How to Plan Summer Visit to CMU?

tokenadult · 05-08-2008, 09:14 PM

It's time. My oldest S has other occasions to travel east this summer, so we are hoping to pass through Pittsburgh to visit the Carnegie Mellon University campus during the trip. I've checked the summer schedule, and it looks like we can readily join a campus tour, but we will probably NOT arrive on a day with an on-campus information session. (But we've seen CMU's regional information sessions here in our town, so that's all right.)

The visit will be brief, and mostly just the admission tour. But what else should we absolutely, positively do if we are at Carnegie Mellon campus? (We last passed through Pittsburgh four years ago when my son went to a CTY program in Lancaster, PA. I don't think I've ever seen the CMU campus.) Where should we stay? What would be a good place to mosey around on our own to get a sense (as much as that can be done during the summer) of life at CMU? All information and opinions eagerly sought.

KrazyKow · 05-08-2008, 09:38 PM

CMU's campus is a bit hilly, so it can be easy to get slightly lost. If you're interested in seeing a large construction pit, the best view of the Gates Center in progress is from the Newell-Simon Atrium. Just wander around campus some, and don't miss the University Center. The game room (Scotland Yard) is in the basement and easily missed; the campus radio station, robotics club, the post office, and a PNC branch are down there as well. We have some... interesting... public art; the wacky blue/yellow/green blob that shows up on maps labeled as Kraus Campo is cool. There's also a large pole with people on it in front of the admissions office. Schenley Park, a huge park next to campus, can be nice for wandering if you have time. Most student housing is on the edges of campus, concentrated on the "Hill" and on Morewood Ave.

The most convenient place to stay is the Holiday Inn Express on Fifth Ave- it's about half a mile to campus, easily walkable (I live a block or two away from the hotel and walk to school every day). It's also convenient to University of Pittsburgh, as you'll probably want to see what that area of town is like. Craig St. between Forbes and Fifth is probably the easiest/most popular place for students to find food off campus. I'm particularly fond of the crepe restaurant there; Kiva Han, a local coffee shop, has a lot of good things that aren't coffee. There's also the Carnegie Museums (art and natural history, plus Carnegie Music Hall... sadly not the real one) as well as Phipps Conservatory.

There's some bars and a lot of restaurants near University of Pittsburgh (area of town is called Oakland). It's worth walking by the Cathedral of Learning; if you're interested you can go in and see the nationality rooms... I've never done it. I recommend eating at Spice Island Tea House, which is a hole-in-the-wall Southeast Asian restaurant on Atwood, a few blocks south of Forbes. Squirrel Hill, which is about a 30 minute walk from campus, also has a lot of restaurants and is mostly residential - some upscale and some not so much. Shadyside, about a 20 minute walk, has upscale shopping and some restaurants, ranging from Max & Erma's to some very pricey places.

mathmom · 05-08-2008, 09:53 PM

Most of the hotels have shuttles to the campus which are very convenient since parking at CMU isn't always easy. There are nice restaurants across the river in the area around East Carson street. I'm told it's fun to enjoy the view by taking the funicular railways. You can pick up a nice restaurant guide from the info. office at University Center. We ate at an Indian restaurant in a Victorian house. I forget the name, I think it was on Neville St.

tokenadult · 05-08-2008, 10:00 PM

Thanks for the very specific information. I can't wait to make the visit.

LongPrime · 05-08-2008, 11:54 PM

You can breeze through CMU fairly quickly 3 hours. It is a technical university and it shows its functionality.You see one classroom, the next will be the same. It looks like a landgrant school, with too many buildings devoted to research. I was much more impressed with the Cathedral of Learning, the Chapel of the U of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museums, Mansions of Pittsburgh, Schenley Park (conservatory, gardens, golf course) next to CMU. The immediate surrounds of CMU will take several days to take in. The Mellon Institute is by itself, a very impressive piece of masonery. The Fine Arts building is very very impressive. The old gym is probably the closest building that looks like a Eastern US college building.

LongPrime · 05-09-2008, 12:16 AM

Two things to do within 3 minutes. I had the pleasure of buying S a beer at his graduation, (he turned 21 a week before) at the bottom of 1). The Incline. 2). (Hooters).

RacinReaver · 05-09-2008, 01:32 AM

Quote:

We ate at an Indian restaurant in a Victorian house. I forget the name, I think it was on Neville St.

Ahh, yeah, I remember eating there once with a few friends. They had a delicious lunch buffet. Much better than the Indian place that's near Craig and Forbes.

I don't know if I'd agree about LongPrime about being able to breeze through the school in just a few hours. If your son is interested in learning about a specific department, I'd get in contact with that department and ask for an individualized tour. I used to give them for my department (Materials Science) and they could easily run over an hour and a half with me just showing them the handful of labs I had keys for and depending on how many questions they had.

