<p>Don't ever take the bus from CMU to NYC and back for thankgiving break or otherwise.Spent $90 and on the way to NYC, bus overheated. Took 9 hours! On the way back last night, bus broke down, students waited 2 hours for replacement bus and then after 9 hours, were still somewhere on the Penny turnpike. Have no idea what time they returned yesterday from NYC. BAD NEWS!!!!!! As a parent, have called the school already. Still waiting to hear if mY D ever made it!</p>
<p>Which bus company Sgiovinc1? I know a fraternity used to run "Magic School Buses" from CMU to NY and other locations. If you book ahead of time, you can get pretty good fares to Pittsburgh from Laguardia. We just came back from CMU auditions with S2 and it was a sweet flight into Philly. Barely an hour, I believe. My D flies in from Ohio regularly and by booking early or last minute, we can usually get $200 round trips, saving frequent flyers for when we absolutely need them.</p>
<p>Yes, it was magic school bus!!!! NEVER!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>The only thing MAGIC about the MAGIC bus is how in the hell it got there!</p>
<p>Ha, ha. One of my kids used the magic school bus and had a miserable ride cuz someone threw up on it early in the trip. Several colleges have this "service" but it is usually sponsored by a frat or some other organization within the school. Sounded like a good idea to me as everyone on the bus is from the college rather than the usual Grayhound/Trailways crowd. D came home so nauseated that we sent her back via plane though it cost us a mint, I remember and that was the end of that option.</p>
<p>What a nightmare! Definitely look into flying. We live about 6 hours from CMU, in NJ, fly into Philly. S has a car out there but he usually only drives home Christmas vacation. Besides wasting a lot of vacation time on the road when we could be spending valued time with him, I even think it's safer to fly.</p>
<p>I have spent as little as $100 and as much as $300 on tickets or in a pinch used frequent flier miles. Considering that bus from hell was $90, it doesn't sound too bad. Unfortunately, USAirways has a monopoly on a lot of Pgh-Phl flights, so cost is usually more than I think it should be, but rarely prohibitive. I'd guess there would be more competition and lower fares at the NY airports. And this is a very short flight, so S comes home rested and happy. </p>
<p>btw, a lot of CMU kids drive home to the NYC-NJ areas. Eventually your D may be able to hitch a ride with a friend.</p>
<p>Be sure that kid leaves in plenty time to catch airport bus shuttle from CMU. Bus sometimes gets filled and could leave kid stranded until next bus arrival and too late for plane. May not be critical for you East Coasters but those kids who need to make connections, getting to the airport, is critical timing.</p>
<p>itstoomuch: Which airport shuttle bus are you talking about when you say it sometimes fills up? The Airport Flyer Route 28X run by PAT ($2.25 one-way) or the privately-run shuttle that drops off at CMU (I think it's $40/RT)?</p>
<p>My son and I are flying in next month for his portfolio review (he's applying to CFA) and have never been to Pittsburgh before. I would appreciate your advice about the best way to get to/from airport. (We're staying at the Wyndham Garden down the street.) Thanks!</p>
<p>The cheap one. (PAT) of course. Check with PAT / CMU for times. S says Runs regularly. Drops you off couple of places at CMU. Tell Hotel you are visiting CMU. I think they give discount.</p>
<p>Motel was Best Western that gave the discount. Hope you won't have a football playoff during your visit. If you are staying at motel-maybe get a rental car and avoid the bus scheduling problem. See comments from TAXGUY, SGIOVINC1, JAMINMOM.</p>
<p>My S uses the PAT to and from the airport and it has been great. The times we went out there to visit we used a taxi or rented a car.</p>
<p>Hope your D did the Wing thing and did well on finals. Our kid has been back since last Friday and will go back this Sunday for Monday's final and then fly back on previously scheduled flight made in Oct. We figured that rather than irritate his roommates with idleness and getting fat on junk food, he can idle at home and get fat on mommy's food.</p>
<p>Hi, Itstoomuch......need advice on airport transfer...will she be able to get bus to airport from CMU on tuesday, 12/21???? she needs to get to the airport by 12 noon for a 1;30pm flight to white plains airport via USAIR...any suggestions??? anyway...she claims she did well in physics final...that's a surprise....can't understand how they can do well in physics but not in calc...calc was really hard she claimed and will need to get tutoring in the spring though she thinks she passed...funny...all my kids did poorly in math...even the one that got the 800 in math on the sat...dont understand...but all did well in physics...hope to hear from you soon...</p>
<p>SUE</p>
<p>PAT Bus runs frequently. Unable to help on schedule. Early bus fills up according to son. Took son to airport early this morning and just got back. Son is now back at CMU for Monday final. PAT takes 45 min to get to airport. I would think that most of kids have already left and that a midmorning bus would not be crowded. Campus map shows where to catch bus, one is at Morewood Dorm. </p>
<p>I think that 1st year math is purposely made to be a weedout course. So much is dependent on Math, that they (CMU) wants to be sure that the kids can handle the basics. Wife and I speculated that maybe that they are trying to identify the genius's. Son's friend is getting a math masters and a philo BA in his 4 years.</p>
<p>Please check with other posters for more info. Son has traveled enough to tell us that he can handle the commute situation.</p>
<p>After much investigating I found out there is a small van that takes the kids to the airport called "airport express" that stops in front of her apt. She is in the Webster Apts. and the van leaves from there every two hours starting at 8:45AM four times a day..there is a cost of $22 one way or $40 round trip. Seems like it is very convenient for her if she has much luggage...because it is a long long walk to Morewood for her. Gave her the option....I'll be curious if she takes PAT or the more expensive van...she's on her own!!!! Mom only paid for the airline ticket....we'll see what kind of "stuff" she is made of!!! In my day...I had to take two buses each way to college...I commuted..in rain, snow, and sleet and was able to finagle a master's degree for very little money to my parents. I don't harp on it, but I do think that they need to sacrifice a little early on to be more successful later in life. Do you agree?</p>
<p>Thanks for the communications. Nice to know others are in similar situations. Oh...math geniuses???? Is that what they are looking for? I hope my D doesn't get weeded out early on. $43,000 is a lot to pay to get weeded out. for the first year. And she is a girl....
