Oakland offers some great eateries, shops and cultural experiences. It’s possible to spend all… Oakland offers some great eateries, shops and cultural experiences. It’s possible to spend all of freshman year exploring what Oakland has to offer but to do so would be a mistake. As a freshman, I spent my first few weeks almost exclusively in Oakland, and I had a great time. It’s a beautiful neighborhood and, like I said, it has a lot to offer.

But eventually it becomes time to branch out and start experiencing the rest of what Pittsburgh has to give as well. Sure, Oakland is wonderful, but many different communities make up this city and each is worth visiting when new to the area.

Bloomfield is a great example. It’s a neighborhood known as Pittsburgh’s Little Italy, and if you spend a few minutes walking through it, you’ll know why. It’s home to some great Italian eateries and shops, and every year it throws an Italian festival complete with great food and live music. I stumbled upon the festival by accident as a freshman last year while looking for a bookstore in the area, and I enjoyed it so much that I intend to go back next year as a sophomore.

Squirrel Hill is another neighborhood in Pittsburgh that every freshman should check out. It’s the center of Pittsburgh’s Jewish community and is home to a number of synagogues and Jewish schools. It’s easily accessible by bus and is a great place to go out to eat or spend a day shopping. It’s also home to a movie theater that can be easily reached by public transit. Squirrel Hill is so close that there’s no excuse not to check it out one weekend as a freshman.

Spending a day in a neighborhood with a strong ethnic heritage is a great way to learn about Pittsburgh’s past. Our city has a rich history that isn’t always reflected by Oakland, because Oakland is essentially a college neighborhood.

Mt. Washington is a neighborhood to the west of Oakland and across the river, and although it doesn’t offer the same cultural history as either Bloomfield or Squirrel Hill, it does offer some unique attractions. The nighttime view from Mt. Washington was rated the second of 10 “Most Beautiful Places in America” by USA Today in 2003. It is nothing short of stunning and probably serves as the best introduction to the city of Pittsburgh.

You can also get a great view of the city from the two inclines that run up and down Mt. Washington, and Pitt students have free access to these with the use of our student IDs. The neighborhood is also known for a number of fine restaurants, and these, combined with the great view, make it the perfect neighborhood to take a date.

The Strip District might not provide as attractive a view as Mt. Washington or as intriguing an ethnic history as Squirrel Hill and Bloomfield, but it is one of Pittsburgh’s more interesting shopping districts.

The Strip District is also home to the Senator John Heinz History Center, the largest history museum in the state. There is no better place in which to learn about the history of both the city and the region whether you’re new to the area or have lived here all your life.

These are just a few of the neighborhoods that make up the city of Pittsburgh. There are obviously a lot more than the four that I have briefly mentioned, and they all are worth visiting.

Don’t get me wrong: I love Oakland. It’s a wonderful neighborhood, and I spent most of my freshman year trying to get to know it better. But Oakland is only a small part of Pittsburgh, and it’s important to experience as much of what Pittsburgh has to offer as possible.

And although I know that I talked a lot about what one can “learn” from all of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, it’s also important to be able to take a day during the weekend and go have fun. Spending a day shopping in the Strip District, going to a movie in Squirrel Hill or eating dinner at a great restaurant on Mt. Washington can make the stress of freshman year disappear at least temporarily.

I wish I could say I learned something from Bloomfield’s Italian festival, but all I really remember is the great food and the live music. It was a new experience, and that’s why I’m at college: to gain new experiences, many of which are educational and some of which are just fun.

Every neighborhood in Pittsburgh is full of these new experiences. My advice is to explore as many as possible.

E-mail Giles at [email protected].