Pittsburgh

[honeychile]

If you want a great view of the city, you should go to Mt. Washington. If you go in the afternoon, the Georgetown Inn is terribly reasonable ( I recommend the Turkey Devonshire; it was created here, and they do it up right!), has the same view as the snobby Le Mont, and it's close enough to the Duquesne Incline to take a ride. You'll see the city from the actual Point, as opposed to the Outlook, down the street (Grandview Avenue).

If you're looking for the colleges, you'll want to go to Oakland, east of Downtown. Pitt's Cathedral of Learning is amazing, and right up Forbes Avenue is CMU. There's every kind of eatery you can imagine, but the O (Original's) has hot dogs that are great! Pitt's sororities are in Amos Hall, which is the building on Fifth Avenue with PNC bank on the street level. CMU's are on the street just past their stadium, above some stores (but I hear they're nice). The fraternities are in town houses; Pitt's fraternities are also in town houses, at the top of what's called Cardiac Hill.

Shopping depends on what you're looking for, and where you're staying. If you're coming in by plane, you'll see the Robinson Town Center area - it's fairly new, and has everything, including miles of traffic. Another place is Station Square, and you can also catch an incline there, or take a boat ride up all three rivers (the Gateway Clipper fleet). I haven't been to SS for a while, but it was a yuppy small mall the last time I was there.

Or, you could meet up with some of the GC locals - we've all had our shots and won't bite!