Campus Life | Fall Activities

The first day of fall was on Sept. 22, and the weather in Pittsburgh has changed drastically since then. Recent temperatures have reached the mid-60s and the lowest were 40 degrees. Since it is getting cold pretty quickly, it can be hard to still do fun activities on and off campus. Now that I am a junior, I think I have a good idea of some fun things to do around Pittsburgh when it is cold outside.

Pittsburgh has many museums close to campus, and most of them are very fun to go visit either alone or with a few friends. The closest one to campus is the Carnegie Museum of Art on Forbes Avenue, and I think it is an amazing experience. The museum is filled with beautiful artwork done by various artists and has many amazing collections. It also holds exhibitions, where you can learn more about certain art pieces and have various events and programs throughout the year. In the same building as the art museum, Carnegie also has the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. This museum has exhibitions focused on accurately displaying prehistoric beings and the evolution of North American botany.

If you want to visit a more contemporary museum, the Mattress Factory is a great place to go. It is a little far from campus — you have to go through downtown and cross the Allegheny River, since it is located on Sampsonia Way. Although this museum is a little far, you can easily get there either by Pittsburgh Regional Transit buses or with an Uber, although the prices might be a little high for Uber! The Mattress Factory is known for its installation art in forms of videos, performance art and other nontraditional mediums. I went during my sophomore year and had such a fun time taking pictures and exploring all the different art the museum had to offer.

Another fun museum that I think is worth taking a trip to is the Andy Warhol Museum on Sandusky Street, which is about five minutes away from the Mattress Factory. I have never been to this museum before, but my roommate always says that it is definitely worth going to. The Andy Warhol Museum is the biggest museum in North America, according to their page, that is dedicated to a single artist. It holds a very large collection of Warhol’s artwork and a variety of pieces from his collection, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, wallpapers and other works. They also offer internships and volunteer opportunities for students interested in engaging with art and those who want to surround themselves with it. I will definitely be making the time to go sometime this semester!

Over the years I have noticed that Pittsburgh has a variety of coffee shops and cafes on and off campus. I have visited many on campus, such as Divvy Coffee & Buns on Forbes Avenue, Redhawk Coffee on Meyran Avenue and Saxbys, which is in Hillman Library, Pitt’s Big Idea Center and the Cathedral of Learning. Recently they also opened up a new location of Saxbys in Pitt’s Big Idea, which is on the corner of Forbes and Meyran. Some off-campus coffee shops that I think are worth going to based off of their assortment of coffee are The Coffee Tree Roasters on Walnut Street in Shadyside, Margaux on Penn Avenue and Commonplace Coffee on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill. A few other places that I have been meaning to try are Big Dog Coffee on Sarah Street in Southside, Jitters Cafe on Walnut Street in Shadyside and De Fer Coffee & Tea on Technology Drive. I think going to coffee shops either alone or with a few friends to study or just hang out when it is cold outside is a great way to get out of your house or dorm and be outside. Plus, you can try different types of coffees and baked goods!

There are so many other things that you can do in Pittsburgh other than only visiting museums and different coffee shops, such as also staying and watching a movie or trying out a new recipe with your roommate, but these are two things that I enjoy doing the most.

Shriya writes about some things she enjoys doing in Pittsburgh on and off campus when the weather outside is cold. Talk to them at shy76@pitt.edu.