<p>We are taking my daughter up to visit Pitt on the Accepted Honors Students Day in March. We will fly in early the day before so we have all of Thursday to tour the campus and the city. We will be staying at the Holiday Inn right across from the Cathedral of Learning and we will have a rental car. My daughter loves fun restaurants, shops, markets, etc... So, I have a few questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>What are some fun restaurants to go to both Thursday and Friday nights? I'm hoping to sell her on the city so I'm looking for spots that would appeal to her as a potential student. </p></li>
<li><p>If you were trying to sell your child on the school and the city, what would be on your agenda to see/do on Thursday (and on Friday evening after the school's program is over)?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I love the Carnegie Museum, which is just down the street from the Cathedral. It has one of the best dinosaur collections in the world, and I love its rock collection. </p>
<p>Right in Oakland, we like Joe Mama’s restaurant and I think it is Food and Fuddle (or Fuel and Fuddle), which is just down the street from Joe Mama’s. Pamela’s is a must for breakfast (get some kind of pancake).</p>
<p>Squirrel Hill and Shadyside are nice areas for shopping and there is a Pamela’s in Shadyside as well. </p>
<p>If you go downtown, I love the incline. I think that it is $4 round trip and you need exact change (or they will gladly take your “donation”). There are lots of ethnic restaurants downtown (not much experience here) and there is an Andy Warhol museum and a science museum. I have not been to those museums.</p>
<p>MD Mom, do you mean Panera instead of Pamela’s? Haha I don’t know of a Pamela’s here…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>There are a lot of restaurants and shops on and surrounding Forbes Ave. I would say try something other than a chain restaurant like Panera so you can experience something more unique to Pittsburgh. I like Oishii (a Japanese/Korean restaurant) because the food is good and inexpensive.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well definitely walk through the Cathedral… on Thursday there will be classes in many of the rooms while on Friday it will be more empty. </p>
<p>If she likes shopping, go to the SouthSide Works. It’s not too far from campus and it has a lot of student favorites (Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, American Eagle etc.)</p>
<p>As for museums, visit the Warhol! I think on Fridays they give a special discount on admission.</p>
<p>She definitely meant Pamelas. There’s one on Forbes in Oakland near Towers, one on Forbes in Squirrel Hill and one on Walnut Street in Shadyside. [Welcome</a> to Pamela’s Diner: Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://www.pamelasdiner.com/]Welcome”>http://www.pamelasdiner.com/)</p>
<p>Best pancakes/ hotcakes anywhere. President Obama liked them so much he had Pamelas come cater a Memorial Day breakfast at the White House.</p>
<p>This might not be such an attraction to parents but East Carson Street on the Southside (between Southside Works and Station Square) has probably the longest strip of bars in the US. There’s plenty of restaurants and shops too. (Fatheads or Marios have good college student friendly food.)</p>
<p>Check out the top of Mt. Washington for the view and some good restaurants - Monterey Bay Fish Company is pricy but good for a special occasion dinner.</p>
<p>Lulu’s Noodles on South Craig Street is fun. Not too far from the Holiday Inn and on the border between Pitt and CMU, Lulu’s has a college-town vibe. Another of my daughter’s favorites is India Garden, although I haven’t eaten there yet. [India</a> Garden welcome you!](<a href=“http://www.indiagarden.net%5DIndia”>http://www.indiagarden.net). And she speaks highly of Fuel and Fuddle and Einstein’s Bagels. </p>
<p>I agree with the suggestion to check out the Cathedral of Learning. It has a Harry Potter-esque vibe that snared my daughter immediately.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re offered a bus tour of the city during the event, take it! A Pitt student will provide a running commentary, and you’ll see things like the inclined plane. You may even be offered a ride on it; I can’t remember. You’ll get an overview of Pittsburgh. When we went, the weather was so bad, the bus tour was definitely preferred over the walking tour!</p>
<p>Advice you didn’t ask for: Don’t try too hard to sell your daughter on Pitt and the city. Sometimes those efforts backfire. At least in my experience, that is what happened. In the case of Pitt, I got lucky, and my daughter liked it right away! (I was keeping my mouth shut by that time.) It’s definitely best for a kid who wants an urban experience. Sometimes you just can’t force these things.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the info! Looks like we’ll have a busy (but fun) schedule!</p>
<p>LurkNessMonster: We’ll definitely walk through the Cathedral of Learning. It looks incredible! And as far as Pitt being in an urban setting, the more urban the better. My daughter would love to live in NYC permanently if she/we could afford it.</p>
<p>Pittsburgh is definitely not New York City, as my daughter often reminds me, but it has enough of the urban amenities to be a great “starter city” for a student. For instance, when my daughter was looking for an apartment in Pittsburgh with her roommate, I was so glad that she was looking there and not here! The rents were so reasonable, and I didn’t even have to cosign. The experience was so much more laid back than it would have been in Manhattan or even parts of Brooklyn.</p>
