Need help with a new student to main campus

[Dan1911]

A friend of the family’s daughter is transferring from a branch to Oakland campus. She’s from Vegas and knows nothing of the area. She’s also Ukrainian and a bit sheltered. I wanted to take her around before she starts. I’ll do the cathedral and my old haunts, but wanted help with other places to show her. Trying to be a good ambassador to the school. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

 

[HailToPitt725]

That’s very kind of you Dan. Besides showing the campus itself, I think getting her out to all the parks and nature (Schenley, Flagstaff, Heritage Trail) would be good for her. I’d expect that the concrete jungle that is Oakland would be a little overwhelming for someone new to the city, especially an introvert- getting her someplace where she can feel at ease could help with that.

Also, how strongly does she value her heritage? I’d connect her to the Pitt Center for International Studies. I believe they hold Ukrainian events several times throughout the year. It also looks like they facilitate a Ukrainian Culture Club as well.

 

[Las Panteras]

A friend of the family’s daughter is transferring from a branch to Oakland campus. She’s from Vegas and knows nothing of the area. She’s also Ukrainian and a bit sheltered. I wanted to take her around before she starts. I’ll do the cathedral and my old haunts, but wanted help with other places to show her. Trying to be a good ambassador to the school. Any help appreciated. Thanks.

If im not mistaken, there is a significant Ukrainian presence in Hazelwood including a well regarded church.

 

[CrazyPaco]

What is her intended major? Where is she going to live in Oakland? How long do you have to show her around? Are you meeting her in Oakland or driving her there; which direction are you coming from? Has she seen any of the rest of the city? She was from Las Vegas and attended a Pitt regional campus? which one? Did she grow up in the States or in Ukraine?

 

[Dan1911]

Hey Paco,

You asked a lot.

She’s doing biosciences, but I don’t know exactly what. I wanted to spend a whole day and take her out to lunch maybe dinner. Attending Pitt-Greensburg, taking classes there this summer, hence she’s in PA and not Vegas. I know she’s been to Pittsburgh a handful of times, but I’m not sure all she’s seen. Coming in from Greensburg via Monroeville, probably.

 

[Dan1911]

725,

Some good ideas. I’ll get her in touch with the CIS and the cultural club. I think she’d like it.

 

[Dan1911]

Panteras,

I’ll explore the Hazelwood connection and try to find that church.

 

[CrazyPaco]

Hey Paco,

You asked a lot.

She’s doing biosciences, but I don’t know exactly what. I wanted to spend a whole day and take her out to lunch maybe dinner. Attending Pitt-Greensburg, taking classes there this summer, hence she’s in PA and not Vegas. I know she’s been to Pittsburgh a handful of times, but I’m not sure all she’s seen. Coming in from Greensburg via Monroeville, probably.

Ok, from that direction (on 376 coming from the east like Greensburg direction) this is how I bring in people to see Pitt for the first time...I do this every time it is someone's first time, because first impressions matter, and sometimes I go out of my way to do it.

I recommend getting off the highway the Edgewood/Swissvale exit (exit 77) and not going through the tunnels. At the end of the Edgewood exit, take a right onto South Braddock towards Edgewood and take it up to the red light at the corner of S. Braddock and Forbes and go left on Forbes over reconstructed Fern Hollow Bridge. Take Forbes

the whole way through Squirell Hill (and you can point out Squirell Hill is an easily accessable neighborhood adjacent to Pitt by bus...which are all free with a Pitt ID) and then to into Oakland through Schenley Park (not Forbes Ave...in other words, stay straight at the Y to go onto Schenley Drive, don't veer right to stay on Forbes).

IMO, this is absolutely the greatest approach to Pitt. It looks awesome...you can see the Cathedral coming over the crest of the first hill into the golf course and are enveloped in the park. You drive by Carnegie Mellon on the right. You curve around by the Westinghouse memorial and come up to where Phipps (the Panther Hollow bridge and the four 125+ year old Giuseppe Moretti Panther statues are to the left) and curve past

Phipps over Schenley Bridge and are smack in the middle of campus with the Frick Fine Arts Building on your left, the Carnegie Library and museums on your right, Schenley Plaza in front of you with the Cathedral of Learning absolute imposing itself on the view. It is awesome.

