University of Pittsburgh Hillel, Leah Abrams, Senior JCSC Fellow Yearbook 2002-2003
Tips for the next fellow
Meet the staff/Pittsburgh Hillel Structure | Getting to know Pitt's Campus | Important Links | Contact Me | Picture Pages, Picture Pages, time to look at the Fellow Pages | Picture pages, picture pages, time to look at student pages | Target Groups | Programs | Engagement Stories | Tips for the next fellow

Home

Caleb, you are really going to enjoy your time here.  Pittsburgh is no San Fransisco, but it's a nice town to live in.

   As you might have already guessed from your recent visit, it's not always roses here.  It's a great place to work, but it can be frustrating.  The building is very new, having a full staff is also a novelty.  The boards sometimes don't understand the role of a JCSC Fellow.  So it will be your job to handle that dichotomy.  It will be easier for you though since you will not only have Daniel and Jacqui, but also Aaron and the support of some of the students.  
    Another challenge of mine was getting out of the building.  We were not provided with laptops, which made getting out on campus very hard, add to that the pressure of the boards to bring people into the building, and it was difficult. 
   The Pittsburgh Jewish community is great.  They are very active and welcoming.   It is actually a double edged sword.  The families are always inviting students to their homes and synagogues for holidays and Shabbat, which is amazing.  Unfortunately this sometimes takes away from Hillel's programming and our mission, which is to create community on campus. 

   Pittsburgh is actually fairly easy to navigate, if you dont go over any bridges or tunnels.  It takes a while to actually learn the various bridges and tunnels, because there are just so many of them.  If I can get around Pittsburgh then anyone can!!  One really good thing about Pittsburgh is that there are many signs that let you know which part of the city you are in.  The biggest complaint that I have is the lack of non-permit parking.  There just isn't any.  Lucky for you, you don't have to worry about that, since you have free parking at your new apartment. 
   Pittsburgh has many different areas that are great to go out and have fun in, such as the Waterfront, Station Square, The Strip, The Southside, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, and South Oakland. This website is great for looking up places, http://www.spindlepub.com/sgp/index.htm  -I just found this site on www.pittsburgh.net , it looks really helpful for finding things to do in Pittsburgh .  Another great site is www.pittsburgh.com.  

Shopping

Monroeville Mall 
Shadyside
Squirrel Hill
Century III Mall
Robinson Town Center
Waterfront
Ross Park Mall http://www.spindlepub.com/studentguide/shopping/shoppingdirectory.htm

Coffee Shops

·   Kiva Han-there are two in Oakland , one across the street from Hillel and the other on campus. 

·   Craig Street Coffee-I love this coffee shop.  The coffee is great and it is also a good place for lunch.  They have a lot of vegetarian choices. 

·   There are two Starbucks on campus.  One is in the basement of the Cathedral, so it makes a great place to meet students.  There are three other Starbucks that I can think of close by; Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and the other at the Waterfront.  

·  This link will give you a list of other coffee shops.  There are just too many to list individually.  http://www.spindlepub.com/studentguide/activities/fastfood.htm#sweets

    There are many other things to do in Pittsburgh besides partying.  Across the street from Hillel is the Carnegie Museum .  It is basically 2 museums in one.  Its free for students during the school year.  There are also about 15 other museums surrounding Pittsburgh . 
    Phipps Observatory is about a mile away from Hillel.  It is a very nice place to visit.  It is also free for students.
There are about 19 or 20 parks in the Pittsburgh area that are great for picnics and hiking. 
   I love going to the movies.  Loews at the Waterfront is a great place to see a movie and eat dinner.  There is a bar/restaurant upstairs. It is the only Loews of its kind.  In Squirrel Hill there are two other smaller movie theaters.
    Pittsburgh also has 3 professional sports teams: The Penguins, The Steelers and The Pirates.  The Pirates have a new stadium named PNC Park and the Steelers now play at a new stadium called Heinz Field.  Pittsburgh fans are very loyal to their teams.  I was a diehard Philly fan, but the Steelers won me over. 
    The United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh has a young adults division called YAD, as well as Shalom Pittsburgh.  Both of these groups are for young professionals and people new to Pittsburgh .  They host happy hours and other get togethers fairly often.  Its a nice way to meet people. 

Hillel/Jewish University Center, is located at 4607 Forbes Ave, P: 4123-621-8875