OH/NY/PA campus visit recommendations: help me plan

College Search & Lists
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Hi folks, it’s time for another “is this crazy?” discussion, wherein I attempt to schlepp to the wintriest parts of our country in mid-February in an effort to help S25 discern where he lands. Follow along!

This time I’m looking very specifically for travel intel (restaurants, hotels, AirBnBs, warnings about where the roads are way worse than I might imagine, etc.) Also would love to hear any of your experiences visiting these schools – places we should definitely make time to check out, etc.

The itinerary is a bit in flux but I don’t think we’re going to eliminate any schools from this list (the one that’s farthest away actually feels extra important to visit.) I promise to share our impressions both here and in the thread about colleges that went up/down on our lists.

Draft plan:

  • Saturday, February 15: fly to Pittburgh. Overnight there.
  • Sunday, 2/16: explore city and take my very old uncle out for lunch/dinner if he’s sufficiently mobile.
  • Monday, 2/17: admitted students engineering thing at Pitt. Drive to Cleveland. Overnight near CWRU.
  • Tuesday, 2/18: visit CWRU (including engineering student tour). Drive to Rochester. Overnight in Rochester
  • Wednesday, 2/19: visit University of Rochester. Drive to Albany area. Overnight where? (would love recommendations. Need to see both RPI and Union Colleges.)
  • Thursday, 2/20: visit Union and RPI (or just Union, because they have special admitted students tour we could do that sits right in the middle of the day).
  • Friday, 2/21: either a) drive from Albany area to Easton, PA. Afternoon tour of Lafayette or b) do AM tour of RPI and THEN drive to Easton, PA. Overnight in Easton, PA either way (recommendations?)
  • Saturday, 2/22: S25 turns 18. We either head straight to Newark and fly home (so he can celebrate with friends in California) or visit Lafayette that morning and THEN fly home…or try to help him meet up with his friends in NYC for the night and fly home on Sunday, 2/23 (which I guess we could maybe swing if he’s super keen. But I sort of wanted to give us a buffer before he heads back to school on 2/24. S25’s views on this will likely be dispositive.)

Questions I anticipate:

  • Has he been accepted to all these schools? No. He’s currently in at Union and Pitt and waiting to hear from the rest. We should hear from RPI before we travel. CWRU deferred him in EA cycle and we’ve shown zero interest so visiting seems prudent. U Rochester and Lafayette are likewise regular admissions cycle and seem to care about interest. I figured once we were in this part of the country, probably easier to just see them all.
  • Where else is he looking? He’s likely to be choosing from among a really wide range of geographies and school genres (big state schools with engineering that might be kind of overwhelming but have all the things, smaller engineering-focused schools with wonky gender ratios that might be kind of intense but might also end up being like Hogwarts for STEM nerds, LACs with engineering that probably don’t have quite the brand reputation or research opportunities that the rest of the schools offer but in exchange have on-campus housing, close-knit student culture, etc…and maybe, if he’s lucky to get in, smaller R1 universities that might be the Goldilocks solution.) Currently in at St. Olaf, Macalester (both of which are probably sadly coming off the list due to lack of engineering and his recent conviction that he’d rather do that then physics), U Minnesota, CO School of Mines, Oregon State, Pitt, and Union. Waiting to hear from Boulder, Purdue, UW-Seattle, a bunch of long-shot CA schools, Brandeis, RPI, WPI, Rochester, Lafayette. We’ll know about WPI and RPI by February.
  • How’s your winter driving? I survived driving from Ohio to NYC last February but I’ll admit that bringing my Wisconsinite husband on this trip is giving me peace of mind.
  • Why not wait until April? Mostly because he’s also looking at schools in MA, MN, CO, CA, WA, and OR and we’re not going to be able to visit them all. I’d like to get an honest look at what it’s like to be in Ohio, PA, or Upstate NY in February. I’m guessing he won’t love them all. It will simplify things immeasurably to be able to eliminate some options before then.
  • What are you going to do with Speedwagon-the-quail while you’re traveling? (2025 parents know that S25 decided to hatch a quail over the Christmas holidays. S/he’s cute! Quail-sitting plans are TBD.)

Speedwagon photo, just because we all need a little more baby quail in our lives:

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Awww, Speedwagon’s just what we all need these days. Lil’ cutie!!

I’m super excited to see what kinds of responses you get on this thread. And I’ll admit I probably have less to offer than others more familiar with the areas, yet we did tour CWRU in spring of 2023 and then Pitt and University of Rochester just this past summer.