When you are driving through Schenley Park, it also is a chance to orient her to how this huge public park is adjacent to campus and there are walking and jogging trails, frisbee golf, the cross-country course Pitt's team uses, track,

the ice rink in the winter...how close Pitt is to Carnegie Mellon.... where Phipps is (which is free admission with a Pitt ID) which is a great respite in any season just to decompress. Can quickly point out that those oldest of Panther statues and how the students used to have to protect them from being painted by opposing teams (years and years and years ago).

 

[CrazyPaco]

Schenley Drive before the Schenley Bridge may als

o be a good place to Park if you don't mind walking a little bit, but it depends. But say you park on Schenley Dr and walk over the bridge onto Pitt's campus, point out the two libraries she'll have access to if she wants (Hillman on one side of Schenley Plaza, Carnegie Public library (and museums that are free with a Pitt ID) on the other), point out the food kiosk on the plaza and the merry-go-round...Posvar Hall where she'll likely have some classes (if someone cares about baseball, t

his is were I do a quick detour to point out some highlights of Forbes Field remnants/wall), but I'd run into Frick Fine Arts building and quickly see the Lochoff Cloister and art library and then hit

Posvar Hall and duck in to see the Pitt Global Studies, Forbes Field home plate, and point out the (one of the most impressive artifacts Pitt has that is completely ignored).

Then, because Hillman is likely a mess with all the construction,

you can go up the escalator in Posvar to the bridge over Forbes to the towers, pointing out the law school along the way, and go through Schenley Quad with a stop in the Book Store and then into the William Pitt Union, where must sees are the Tanksy Family Lounge and the Ballroom with lots of historic points to be noted along the way.


You can exit the WPU on the 5th Ave side stop by the millennium Panther and then cross Bigelow

over to the Cathedral...go up the front steps and enter directly into the Commons Room for the most explosive first impression. You can see which 1st floor nationality rooms are open and pop your head into them (Germany is my favorite, and England is a must see because of all the

historic artifacts from the actual House of Commons), but all of the ones on the 3rd floor should be open during the day. Ukraine is in room 341, a must stop if she is into her heritage (and you can point out how m

uch nicer it is than the Russian room ;-) ). The Frick audiotorium in 324 is also usually open. Then go up the elevator to the Honors College on floors 35-36 for a mandatory vista look and orient to downtown and even Acrisure Stadium.

Back down to floor one and out the side by Stephen Foster (which is nice to stop in if open), or if short on time, out the back for a walk around the Cathedral Lawn and, if no wedding, a must stop in Heinz Chapel to see the stained glass.

From Heinz Chapel, with her going into the biosciences, cross 5th Ave over to poke into Clapp Hall, the main home of the biology department. (Note Bellefield Hall also has a really cool auditorium to show if there is

extra time for a detour out the back of Heinz Chapel.) Clapp-Langley-Crawford complex is likely where she'll have a bunch of labs or classes, as both the Dept of Biology and the Dept of Neuroscience are in those buidings. Be sure to point over to the Music Buildling as the place where Mr. Rodgers originally filmed.

Cross out of Clapp and up 5th to Alumni Hall and duck in there. Conley Ballroom is a good space to look at, and I believe still has all the portraits of former chancellors around the top balcony. Alumni Hall also has the main offices of admissions, and might be a good place to ask questions if it is staffed. But Alumni Hall is also a good place to point out for studying at the desks in the upper floors.

Then you can walk up 5th (can't wait to add the PAA building in the future) to University Place and up to O'Hara St and point out a whole bunch of stuff...Nordenburg Hall, Chevron, physics, engineering...also the O'Hara Street student center which acts

like a annex to the Union (and also has some cool woodwork and ballrooms). Note as you go up University Place, the University Club rooftop terrace (and college room) is now open to the public/alumni. You could go up there and grab a snack/drink on the terrace; the view from the rooftop terrace is absolutely Pittacular.