Too bad. I'm praying for her.</p>
<p>Sue</p>
<p>Good luck on her return home trip and her scores. She probably did better than she thinks in P and M. Our kid pulled it off in P and M, but tanked in what he really thought he knew-economics. First semester is always the toughest and kids sometimes think that even though they may be tops in HS, its a new game in a school where everyone is really bright. </p>
<p>May be its the smoothie maker that you got for her thats causing the angst? </p>
<p>Don't eat pork this week.</p>
<p>Ah, "itstoomuch".....shucks! thanks for all your good humor (not the ice cream kind!) You did really bring me out of the doldrums of fear and despair that I am suffering from of late with your kind remarks. Hope I can assist you some day in kind. I promise not to partake of the "piggy" if that is any consolation. Economics??? You need to know how to read to do that! I have no readers in my family, so I will remind her not to take any of THOSE classes! Talk soon and thanks again.</p>
<p>My gosh, What is she bringing home; Two weeks of Laundry and the Smoothie Maker? A walk to the bus stop builds character. </p>
<p>Kid delayed in Minneapolis because of weather. </p>
<p>Economics at the higher level has a lot of mathematics and social sciences. (brother is an economist with a major NYC bank.) </p>
<p>Your other kids must have given you the same problem concerns. Why the worry, now? We have the one. </p>
<p>The other thread on boys and girls has nearly hit 900 views. I am impressed since this is the my first foray into chatroom-blogs.</p>
<p>Beef is on sale this week.</p>
<p>OHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOOO! How could I possibly THINK she would WALK to the bus stop!!!!!! NOOOOOO! She's SLEEPING OVER at Newhouse Dorm!!!!! YIKES! Sounds likes this is a REGULAR occurrence! With whom and where, I DO NOT KNOW!!!!! prolly it's with BEN..the nice Jewish boy from New Jersey. Let me recover.............................when I suggested that she can take the van in front of the apt. she jumped down my throat!!! "And what???? Pay for it???I can get a bus ride for free to the airport....but I'll be staying overnight in Newhouse." Well, ya know. I don't think I was that resourceful at that age. I was TOO concerned about appearances and my reputation and whether I could still have good Catholic values and go to a non-sectarian university where "YOU COULD LOSE YOUR FAITH" (told to me by the Catholic nuns in high school.) I, at that age, was a rebel of a kind, I guess similar to my D in retrospect, where I went to a non-sectarian college. HEAVEN FORBID!!!!I think I was only one out of fourteen or so out of a class of 360 that went to a non-Catholic college. So, there you go...and prolly only one out of a two dozen or so that went on to higher education after that. I hope my D has inherited SOME of my determination.....uh oh....it's my D calling...she's in the bookstore buying her dad a sweatshirt....what color? hmmmmmmmm...she doesn't all seem too concerned that she claimed last night that she bombed the chem final.....I keep quoting ITSTOOMUCH re: they weed out all the kids that can't handle the basics in freshman year. WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE KIDS AFTER $43000????? i better stop prattling and return to work.</p>
<p>Apparently she already figured the PAT out. Remember the boy-girl thread when I mentioned my kid's roommates girlfriend staying overnight -fully clothed. Not to worry. Maybe its the thing to do at CMU. </p>
<p>New Jersey BF? Bad news, mom. If I remember it should take about 45 minutes to get to GrandCentral?, 15 minute walk to PA, then another 45-90 to just about anywhere in Jersey. Or probably just hookup at Carnegie Hall? </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>