So, FWIW, here’s one perspective:
-While at Pitt, there’s a Primanti Brothers sandwich shop right next to campus on Forbes Ave, which is where we grabbed lunch after our tour. Primanti’s is a classic Pittsburgh experience, and it didn’t disappoint: hubby and I grew up in western PA, and we’ve ofter heard about the sandwich with the fries added right in. Go with an appetite, tho.
-We stayed across the river at the Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, because I wanted a river view, and we could take the incline up to look out over the city and eat at the top of the hill (and see the place where Bill Murray as Phil Connors drives out of the city at the beginning of Groundhog Day…anyhoo). We also took a river cruise where they gave some history of Pittsburgh, which was great, but I think it was probably a more reasonable experience in July than it would be in FEBRUARY. Brr.
-I’m sure with kin in the area, you’ll have suggestions for what else to see, and others might have suggestions for where to stay.
-I’ve got nothing for you for Case, but I hope your guide is as enthusiastic and charming as ours was.From Case to Rochester, you’ll probably go through Buffalo, so if your S25 is keen on Buffalo Wings, it could be fun to get some at the original source. We stopped at the Anchor Bar, and enjoyed that. (We also hit up a Maid of the Mist tour, but again…July, not Feb. Brrr.)
-In Rochester, we stayed right across the river from the campus at Staybridge Suites on Genesis Street. The hotel was nice enough, and it provided easy access to the college. Yet there were clearly people in crisis nearby, so others might have good recommendations for other options of where to stay.

I love that you are getting a good sense of winter in the northeast. I think that could be very helpful for your kiddo, who, if memory serves, is currently residing in California. He might love the change, he might hate the change, he might be indifferent, but you’ll get to experience it, anyway.

And happy birthday to him!! Hope you can do something fun for it.

So, take this or leave this, and I’ll be lurking to see what other feedback you get on this thread. Good luck!!

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I have nothing to add, other than to say that your driving plans seem doable. Tiring, but definitely doable. (Also, I’m jealous of this February break that some people get - we could use some time to do the same thing.)

Thank you for updated Speedwagon photo - they look like they are growing well!

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In Pittsburgh, we stayed at The Oaklander. It was very convenient, as it’s right next to the Cathedral of Learning.

There are some possibly-discounted Pitt-recommended hotels here; you might check the prices from that site.

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Maybe I’ll see you on this trip as we have Union and Lafayette as well, and thinking about visiting Union at least that same week. Also, C25 turns 18 on 2/17. :slight_smile:

Of course you know if all depends. Pittsburgh to Cleveland to Rochester= some snow to more snow to even more snow… BUT if the Lake is frozen in mid-February, then snow chances decrease. It’s been cold, so this has a chance of happening. If a strong wind comes up and the Lake is not frozen, Cleveland and Rochester (and the area between) could be rough. And of course, the other side (Lafayette and Union) has a lower chance of snow; BUT if you happen to hit a Nor’easter, all hell can break loose on travel if it drops 20+ inches. The chances are small…but not nothing. Or it could be a cold but sunny trip :slight_smile:

I can only speak well to a few of these schools. We LOVED Union; but we were there over spring break last year and there weren’t many students on campus, AND it snowed 18" 2 days before we arrived…Skidmore actually cancelled on us a few days before in that blizzard. Union is very STEM-centric for a LAC and the campus was nice. But we were really impressed with the 3 or 4 students we met and the 2 professors that we happened to come across. (A chemistry and a math professor).

Albany to Easton is close to 4 hours, I would overnight in Easton (or nearby). We also really liked Lafayette…more of a traditional high class LAC…lots of history on the campus and up on the hill. The town of Easton seemed really nice (liked it more than Bethlehem (Lehigh)), but then we like small towns over larger cities. The only thing we didn’t like about these 2 schools is that they are both a little more Greek oriented than C25s other choices, but in both cases, we are convinced that it was ok. (in C25’s case, Greek life was not a positive)

We also visited schools in other areas you are going through, but not the same ones. Washington and Jefferson, Chatham, Allegheny, Wooster, Bard, Vassar, Marist, Lehigh, F&M, LVC, Elizabethtown, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Swarthmore, etc. (I posted reviews of those visits on the site with the “schools you crossed off the list or decided to keep based on a visit” thread. Having grown up in PA, I was always a fan of the plethora of LACs available in OH/PA/NY.

