<p>Well, we just booked our flights and hotel room for the March 18th Honors Student Day- makes it all seem real! My husband and I will be staying at the Holiday Inn University Center (across from the Cathedral of Learning) for two nights along with our prospective Pitt student. If there are any other female engineering students who are interested in rooming in SPACE (Tower A) who will be in Pittsburgh for this event, let me know and maybe we can connect the girls up. My daughter will be coming from South Carolina so she doesn't know a soul on campus yet - she's very friendly and outgoing so I know that will quickly change! Any other potential South Carolinians going? We're looking forward to seeing Pittsburgh and the campus - I've already got a pretty long list going of things to do and places to see based on several great posts in this forum!</p>
<p>We stayed at the hotel when I came with my son for Honors Day last year.</p>
<p>Last year they had a pilot program where my son was able to register for classes on Honors Day (he had already enrolled) - are they offering that again this year?</p>
<p>Registering early was great - he got all the classes he wanted to take.</p>
<p>DonnaMom: I don’t know whether or not my daughter will be allowed to register for classes on Honors Day. That would certainly be great if she could. I’m sure I’ll get more information on the planned activities as the day gets closer.</p>
<p>We’re going on the April 15 Honors Day so I’ll be checking back here for reports on how the March 18 one turned out. Hoping to meet with professors in my S’s major. I think that’ll make a big difference.</p>
<p>rmac–You can have your son make appointments to meet with faculty. We visited Pitt on our own when DD was looking and she talked with faculty in two departments. She was treated very well by everyone. The one professor made an appointment for her with a second professor, introduced her to a student, and set up a department tour. She spent about three hours in that department and we started to wonder where she had gone.</p>
<p>Have fun, everyone! The Holiday Inn on campus is a great place to stay, right next door to Alumni Hall, which is where the honors day events took place back in 2007, when my daughter and I attended. I would be interested in your impressions of the head of the Honors College. I believe this is his first year taking over since Doc Stewart passed away.</p>
<p>There’s a lot you can squeeze in to see right around your hotel too, if you have time. Of course, there you can tour the University’s [Nationality</a> Rooms](<a href=“http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/]Nationality”>http://www.pitt.edu/~natrooms/) in the Cathedral of Learning. But there is also the Carnegie Museum of [Natural</a> History](<a href=“http://www.carnegiemnh.org/]Natural”>http://www.carnegiemnh.org/) and [Art[/url</a>] on the other side of the Cathedral of Learning from your hotel. Just a little bit beyond that, across the bridge into Schenley Park, there is [url=<a href=“http://phipps.conservatory.org/]Phipps”>http://phipps.conservatory.org/]Phipps</a> Conservatory](<a href=“Carnegie Museum of Art”>http://web.cmoa.org/). If you are a war buff, [Soldiers</a> & Sailors museum](<a href=“http://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/]Soldiers”>http://www.soldiersandsailorshall.org/) is right up the 5th Ave from your hotel across from Pitt’s student union.</p>
<p>This [url=<a href=“http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=141&f=2455&t=5547158]post[/url”>http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=141&f=2455&t=5547158]post[/url</a>] from a Pitt sports message board may be useful for things to see and places to eat in the immediate vicinity (short walking distance) of your hotel.</p>
<p>Things to do…There is a coffee bar in the basement of the Cathedral. The Carnegie Museum has a GREAT gift shop. Joe Mama’s is a good Italian restaurant on Forbes. Pamela’s is fun for breakfast–on Forbes also.</p>
<p>Also take advantage of any tours that are offered to you as part of Honors Day. You can get a good overview of the city that way.</p>
<p>FYI…
We had signed up for both March 18th Honors Day and March 19th Accepted Student Day. When we received the info for both back it looks like they are about 80% redundant. I called the Admissions folks and they said we could do one or the other, but the Honors Day has information that Accepted Student day would not. There are several info sessions that it seems would be hard to do them all on one day, so we may stick around for Saturday anyway. For the Departmental Information Sessions we may do Arts and Sciences one day and Pharmacy the next since my son will be two year A&S and four years PharmD.<br>
I also spoke to the housing office and there is no tour of Forbes Hall included as they don’t have a “guest room” to show people.<br>
Hope this info his helpful!</p>
<p>We were signed up for the honors programs three years ago and an emergency prevented us from attending. I think that many of the programs overlap and you can get the information you need at any of the sessions.</p>
<p>The Holiday Inn does not have an airport shuttle. Does anyone know if there is an ecomonical way to travel from the airport to Pitt, or will we have to take a cab?</p>
<p>No need to take a cab unless you’re carrying lots of stuff. You can take the Airport Flyer bus, which is the 28X. Just ask the driver where to get off. It’s $2.75. If you google it, you can see the route. There are also private shuttles that will cost probably less than $20 per person, but the bus is pretty direct. I don’t think it runs past midnight.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info Lurkness!</p>
<p>Just saw my typo in the previous posst - economical</p>
<p>Does anyone have advice for parking near campus? The Holiday Inn charges $23/day they said. I thought it would be convenient to come the night before and not have to worry about parking. Is there parking near campus if I drive in for a day visit? </p>
<p>I haven’t seen an agenda for Honors Day events. Is that posted somewhere? My daughter is wondering how late events go - it may influence which date she selects.</p>
<p>I always park in the Soldiers and Sailors garage. It is across from both the Union and the Cathedral. It isn’t cheap, but I have always found a space.</p>
<p>I would pay the $23 and walk. From now on, when you look at hotels, the parking is always something to consider. If you stay in close, as in the Holiday Inn, Westin ( I am having a brain freeze; I think that is the one down on Forbes?), or even the hotels downtown and in Shadyside, you will pay parking. If you stay out in say Monroeville (which is where I usually stay because it is handy to get back on the turnpike), you don’t pay parking, but then you have to drive in and pay in Oakland. It’s a no-win situation.</p>
<p>thanks MD Mom. I figured as much. Was surprised I couldn’t find parking info on Holiday Inn’s website. Called and had to speak to two different people before they could give me an answer. Strange… </p>
<p>My son goes to school in Providence so same situation. Helpful now that he lives off campus (with off street parking) but still within walking distance of campus. MUCH easier and cheaper when siblings visit for a weekend.</p>
<p>jerzgrlmom - I called the Holiday Inn directly (not the 800 number) yesterday to make a reservation requesting the Pitt discount listed on the Pitt admissions website. My reservation confirmation from the Holday Inn says complimentary parking. So you might want to check again, making sure to ask for the Pitt discount. Of course, I am the one not wanting to spend the money renting a car, so I don’t need a free space!</p>
<p>Also, we are memebers of their Priority Club rewards – maybe that is why we got free parking? But I am sure it it easy/free to join if that is the case.</p>
<p>We just park in the Holiday Inn, for the convenience. Once you pay the parking fee, you can drive in and out all day. There is a huge lot right across the street, but I don’t know what it’s for, and it’s not free either. There is a small sign saying “private.” Sorry I’m not more help. I think the availability of on-street parking depends on what day it is and whether school is in session or not.</p>