Anyway, up O'Hara, you can also point out the new

Student Rec center that will be finished this year, UPMC and note all the bioscience labs and lab buildings which she can find experiences and lab work opportunities in, the Pete and its student accessible food court (can take the escalator up the hill if desired to show anything up there like those residence halls).

That is sort of the whirlwind. If she is planning in the biosciences, emphasize all the opportunities and buildings devoted to it; she absolutely picked one of the best places in the country to do anything in the biosciences.

At that point, it may be time to eat...I usual take Pittsburgh newbies to Primanti's

because that is just what every visitor needs to try at least once. Sadly, Dave & Andy's was a typical stop. Usually I sometimes finish off my day of tours with an hour of highlights in the Carnegie Museums...because those are impressive in that they are free to Pitt students. But I try to get a sense of what visitors may be interested in an tailor any tour I'm leading accordingly on the fly.

If you want any details about any of the buildings to pop off interesting (or perhaps not so interesting) historical factoids, I've placed a lot of information on them in their respective Wikipedia articles.

 

[mike 301]

Coming in from Greensburg via Monroeville, probably.

Bring some Tylenol for the young lady . Sitting in that traffic . She may need it .

 

[HailToPitt725]

Ok, from that direction (on 376 coming from the east like Greensburg direction) this is how I bring in people to see Pitt for the first time...I do this every time it is someone's first time, because first impressions matter, and sometimes I go out of my way to do it.

I recommend getting off the highway the Edgewood/Swissvale exit (exit 77) and not going through the tunnels. At the end of the Edgewood exit, take a right onto South Braddock towards Edgewood and take it up to the red light at the corner of S. Braddock and Forbes and go left on Forbes over reconstructed Fern Hollow Bridge. Take Forbes the whole way through Squirell Hill (and you can point out Squirell Hill is an easily accessable neighborhood adjacent to Pitt by bus...which are all free with a Pitt ID) and then to into Oakland through Schenley Park (not Forbes Ave...in other words, stay straight at the Y to go onto Schenley Drive, don't veer right to stay on Forbes).

IMO, this is absolutely the greatest approach to Pitt. It looks awesome...you can see the Cathedral coming over the crest of the first hill into the golf course and are enveloped in the park. You drive by Carnegie Mellon on the right. You curve around by the Westinghouse memorial and come up to where Phipps (the Panther Hollow bridge and the four 125+ year old Giuseppe Moretti Panther statues are to the left) and curve past Phipps over Schenley Bridge and are smack in the middle of campus with the Frick Fine Arts Building on your left, the Carnegie Library and museums on your right, Schenley Plaza in front of you with the Cathedral of Learning absolute imposing itself on the view. It is awesome.

When you are driving through Schenley Park, it also is a chance to orient her to how this huge public park is adjacent to campus and there are walking and jogging trails, frisbee golf, the cross-country course Pitt's team uses, track, the ice rink in the winter...how close Pitt is to Carnegie Mellon.... where Phipps is (which is free admission with a Pitt ID) which is a great respite in any season just to decompress. Can quickly point out that those oldest of Panther statues and how the students used to have to protect them from being painted by opposing teams (years and years and years ago).

Schenley Drive before the Schenley Bridge may also be a good place to Park if you don't mind walking a little bit, but it depends. But say you park on Schenley Dr and walk over the bridge onto Pitt's campus, point out the two libraries she'll have access to if she wants (Hillman on one side of Schenley Plaza, Carnegie Public library (and museums that are free with a Pitt ID) on the other), point out the food kiosk on the plaza and the merry-go-round...Posvar Hall where she'll likely have some classes (if someone cares about baseball, this is were I do a quick detour to point out some highlights of Forbes Field remnants/wall), but I'd run into Frick Fine Arts building and quickly see the Lochoff Cloister and art library and then hit Posvar Hall and duck in to see the Pitt Global Studies, Forbes Field home plate, and point out the Langley Aerodrome (one of the most impressive artifacts Pitt has that is completely ignored).