While you're in Pittsburgh, be sure to stop at Dave & Andy's Ice Cream Shop. It's just a short walk from CMU, and had some of the best ice cream out there (be sure to get the waffle cone, it's a ton of ice cream for the price). Try out the Birthday Cake ice cream, you'll be pleasantly surprised!

2331clk · 05-09-2008, 06:33 AM

Good suggestions so far.

It would be a shame to breeze thru in just 3 hours. The campus itself though is compact where you can go end to end in maybe 15 minutes. Besides your son's department, must see on campus would be site of new Gates bldg construction (as KK said), the fine arts building (look up at the ceiling), roof of Campo (next to Tepper bldg), wander inside UCenter, and Purnell theater.

Don't expect a Princeton-like campus. But in its functionality and order and symmetry (the mall) the campus has its beauty and certainly has a college feel in spite of being in a city.

Agree strongly with LongPrime...to get a feel for CMU overall, you need to walk off the campus down Forbes Av (east) to the Craig Street area, which in my mind is the unofficial demarcation between the Pitt and CMU campuses and where students from both U's hang out. Walk east a bit more, go inside the Cathedral and if you have time go to the top floor (about 35 floors) where there's a fantastic bird's eye view of the entire CMU campus. The Carnegie museums are across the street. Then walk down Forbes (still east) a bit more to get the real feel of Oakland (lower Pitt campus).

If you can scrounge up another hour, head toward the city (downtown), take the Liberty bridge exit, make your first right just over the bridge (don't go thru the tunnel). Follow that for Mt. Washington view of the city. It's a beauty...you see the city, the three rivers, stadiums spread before you. Especially at dusk.

If you're there at breakfast or lunch, go to Pamela's restaurant on Walnut in Shadyside for the best pancakes (crispy edged crepe-like dreams) anywhere.

Hope you can spend a full day...there's a lot to see. Have fun.

KrazyKow · 05-09-2008, 11:46 AM

Oh, Pamela's is good, especially the crepe pancakes with strawberries. There's another one on Forbes in the heart of University of Pittsburgh, which might be more convenient.

tokenadult · 05-09-2008, 11:57 AM

Yes, very good suggestions, and much appreciated. Our destination further down the highway will constrain our schedule, but I've certainly read of many worthwhile things to do while near CMU, and we'll try to do as many as possible.

mathmom · 05-09-2008, 04:20 PM

The Fine Arts building has gorgeous murals and floor inlays, I'm sure it will be on the tour. We spent a lot of time reading the research posters and cartoons in the halls of Wean.

mdcissp · 05-10-2008, 06:21 PM

One thing I cannot emphasize enough is to call the admissions office before planning the trip to see CMU and ask them for when the tour will include tour leaders who are students in the particular department(s) you are interested in.
Our tour leaders knew a lot about CMU but were studying areas far from computer science and engineering. Also, we saw CMU in the humid summer time when you did not get the same feel as during the year when school is in session. After 2 days in Pittsburgh, I was ready to leave.

mdcissp · 05-10-2008, 06:24 PM

I forgot to add that my son liked CMU enough to come back for Sleeping Bag Week-end. The Sleeping Bag Week-end is 100% worth going to and you really learn more about the school during that time.

mathmom · 05-10-2008, 11:03 PM

Mathson didn't go on the fall sleeping bag weekends, but did go to the admitted students one. They give excellent overviews of the various schools at that event. (It was interesting to compare the approach of the Mellon School of Science vs the School of Computer Science, both of which we attended.)

cmonyuk · 05-10-2008, 11:39 PM

Campus is nice enough. You'll want to check out buildings that are relevant to your son's intended major. If you want to know which building is which, you can ask here or on campus.

As far as hotels, the Holiday Inn near Fifth Ave is the closest but probably the most expensive in the area. When picking a hotel, opt for places closer to downtown or on the South Side (south of southern river).

If you have a car, check out Squirrel Hill (take Forbes Ave East) and the University of Pittsburgh area (take Forbes Ave West from campus). The later is also in close walking distance; most students bus to Sq. Hill. The park behind campus (Schenely) is very nice.

You'll probably notice that Pittsburgh is kinda run-down, but CMU is maintained very well.

For the record, the Cathedral of Learning has ~40 floors, but the floors above 36 are not accessible to the public. There's also a Pamela's in Squirrel Hill on Forbes Ave, and as was mentioned above, they have awesome breakfast.

The Union Grill (on Craig St.) was featured on the Food Network for its signature dish - the Turkey Devonshire. It's pretty damn tasty.

Besides all that... you should talk to as many people on campus as you can.