle; also to the Waterfront on weekends for other shopping. For winter break, he always takes Amtrak home (an overnight train to Chicago).</p>
<p>As HHonors members, we normally stay at either the University or downtown Hampton when visiting etc. The University Hampton has free shuttle service to the campus but charges for parking; the downtown Hampton is newer and a little nicer and has free parking, but is more of a drive. Also the University Hampton sometimes has a college rate; call directly and ask. The downtown Hampton is walking distance to the Strip District and good restaurants.</p>
<p>I grew up thinking Pittsburgh was steel mills and burning rivers but was astonished at how pretty the city and skyline are now. Plus the city cleaned itself up for the G20 conference last fall. The view from the restaurants on Mt. Washington is amazing, and I love Phipps Conservatory right behind campus. Pittsburgh is supposed to have the second largest student population in the USA after Boston, so there are plenty of collegiate-friendly places. There are many decent restaurants; some very good ones in Shadyside near campus.</p>
<p>“Of course, she’s a hardy Pitt student; her classmate who goes to CMU might want to ride in a taxi”</p>
<p>My son at CMU says most kids ride the bus to the airport, it’s easy. And yes, the CMU kids are able to handle the bus.</p>