Then, because Hillman is likely a mess with all the construction, you can go up the escalator in Posvar to the bridge over Forbes to the towers, pointing out the law school along the way, and go through Schenley Quad with a stop in the Book Store and then into the William Pitt Union, where must sees are the Tanksy Family Lounge and the Ballroom with lots of historic points to be noted along the way. You can exit the WPU on the 5th Ave side stop by the Panther and then cross Bigelow over to the Cathedral...go up the front steps and enter directly into the Commons Room for the most explosive first impression. You can see which 1st floor nationality rooms are open and pop your head into them (Germany is my favorite, and England is a must see because of all the historic artifacts from the actual House of Commons), but all of the ones on the 3rd floor should be open during the day. Ukraine is in room 341, a must stop if she is into her heritage (and you can point out how much nicer it is than the Russian room ;-) ). The Frick audiotorium in 324 is also usually open. Then go up the elevator to the Honors College on floors 35-36 for a mandatory vista look and orient to downtown and even Acrisure Stadium. Back down to floor one and out the side by Stephen Foster (which is nice to stop in if open), or if short on time, out the back for a walk around the Cathedral Lawn and, if no wedding, a must stop in Heinz Chapel to see the stained glass.

From Heinz Chapel, with her going into the biosciences, cross 5th Ave over to poke into Clapp Hall, the main home of the biology department. (Note Bellefield Hall also has a really cool auditorium to show if there is extra time for a detour out the back of Heinz Chapel.) Clapp-Langley-Crawford complex is likely where she'll have a bunch of labs or classes, as both the Dept of Biology and the Dept of Neuroscience are in those buidings. Be sure to point over to the Music Buildling as the place where Mr. Rodgers originally filmed.

Cross out of Clapp and up 5th to Alumni Hall and duck in there. Conley Ballroom is look at, and I believe still has all the portraits of former chancellors around the top balcony. Alumni Hall also has the main offices of admissions, and might be a good place to ask questions if it is staffed. But Alumni Hall is also a good place to point out for studying at the desks in the upper floors.

Then you can walk up 5th to University Place and up to O'Hara St and point out a whole bunch of stuff...Nordenburg Hall, Chevron, physics, engineering...also the O'Hara Street student center which acts like a annex to the Union (and also has some cool woodwork and ballrooms). Note as you go up University Place, the University Club rooftop terrace (and college room) is now open to the public/alumni. You could go up there and grab a snack/drink on the terrace; the view from the rooftop terrace is absolutely Pittacular.

Anyway, up O'Hara, you can also point out the new Student Rec center that will be finished this year, UPMC and note all the bioscience labs and lab buildings which she can find experiences and lab work opportunities in, the Pete and its student accessible food court (can take the escalator up the hill if desired to show anything up there like those residence halls).

That is sort of the whirlwind. If she is planning in the biosciences, emphasize all the opportunities and buildings devoted to it, she absolutely picked one of the best places in the country to do anything in the biosciences.

At that point, it may be time to eat...I usual take Pittsburgh newbies to Primati's because that is just what every visitor needs to try at least once. Sadly, Dave & Andy's was a typical stop. Usually I sometimes finish off my day of tours with an hour of highlights in the Carnegie Museums...because those are impressive in that they are free to Pitt students. But I try to get a sense of what visitors may be interested in an tailor any tour I'm leading accordingly on the fly.

If you want any details about any of the buildings to pop off interesting (or perhaps not so interesting) historical factoids, I've placed a lot of information on them in their respective Wikipedia articles.

And this is why your the Panther Lair G.O.A.T ... I hope you know that the effort and energy you put into your posts does not go unnoticed!

 

[Dan1911]

Thanks for all the ideas/help/support.

 

[mike412]

It might have changed in the years since I left Pittsburgh, but the biggest Ukrainian church used to be St. Mary on Ella Street in McKees Rocks. Although there used to be a bunch of Ukrainian churches in Allegheny County, I don’t remember one in Hazelwood. St Mary is Ukrainian Orthodox and not Ukrainian Catholic.