On June 16th, my friend and I returned to Pittsburgh to hang out with friends and have a great time. We have missed the city dearly and knew it would be a good time to visit before moving into an apartment in August. This visit got me thinking about staying in Pittsburgh the following summer, the summer before my senior year of college.
I know a lot of people, mostly friends, who stay in Pittsburgh for the summer. To be honest, I feel like a lot of them stay because of the student environment. Also, a lot of them have internships or stable jobs, especially if they worked during the semester. Some may even enjoy Pittsburgh more than they do back home.
Our trip to Pittsburgh started with my friend Mandy and I making a playlist. We added some great songs to spice up the 5 hour drive. Alex G, Erykah Badu, Modern Baseball, The Go! Team, and Childish Gambino were playing throughout the trip. We had a variety of songs playing, including a random song from the Spongebob Squarepants soundtrack. It made us laugh though! A trip should always start with a good playlist.
I was driving to a friend's house in West Chester, Pennsylvania, about a 45-minute drive from my house in Philadelphia. We made a quick stop at a Wawa. It wouldn't be a road trip without a Wawa stop. Throughout the trip, we told each other all the extra gossip and legends we'd heard while we were out of Pittsburgh. We talked the whole car ride.
I finally arrived in Pittsburgh and stayed at my friend Nicole's apartment. I was hungry as soon as I arrived so I decided to go to Trader Joe's and get a variety of food. After stocking up on food, I went to meet my friend Bella.
The next day, Monday, I met up with my friend Madison and we went to Tous Les Jours. It was awesome! We talked about all sorts of things and told each other what we were doing during the summer holidays.
That same night, I went to a concert. My friend's venue was celebrating their one year anniversary of live music. We were most excited for this event on our way back to Pittsburgh. We met even more friends at the show and had a great time. I always love the atmosphere whenever I go to these shows. The weather was really weird on Monday, but honestly, it made the day even better. There was a thunderstorm before the show started and my friend and I were sitting outside on the deck. It was so nice outside compared to the heat we had just experienced.
The next day we went to Walnut Street and spent money on things we probably didn't need. But this is what happens when your friends encourage you to buy things. We finally met my friend's cats, Cannoli and Cinnamon. We hung out at my friend's apartment and played games. We played a lot of Jackbox games. We laughed a lot at those games.
Wednesday was a sad day because I had to leave Pittsburgh. I didn't want to leave, but at least I knew I'd be back soon. My friends Mandy, Nicole, and I listened to a crappy Spotify playlist on the way home. I kept taking pictures with my digital camera, which holds a lot of memories. It has videos of the car ride, videos and photos from the concert, and lots of photos of my friends.
I think students should travel to Pittsburgh during summer vacation if they can. If you like the city during the semester, you'll like it during summer vacation too. Plus, you'll have more freedom if you don't take summer classes. If you have friends staying in Pittsburgh during summer vacation, I recommend you visit them. I missed my friends who were still in Pittsburgh during my visit to Philadelphia, so I thought it would be fun to go on a trip.
The trip to Pittsburgh was amazing. I felt very nostalgic and I really wanted to stay there after graduation. That's something I'll decide later, but I have so many great memories I've made there so far and the few days I spent there will definitely be unforgettable ones.
Do you have any fond memories of Pittsburgh? You can share them with Eileen via her email at inm24@pitt.edu.
