Opinion | Back to Pittsburgh: Pitt student’s vacation back to the Burgh

On June 16, my friend and I took a trip back to Pittsburgh to hang out with some friends and have a good time. We missed the city dearly and knew that this was a good time to visit before we moved into our apartment in August. This visit made me consider staying in Pittsburgh next summer — the summer going into my senior year. 

I know of many people, mainly friends, that stay in Pittsburgh for the summer. Honestly, I feel as though people stay because of the student environment. Many people may also have internships or just a stable job there — especially if they had a job during the school year. Some people may even enjoy Pittsburgh more than their hometown. 

The trip to Pittsburgh started with my friend Mandy and I making a playlist. We added some great songs that can keep us going for the five-hour car drive. Songs by Alex G, Erykah Badu, Modern Baseball, The Go! Team and Childish Gambino played throughout the trip. We had a good mix of songs going, and then sometimes a random song from the SpongeBob soundtrack would play. It gave us some laughs, though! You always have to start the trip with a good playlist.

I took my car to my friend’s house in West Chester, Pennsylvania — a solid 45-minute drive from my place in Philly. We proceeded to make a quick stop at Wawa — because what is a road trip without a Wawa stop? The entire trip, we filled each other in with extra gossip and lore that dropped during our time away from Pittsburgh. We talked almost the entire car ride. 

We finally arrived in Pittsburgh and stayed with our friend Nicole in her apartment. Right as we arrived, we were starving, so we decided to take a trip to Trader Joe’s, where we got a variety of food. We stocked up and then went to see our friend Bella. 

The next day, Monday, I met up with my friend Madison, and we went to Tous Les Jours. This place was phenomenal! We chatted about so many different things and filled each other in on what we’ve been up to during our summer off. 

That same night, I went to a concert. My friend’s venue was celebrating one year of live music. We were most excited about this event for our trip back to Pittsburgh. I saw many more of my friends at the show, and we had a great time. I always love the environment every time I go to those shows. The weather on Monday was really odd, but honestly, it made the day even better. There were thunderstorms before the show started, and my friends and I just sat outside on the deck. It felt so nice outside compared to how hot it was earlier.

The next day, we went to Walnut Street and spent some money on things we probably didn’t need. That’s what happens when you have friends encouraging you to buy things, though! I finally met my friends’ cats — Cannoli and Cinnamon. We hung out at my friend’s apartment and played some games. We played a lot of Jackbox Games. We had many good laughs with those ones. 

Wednesday was a sad day, as we had to leave Pittsburgh. As much as we didn’t want to leave, we at least knew that we would be back very soon. My friends Mandy, Nicole and I took the trip back, continuing to listen to our silly Spotify playlist. I continued to take pictures with my digital camera, which holds many memories. That camera has videos from the car ride, videos and pictures from the concert and many photos of my friends. 

I think students should take a trip back to Pittsburgh over the summer whenever they can. If you love the city during the school year, you’ll love it over the summer. Plus, if you’re not taking any summer classes, you have more freedom. If you know that you have friends staying in Pittsburgh for the summer, give them a visit. I missed many of my friends who stayed in Pittsburgh while I went back to Philly, so I knew taking a trip would be enjoyable. 

That trip back to Pittsburgh was amazing. I missed it so dearly and it made me think about how much I would love to stay there after I graduate. That’s a later decision to be made, but there have been so many great memories that I have made there so far and those few days that I was there will definitely stick with me.

Have any fun Pittsburgh memories? You can share them with Irene through her email inm24@pitt.edu.