<p>One thing my daughter loved about Pitt right away was all the restaurant choices. She really didn’t want to go to a school where the main source of food was the dining hall. Her eyes lit up when she saw Forbes Avenue with all the shops and restaurants. By the way, the food at Market Central (the “dining hall”) isn’t bad at all, and there’s even an IGA now on Forbes that’s handy for stocking the dorm room mini fridge.</p>
<p>Tell your daughter she can go to NYU or Columbia for grad school! NYC is a great place for students, I don’t want to put it down. But you’re right: It is pricey.</p>
<p>We are also heading in for the March 18th Honors Day (thought about doing Honors on the 18th and Admitted on the 19th - but I thought there was a lot of overlap). Coming in from the Southeast suburbs of Cleveland and will get in the evening of the 17th - staying at the Springhill Suites at Bakery Square (brand new and very nice). </p>
<p>Another thing to consider that really helped my son make his final decision - if there is a particular major she is considering you can make an appointment to speak with the dept head.</p>
<p>We had a great meeting with the head of the Comp Sci department. Spent a lot of time, answered all his questions, gave us a tour of the dept and introduced him to some students.</p>
<p>Southmom- When I visited with my daughter and her friend this summer we had a great time walking around and shopping in the Strip District. There were tons of specialy food shops and artsy shops selling handmade. On Saturdays the vendors bring their wares out to the sidewalk. If the weather is nice on Saturday I would highly recommend it. [Neighbors</a> in the Strip](<a href=“http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/thestrip/thestrip.html]Neighbors”>http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/thestrip/thestrip.html)</p>
<p>The girls also loved shopping at the SouthsideWorks. Forever21 American Eagle, H&M etc. Also some good dining options. Cheesecake Factory is there. We had a great dinner at Tusca Global Tapas. [SouthSide</a> Works](<a href=“http://www.southsideworks.com/]SouthSide”>http://www.southsideworks.com/)</p>
<p>On a second visit this January we attended a basketball game in the Peterson Events Center, which was lots of fun and showed the school spirit. I would check to see whether there are any sporting or other school events at the time.</p>
<p>Just walking around is a good idea. Forbes Street and Craig St are close by. </p>
<p>Another idea is to sit in on some classes. there is a “Sample a Class” list on the admissions website somewhere. </p>
<p>Does anyone know if the Residence Inn on Bigelow is a good hotel/good location? Coming in for Honors Day in April and want to stay close but under $200 and this one seems to fit the bill. Either that or we’ll stay out in Monroeville where it’s definitely cheaper and just drive in. Coming from Maryland, thx.</p>
<p>That hotel is fine. It is a bit of a walk to campus (I don’t remember for certain, but maybe 6 or 8 blocks–I never went there directly), so you might want to drive and park at Soldiers and Sailors.</p>
<p>Yes, I like the Residence Inn a lot. Rooms are beautiful, nicely decorated, with a full kitchen and a sleeping nook. There is a spacious outdoor patio too, for dining, with a nice view. I agree with MD Mom that it’s a bit too far to walk.</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, the best place to stay for honors day is the Holiday Inn Select Oakland University Center, which is right next door to Alumni Hall. Even if it’s more expensive, I would pay it, if less than 50 bucks or so difference. If you call the hotel directly, rather than book online, there may be a Pitt discount.</p>
<p>I personally don’t recommend staying in Monroeville because you have to drive on Route 376 to get to Pitt, and that road is often backed up, with construction, etc. So even though Monroeville isn’t that far away, you have to allow a fair amont of time for traveling, in case there’s traffic. For honors day you want to relax and come and go easily.</p>
<p>I stay in Monroeville more than anyplace else because it is right next to the turnpike, which is very convenient for we Marylanders. I take Forbes or Fifth or whatever goes out the farthest and have only been stuck a couple of times. We also usually stay in Marriott properties and there are several out there.</p>
<p>I think staying near campus is great too. I think we stayed at the Wyndam (however it’s spelled) on our first visit and walked everywhere.</p>
<p>For Honors Day last year we stayed at the Holiday Inn behind Alumni Hall. Was a perfect location, and we did call the hotel directly and they did have a Pitt discount.</p>
<p>Since my son was in Forbes this year for our other visits we stayed at the Wyndham right across the street. Very nice hotel, great location also.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Good point about the Parkway though; we’ve been stuck/crawling several times at the Squirrel Hill tunnel because of construction coming in for Pens games. I expect on a Friday morning it will be pretty bad. Residence Inn or Holiday Inn I think works better for a weekday morning trek to Oakland now thinking about it.</p>