Living in the Land of the Oak

Happy New Year! I've never been a big fan of New Year's Resolutions. As a kid I would resolve to not eat chocolate for an entire year. My resolution usually lasted less than 24 hours. Then I'd always feel bad about my lack of self-discipline and vow never to make another resolution. But as I've established in an earlier post, I'm a masochist. This New Year I've decided that I'm going to keep a blog. I'm going to try to write in it daily. But definitely 2 or 3 times a week.

Today I'd like to talk about city life. The University of Pittsburgh Campus is located in the heart of Oakland, PA which is about a 20 minute drive from downtown Pittsburgh. In addition to Pitt, Oakland houses Carlow University and Carnegie Mellon University. It's also the headquarters of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Pitt owns most of Oakland, but that is a topic for another blog. What I'm trying to illustrate is the urban nature of Oakland. Being home for Christmas Break has really made me appreciate the differences between urban and suburban.

Since I've had some time to think about it, being stuck in the middle of nowhere for the holidays, I've compiled my top ten list of why I love city life.

1. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. No where but in the city does one get to park oneself in a fluffy armchair surrounded by over 100 years of history while one cranks out a paper on the US Conservative Movement than in a city library.

2.Buses. Go ahead and laugh. Can't tell you how many jokes I've heard about Pittsburgh Port Authority recently. But when you're a college student dying to get out of Oakland for a couple of hours, there's not better method.

3.Someone shovels and salts the sidewalks for me in the winter.

4.I can see plays, ballets, concerts, and dance recitals by world class artists whenever the mood strikes. I've taken advantage of the discount tickets offered to students many times in the last couple years.

5.Mom and Pop owned businesses. There's a little Italian Grocery store down the street from me that makes me smile every time I walk past it.

6. I'm surrounded by interesting people. In any given semester I'll have a professor from Southern California, Chicago, London, Israel, and New Jersey. Walking in other people's shoes and learning to see the world through their eyes is what college is all about.

7. Cities have rich histories. As a history major I enjoy learning how about the people that helped make the city what it is today. Cities have multiple museums and archives that help in my quest for knowledge.

8. I don't have to cut the grass because I don't have any grass to cut.

9. I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in 3 years.

10. Hot Chocolate always tastes better at Starbucks than when I make it at home!