Pittsburgh is super nice…and riding one of the funicular’s and getting food in a bar at the top was great…although, not sure Feb would be my pick of time to do it.

In Albany, we stayed at the airport simply because our trip was a loop that started and ended there (Albany to Burlington to Mt. Holyoke/Smith to Hartford to Poughkeepsie to Albany). So I don’t have a good recommendation there. The areas north of Albany are beautiful, but again, not much in the winter unless you are taking some skis.

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Here’s where we stayed when we visited some of those schools:

Pittsburgh - We stayed at the Wyndham Pittsburgh University Center - apparently last June it converted to a Marriott and is now a courtyard by Marriott. When we stayed there in March/April 2024 they were doing a LOT of renovations. At the time, the hotel wasn’t as nice as the cost suggested it should be, but the location was great to just easily walk to everything at Pitt. The news release makes it sound like the Courtyard people have done major renovations, so maybe it’s more in line with it’s pricing. Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh University Center - Guest Reservations

Cleveland - we stayed at the Tudor Arms Hotel which is a Doubletree by Hilton. It’s a half mile from the CWRU campus, so not super close, but it was one of our last stops and I wanted something a little different and this fit that category. We were there August 2021 and I remember it being reasonably nice and convenient to park and get to things. https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/cleucdt-the-tudor-arms-hotel-cleveland/

When we visited RPI we stayed at the Best Western Plus Troy/Albany. It was about a half mile from campus and just fine. Nothing fancy but a kind of nice location. We found some random place for pizza in the Troy area and got it for takeout - no idea where, it was a tripadvisor or yelp recommendation. Pizza was awesome. S22 couldn’t eat all of his and brought it back to the hotel and put it in the fridge to save. It may say something about his RPI views that, after visiting the school and in the car to our next step the main thing he focused on when recording a video about the trip to send to his grandmother was how u[set he was that he forgot his pizza in the fridge. Best Western Plus Franklin Square Inn Troy/Albany | NY Hotel

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I second this. It’s just a sandwich, but still awesome.

I also agree with this. Your child will have to get that there will be snow on the ground in some of these places for 3-4 months of the year while they are there…something C25 and I have discussed too (and doesn’t concern them)

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Is there a reason you aren’t starting in Cleveland? You’ll add hours doubling back to go to Rochester. It can be a tough route if there is a winter storm but too early to forecast.

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Yeah, I wanted to start in Cleveland! but Case doesn’t have a tour on 2/17 (they do have a cool-looking thing on 2/14 but it’s not a good week for S25 to miss school – something about dissecting a cat?) And the Pitt admitted students event is on 2/17. Hence the Pittsburgh start.

ETA on Google maps, Pittsburgh and Cleveland both seem to be about four hours from Rochester (along different routes) and two hours from each other, forming an isosceles triangle. @NiceUnparticularMan might have more localized knowledge of whether this is actually an accurate representation.

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Seems doable to me including RPI and Union same day. Go to the one first he’s most interested in. Often the second one is a downer for the student due to tiredness.

You’ll be driving in the dark but in great interstates.

So it’s well laid out.

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When we visited Pitt, we ate lunch across from the Cathedral of Learning, it was called The Porch at Schenley, we thought it was very good!

In Easton we were recommended a food hall, I think it was called Easton Public Market, near the Crayola tour that had really good options, we stayed at the Hotel Bethlehem near Lehigh.

In Cleveland definitely visit the Little Italy area near CWRU for dinner, we liked Mia Bella restaurant and Corbo’s bakery.

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We loved the Hilton Garden Inn by University of Rochester. It’s in the newish College Town area about a mile from campus. We enjoyed being able to walk to restaurants for dinner and the campus in the morning for our tour (granted, it was summer, but it was 95 degrees, which in my book is worse than whatever the temp will be in February). Ontario Beach Park was fun to check out, if only to see Lake Ontario, as was the Eastman Theatre.

When you visit Union, definitely leave time to check out the Jay Street pedestrian area. My son loved it. The Whistling Kettle is a great place for lunch and tea!

ETA: I forgot to mention the absolute best brunch place in Rochester: The Mad Hatter. Super cool Alice in Wonderland decor and amazing food!

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Oh, depending on your schedule in Cleveland, you might try to get a tour of CWRU’s epic makerspace, the think[box]. They have tours on 2/18 at 4, 4:30, 5, and 5:30, so that might be too late in the day if followed by a 4 hour drive to Rochester; maybe they’d let you stick your head in earlier on if those times won’t work.

