Cool. Lemme know if you ever want a pool or dart game at Murphy's. The beer is hella cheap and I've been looking for an excuse to get back over that way.
Batman Jones -- I can't live on campus (no grad. housing on campus), but I'm hoping maybe there's some cheap places nearby. Preferably with lots of female undergrads. I suppose I have no choice but to deal with the weather. Go from one extreme to the other . . .
Vengeance: CMU's pretty centrally located between Oakland, Squirrel Hill and Bloomfield/Garfield/Shadyside/Lawrencville, I think. I don't much care for Oakland, but you might. Definitely overrun with college kids, so you'd find the girls you're looking for but I've found them in every neighborhood in Pgh so it's not really an issue. Squirrel Hill's a great neighborhood but a little pricey compared to the others. It's really good for walking -- one of the only neighborhoods where you can get every single thing you want by walking to it. Movies, books, bars, restaurants, groceries, etc. It's a largely Hasidic neighborhood so it has to be walkable for the Sabbath. I really like the Bloomfield area and it's very walkable too -- important if you're not using to driving in ice and snow. Main thing, it's cheap as hell. I'm sharing a two story, two bedroom apartment. We each have two large rooms on our own floors and share a kitchen and bathroom. And we pay $195 each. Rents are incredibly low pretty much anywhere in Pgh. You might also look into Regent Square, near Beck. He can speak more to the neighborhood, but there's plenty to do there too. I also liked the Northside. I stayed there for a few months in artist housing when I first came here to direct a play at the Mattress Factory. It's a little out of the way for CMU I think, but you'd be right by the football stadium, a beautiful park and one of my favorite Pgh bars (the Modern Cafe). It's also super cheap and super diverse. The Southside's like a giant frat party. I only go there when I have to, but others love it. It's certainly worth looking in to if you're looking for college kids.
WOW, thanks for all the info!!! I'm going to look into it further this evening. I've never driven on ice. In fact, I've never really even driven on hills or anything. I'm going to try to do lots of public transit and walking while I'm there!!
V: I've never used them, but I've heard the buses are very good here. I know a lot of people with cars who use them just to avoid parking downtown. If you don't have to cross bridges, there's not much ice to contend with. It's mostly snow and they're pretty good here about plowing the streets. The main ones are plowed almost immediately and the side ones soon after. If you drive slow, it's not much of an issue as long as you avoid hills and bridges. And I'm extra paranoid about all that stuff. Others would tell you it's never that big a deal. Keep asking if you have questions. And welcome to Pittsburgh. I think you'll like it a lot.
I know the Andy Warhol Museum is there and that its pretty damn cool seeing his work up close. Good luck to you and let us know how things are going.
