<p>So what is the surrounding area like, for example are there good hangouts within walking distance of campus? Reasonably safe? Good running routes... Etc. Visiting next weekend, but just curious. thanks.</p>
<p>There are pockets of sketchiness in Pittsburgh, like East Side (though parts of it are picking up now and there’s a nice Whole Foods and a Verizon store and some suave restaurants). But on the whole you’ll find that you’re very safe walking through Oakland and Squirrel Hill, even at night, so long as you aren’t alone. I’ve done it many times and never run into trouble or heard of people who did. Oakland is also the “heart” of the city so it’s usually very crowded at all hours; you won’t find a lot of deserted streets in the area around CMU.</p>
<p>What about shopping? Will I have to buy all my clothes online?</p>
<p>The hood, is Mr Roger’s neighborhood. Really.</p>
<p>try google earth,</p>
<p>"What about shopping? Will I have to buy all my clothes online? "</p>
<p>I’m not sure if this is a joke or not. CMU’s in Pittsburgh…which is a city. Most cities are filled with stores where you can buy clothes…</p>
<p>Rewind, dunno if you’re a girl or a boy, but here’s the rundown:</p>
<p>Southside: Forever21, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle, Aerie (girl’s lingerie that is cheaper than victoria’s secret) and H&M. There are also a couple designer stores here like Steve Madden. Reach Southside by taking the 59U going downtown instead of uptown. </p>
<p>Waterfront: Has Target, Macy’s, Aerie (again), Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle (again), Claires, the Gap, and a couple other places. Lots and lots of restaurants and movie theatres and attractions are here also. Reach the Waterfront by taking the 59U going uptown.</p>
<p>Squirrel Hill: has Riteaid, Giant Eagle, Dozen cupcakes, Coldstone, a new froyo place that’s pretty good, Pamelas, and a bunch of Kosher places since there’s a large Jewish community up there. Used to have a Barnes n’ Nobles but it closed this year. Reach Squirrel Hill by taking any bus that’s not the 17F. (Found this out the hard way.) </p>
<p>Oakland: American Apparel and Rue 21. Also has Gamestop, which is the best place ever to exist. There are a ton of restaurants here, like Paneras, Pamelas, froyo, Quaker Steak & Lube, Primanti’s, Dave & Andy’s handmade ice cream, Chipotle, Mcdonalds, and others. Go here for your food fix but not necessarily for shopping.</p>
<p>Shadyside: has Gap, the Apple store, Sephora, American Apparel (hello hipster clothing), Victoria’s Secret, a couple shoe stores, Francesca’s, J Crew (if you have a small fortune to drop), a pharmacy and a RiteAid. There are also a ton of great restaurants and cafes here. Sushi Too’s home is in Shadyside. Get here by taking the 500 or by walking, since it’s probably faster to walk than take the bus.</p>
<p>Great info here, thank you for taking the time to respond. My son will be coming back and forth from the Boston area, looks like flying is about the only reasonable mode of travel for him. I looked at Amtrak but that seems slower than driving.</p>
<p>@steelersngators
I realized I worded that incredibly wrong. I love shopping in NYC, so I don’t usually do my shopping in big department stores. But Ill manage,</p>
<p>I was just trying to be a smarta**. I’m sure you’ll love the Waterfront. The buses give students easy access to all of the stores/restaurants in Pittsburgh.</p>
<p>Rewind, if big chains don’t do it for you, there are a ton of little indie clothing stores in all of these areas. I just didn’t mention them because people have no idea what kind of clothes they are since they don’t exist anywhere else. But if you explore around you’ll find places you like probably :)</p>
<p>I’ve spent most of my time outside campus in the Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland and Waterfront areas. They are very safe and easily accessible. There are tons of stuff available such as restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, libraries, museums, anything you want really. In the winter, we go ice skating which is about a 20 min walk from campus.</p>
<p>@Justthedad
I am also coming from the Boston Area and it looks like these first weeks will be hell. Amtrak takes ~13 hours and driving is 9, and flying seems expensive.</p>