From snacks to steak, Pittsburgh offers many options

You have moved into your new home away from home. Clothes are unpacked, books are purchased,… You have moved into your new home away from home. Clothes are unpacked, books are purchased, classrooms are located, and you have found the local McDonald’s. All you need to do now is find the grocery store. Depending on your preferences, there are several places you can go to fulfill your needs.

Several shops and restaurants in the area cater to the local student population.

Walking down Forbes Avenue, you will find what you’re looking for to fulfill immediate shopping needs. Whether it is Band-Aids, milk, chocolate or a hangover cure, 7-Eleven, CVS, Rite Aid and Eckerd have it. For those midnight snack runs, 7-Eleven, Rite Aid and CVS are open 24 hours a day.

Giant Eagle, at North Craig Street and Centre Avenue, is the closest grocery store to Pitt. If you continue down Centre Avenue, you pass another Giant Eagle. If you keep going, you will reach Whole Foods Market. Neatly stacked fresh fruit greets you as you walk into Whole Foods. The market offers organic foods and other products. Hot food, which you can take home or eat there, is also available. Tables set up outside allow those who choose to dine at the store to enjoy the weather along with their food.

There are a few other places in the area to purchase take-home foods. Kunst Bakery, on Forbes, and Salim’s Middle Eastern Foods, near the corner of Centre Avenue and North Neville Street, are two. If you’re looking for a reliable butcher shop to get some barbeque fodder, check out Salem’s Halal on South Bouquet Street, across from the post office.

If you continue a few miles down Forbes, from campus, you will head into Squirrel Hill. This is one of several areas where you can purchase foods characteristic of different cultures. On Murray Avenue, you will find shops carrying Japanese, Indian, Italian, Asian and Kosher food.

Murray Avenue Kosher has a sign advertising that it sells Produce For Less. Here you will find foods for the vegan and kosher eater. The store keeps special hours for Jewish holidays.

On Penn Avenue, close to downtown, you will find a commercial area called The Strip District. Once known for supplying local stores with wholesale goods, the area now sells to the individual. For several blocks, a shopper will find food, produce, baked goods and ethnic markets. Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, Fortunes Coffee Roastery, Garden Patch Produce, Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor, Prestogeorge Fine Foods, Inc. and The Enrico Biscotti Company are few of the stores you will find.

One place you might want to check out is Robert Wholey ‘amp; Co, popularly known as Wholey’s. You can purchase fresh seafood to prepare at home. If you become hungry while shopping, you can have one of Wholey’s fish sandwiches. Also, Andy’s Sushi Bar is located on the premises.

Some stores offer savings cards free of charge. These cards allow you to shop without having coupons stuffed in your wallet. Giant Eagle and CVS are a couple of places that offer such cards. After you get your Giant Eagle card, you can go to their Web site and find additional savings.

As with anything, if these suggestions do not fit your needs, ask more experienced Pittsburghers for advice; they’ve probably been in your shoes before.