Pittsburgh has an incredible Autism research study going on at the University of Pittsburgh, if you're interested in participating in anything like that.
A few things you should know about Pittsburgh, from a lifelong resident who may move (more or less because of strong demand for what I'm majoring in down south):
1. Sports are worshipped more than God. If you move to Pittsburgh you should at least buy one Steelers item, preferably a jersey. It may also help to learn the names and positions of the current players as well as the "legends" (anyone from the 1970s plus a few later players such as Jerome Bettis). The Penguins are also very well-loved and again, there are plenty of names to know here (current and former). The Pirates haven't been good in a long time but people still go to their games, probably because the park is nice and there isn't a whole lot to do in the summer.
2. If you like history and/or architecture, you'll probably have fun in Pittsburgh. There's plenty of both and even a very nice Regional History Center that showcases the area's historical artifacts. I recommend visiting the History Center if you're passing through and also suggest stopping at the Museum of Natural History (best dinosaur exhibit anywhere) and the Carnegie Science Center (they have an Omnimax theater, one of the few in the world). Pittsburgh also has an excellent zoo and is home to the National Aviary.
3. Parking in downtown Pittsburgh is atrocious, both in terms of accessibility and rates. If you are in the suburbs, by all means take the bus downtown. If you don't drive, the bus system is pretty good. They keep threatening to cut routes but it will never happen because the bus system has such as strong base that will fight for it.
4. Colleges are one of the biggest draws to the city. CMU, Pitt, Robert Morris, Duquesne, and others are in the city, with a few more on the outskirts. There are also a lot of libraries and plenty of good schools.
5. Science and technology seem to be the big industries these days. There are other things too (such as financial companies) but these two seem to be the fastest growing segments. The proximity to CMU (big tech/science school) is probably to blame (along with the decline of industry). Medicine is huge too. A lot of jobs require good networking, so if you want to work in Pittsburgh in some fields you may have to start out somewhere else for a year or two if you don't know the right people.
6. To continue the last statement--everyone who was born/raised in Pittsburgh somehow seems to come back eventually. A lot of them leave just to get job experience and then come back for a Pittsburgh job a year or two later. The pay is good in almost all fields, the cost of living is pretty low, housing is cheap, and the city is pretty unique.
7. There is no such thing as the "smoky city" these days. The air has been good for years. It used to be pretty bad from all the steel mills but this is no longer the case.
8. The climate is the best of both worlds. You get blistering hot summers with tons of humidity and frigid cold winters with tons of snow and ice. White Christmases, however, have been tough to come by in recent years.
9. There are a lot of old people in Pittsburgh. If you ever wanted a job in a nursing home, there are probably at least 10 openings calling your name right now--new facilities go up almost daily.
10. Almost everyone in Pittsburgh drinks beer or some form of alcohol. If you're uncomfortable with this, it may not be the best choice for you (which is one of the reasons why I want to move--I'm having trouble finding like-minded people).
11. You should be familiar with the following terms if you ever come to Pittsburgh:
A. Primanti Sandwich--a sandwich sold at Primanti Bros. restaurants that has french fries and cole slaw on the sandwich. Filled with fat and calories but tastes pretty good.
B. Yinz--plural for more than one person, as in "did yinz see the Steelers game?"; often used with "guys" (as in "yinz guys").
C. PAT bus--short for Port Authority Transit, but everyone calls it PAT, as in Pat Sajak.
D. Incline--a public transit that runs up and down the large hills that surround the rivers. Very unique and worth riding if you visit.
E. Parkway--any of a series of roads, usually designated as interstates, around the city. You hear these on traffic reports all the time. They're on Wikipedia if you need to know what number goes with what direction.
F. The Point--the area where the city's three rivers meet.
G. The Mon, the Al, and the O--nicknames for the three rivers.
H. Strip District--often mistaken for a red light district by people who have never visited Pittsburgh, it's an area of town that is filled with food markets.
I. Oakland--not a city in California in this case, but instead an area of town that is home to Pitt and CMU.
J. Kennywood--a large, old-fashioned amusement park with awesome wooden roller coasters.
K. The ambiguous Perry--Perry can refer to any of the following in the city: Perry Highway (part of US 19), Perry Hilltop (an area of the city), Perry High School (a public high school), Perry Traditional Academy (a private school), Perry (an area of the city), Perrysville (a different area of the city and part of a suburb), Darren Perry (who used to play safety for the Steelers), or singer Perry Como (who grew up near Pittsburgh).
L. Squirrel Hill--a lot of people think this is a fictitious place, but it does exist; if you are Jewish it's the home of many of the kosher markets and temples (and is the place to be if you are an Orthodox Jew, most who observe the faith seem to live here).
M. Roberto Clemente--a former Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder and a legend in the city for his community work as much as his baseball skills. He's in the baseball hall of fame.
N. Sixburgh--the current nickname of the city since the Steelers have six Super Bowl rings, more than any other NFL team. Other nicknames include "City of Champions" (used last year when the Steelers and Penguins won the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup respectively) and Blitzburgh (used in the 1990s when the Steelers defense was known for the blitz).
02 Jan 2010, 10:48 pm
