21 and Invincible! Also, Moving Just Outside Pittsburgh to Attend Douglas Savini Special FX School. Any Advice? (York: apartment, neighborhood)

[DrKnowby]

Hello, soon-to-be fellow Pennsylvanians! The name's Johnny, and as you read in my subject line, I am 21, and will soon be moving to Monessen, PA to attend the Tom Savini School of Special Effects Makeup, which is a branch of Douglas schools. I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience or advice to give to a college student - whether that be in the way of jobs in the area, entertainment, good eats, places to see, places to avoid - anything that might be relevant to someone in my situation. Thanks in advance!

[PeterRabbit]

If you search the forum for Monessen you should find some in depth answers.

[Bazzwell]

...The school (a well respected one by the way) should give you an amazing learning experience, the wrong areas around here could give you even more so of an experience. Have you reserved an apartment in the Monessen area already? That's the first question. The second would be, are you well versed in "street"?

[DrKnowby]

I did some reading up on the Monessen board, and there was much information there, but it seemed to be more political than anything. I understand that the politics of an area affect the social climate, which will ultimately affect me as a citizen, but I'm actually wondering more about the town itself. What's there, what isn't. Things in which I might be interested and such.

I have not yet reserved an apartment or any housing for sure. I did send in a housing application with my admission application, so if all goes as planned, I'll be living on campus.

As for being versed in "street", well, I grew up in a mostly White neighborhood, but I moved out to Los Angeles when I was 17, then to central New Jersey where I worked as a bouncer at a strip club for over a year, then to Newark, NJ where I lived on my own and spent a lot of time in New York City, then most recently to Richmond, VA. So, I've seen my share of urban and suburban thugs and wannabes and I can handle myself in those situations. I'm 6'6" and 235 pounds, so people don't usually mess with me anyway. I prefer to use proper English, but thanks to my experience (and MTV), I can usually decipher the language. I do have a Jive handbook. Should I update?

[zip95]

Originally Posted by DrKnowby

I did some reading up on the Monessen board, and there was much information there, but it seemed to be more political than anything. I understand that the politics of an area affect the social climate, which will ultimately affect me as a citizen, but I'm actually wondering more about the town itself. What's there, what isn't. Things in which I might be interested and such.

I have not yet reserved an apartment or any housing for sure. I did send in a housing application with my admission application, so if all goes as planned, I'll be living on campus.

As for being versed in "street", well, I grew up in a mostly White neighborhood, but I moved out to Los Angeles when I was 17, then to central New Jersey where I worked as a bouncer at a strip club for over a year, then to Newark, NJ where I lived on my own and spent a lot of time in New York City, then most recently to Richmond, VA. So, I've seen my share of urban and suburban thugs and wannabes and I can handle myself in those situations. I'm 6'6" and 235 pounds, so people don't usually mess with me anyway. I prefer to use proper English, but thanks to my experience (and MTV), I can usually decipher the language. I do have a Jive handbook. Should I update?

Hi, welcome to Pittsburgh.

You'll be 100% fine in any neighborhood in the metro.

[DrKnowby]

Originally Posted by zip95

Hi, welcome to Pittsburgh.

You'll be 100% fine in any neighborhood in the metro.

Haha. Thank you. Good to know.

But seriously. Any cool hangouts? Dive bars? Burger joints? Anything?

[Bazzwell]

Yeah, you'll be fine but keep those skills sharp and for heaven's sake don't start an aimless walking tour of the city!

Nightlife? Things to do? In Monessen? Near Monessen? Come to think of there is something to do. Catch the mainline bus outside of the school and ride it into Pittsburgh. From there, catch any city bus you like and ride to the neighborhood of your choice.

Now there is a bit of fun attached to that bit but there is a lot of truth in it as well. The valley really doesn't have much to offer outsiders as far as "fun" things to do. Charleroi, Donora, lower Belle Vernon and Monessen can be rather tough at times and hopelessly cold to outsiders. Belle Vernon proper (on the hill, a couple miles from the school) does have a couple reasonable bars to hang in on the main drag where you won't get your head kicked in. Belle Vernon proper to Rostraver (a half mile) has all your basics like fast food and big box stores. California, while indeed a college town, really has a poor selection of places but there are a couple to get tanked (and otherwise) in.

My best honest advice would be to make some "friends of like mind" that are local and follow their lead. Good luck and welcome to the valley!

[DrKnowby]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice, and it's good to know there's public transportation to (and I'm guessing, from) Pittsburgh. I don't have a car, and will most likely be getting a bike and riding it to get to where I need to go in Monessen.

[Huckleberry3911948]

if you are invincible bagdad has got some career opportunities you would not believe.
my favorite is the RN program, pay a lot better than makeup too.

[DrKnowby]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

if you are invincible bagdad has got some career opportunities you would not believe.
my favorite is the RN program, pay a lot better than makeup too.

Yeah, but the chicks in the States are way hotter.

And I plan on making the big bucks, thank you very much!