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S22 is at Union and we like to stay at The Landing Hotel. It is close to campus and clean. Make sure you look around Jay Street which is very cute and walkable from campus (will be cold and windy in February though!). For restaurants, our favorites are Perreca’s and The Nest. Simone’s Kitchen is also good. Union may have home hockey game which would be very fun to check out. They do a nice job with their admitted student events. RPI (also toured with S22) has a lot less to do around campus from what I remember. There is a Dinosaur BBQ not too far from campus and there are some good pizza places. The campuses have such different vibes. Mine ended up not applying to RPI. My oldest lives and works in Rochester and absolutely loves it but crime can be an issue and her car was broken into within a month of living there. She lives close to U of Rochester’s campus. The Mad Hatter in Rochester has great food with a gluten free and vegan menu. Happy to answer any questions (and yes, I am biased but we LOVE Union)

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We might be at Union then too, and S25 turns 18 on 2/22!

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We didn’t actually get to visit Case (cancelled when mom of D26 got Covid), but a colleague of mine suggested Little Italy as well, and in particular La Dolce Vita. Easy to make a reservation too.

Also, Case has a small hotel on campus called Glidden House that looked nice and wasn’t outrageously priced when we were visiting. Also nice if you want something that’s a little more quaint, but I have no personal experience with it.

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I would add Lehigh to your list. It’s in the same area as many of these schools and is known for engineering. Gorgeous campus too! Stay at Hotel Bethlehem

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You are correct, total time driving, it basically doesn’t make a difference whether you start in Cleveland or Pittsburgh.

For those of you into topography and/or geometry, the reason is you can’t drive straight from Pittsburgh to Rochester, you have to drive due north to Erie then along the lake. I mean, I guess you could drive straight-ish, but you would be adding a couple hours in the best of circumstances, trying to cut through forests and such on non-highways–which could be a great trip but maybe not done lightly in winter and on a tight schedule.

So basically, you are either making a V from Pittsburgh to Cleveland to Erie, or from Cleveland to Pittsburgh to Erie, and those Vs are more or less the same (actually, starting in Pittsburgh is a notch shorter).

As a general comment–you are going to be doing a lot of 4-5 hour drives. That can be a bit tiring in good conditions. If it ends up not such good conditions, it is going to take longer, be more stressful and energy consuming, and so on. So at a minimum, I would try to avoid driving before a tour (so like maybe not try to drive Albany to Easton on the same day as an afternoon tour).

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One can stay most anywhere in Cleveland and get to Case and Little Italy. Plenty of restaurants , many that seem similar, and a great market a block off the Main Street.

I love downtown too - if you can free up 4 hours hit the Rock Hall. It’s not just rock but it’s super cool !! And if you have a musician like me, they can play in a rock band. Mine played 3 instruments (two guitars and drums). Great way to supplement the trip. We stayed south but years ago downtown. We stayed in Beachwood last time as son was there for work but it’s 20 mins or so to CWRU.

So your budget etc can drive your hotel if needed and whether downtown or south, you can have decent access if being right near campus isn’t affordable.

Driving

Pitt to Cleve is 2 hours ish

Cleveland to Rochester 4

Rochester to Albany. 3:30

Albany to Easton 3. I agree that Lehigh fits this group, maybe better than Lafayette.

Lafayette to Newark - an hour

For most of these shouldn’t be huge traffic - lots of toll roads.

If money matters, consider flying home from Pittsburgh. It adds 4 more hours on the way home but you save the one way drive free. The airport is easier. And add a day and see Penn State :). Ok don’t add a day but it’s magnificent, even if not interested. Old Main is super cool !!

Good luck.

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By the way, this is VERY much for topography fans only, but I note there is a sort of inherent logic to this routing in that there are, of course, mountains between the Great Lakes and East Coast, but the easiest passage is between Rochester and Albany. That is basically why the Erie Canal followed that route, and it is largely thanks to the Mohawk Valley, which is part of what is sometimes known as the Great Appalachian Valley (the Mohawk Valley is 2 on this map):

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Then the REALLY fun thing–for Great Appalachian Valley fans, and who isn’t?–is you would continue to trace it from Albany down to Easton, first via the Hudson Valley (3), then cutting through New Jersey via the Kittatinny Valley (4), and finally into the Lehigh Valley in PA (5), where Easton is located.

So, nice trip if you are looking to check off Great Appalachian Valley sections. And also a better bet for winter driving, in fact.

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