What to do in Pittsburgh? (Erie, Denver: houses, income, jobs)

[CharmH]

I will be temporarily living in Pittsbugh for 2007 an want to know what does this city have to offer. I am interested in open mic poetry, yoga, ethnic foods(Carribean, Indian and Thai), jazz, reggae, coffee houses, shopping, theatre and anything unique to Pittsburgh.

[ontheroad]

Check the fun-packed thread here by Tom.

Things To Do In Pittsburgh

Originally Posted by CharmH

I will be temporarily living in Pittsbugh for 2007 an want to know what does this city have to offer. I am interested in open mic poetry, yoga, ethnic foods(Carribean, Indian and Thai), jazz, reggae, coffee houses, shopping, theatre and anything unique to Pittsburgh.

[Agbor]

If one dosen't or hardly knows anyone here,how does one find a social-network...or a group of people to hang with on a regular basis???..or where
to go to meet people?...There are lots of things to do in Pittsburgh...but it
would be more fun if I knew people to do things with...any suggestions???

[SteelersFan09]

haha if you find out feel free to pass it along. I moved up here without knowing many for school and it seems like everyone else in my age group already has their "clique" for lack of a better word,haha.

[boardmanite]

Agbor & SteelersFan, I've noticed something similar in Pittsburgh. I don't know if it's the city itself, or me??? And I don't know how Pittsburgh would compare to other similarly-sized cities. I live in Youngstown and hang out in Pittsburgh several times a month, but it's always with my group of Youngstown people. We've all found the Pittsburgh social network a hard one to crack into. Not that we're desperately trying to or anything, but it seems like in other nearby areas it just sort of happens.

I have a friend who moved from Youngstown to Squirrel Hill last year, and she still mainly "hangs out" with people from Youngstown or transplants to Pittsburgh who also haven't been able to fit in.

Those are just my random thoughts on the subject. I'm not trying to prove anything with them, and I'm definitely not trying to put Pittsburghers down. I grew up in Western PA and always found it easy to randomly make friends in Erie, Youngstown and Cleveland, but for some strange reason, not Pittsburgh...

[RowJimmy]

I don't know if what you are saying is true. It may be on what you look at. When I went out to the bars in Pittsburgh I always ended up talking to more people I didn't know. I lived in Philly and that place was very, and I mean very cliquish. Denver was a little more open because everybody was a transplant. It all depends on where you hang out at. Yeah people in the east coast cities are going to be less easy for transplants because there are a lot less of them in the more established older east coast towns.

Bordmanite, you said your friend hangs out with other transplants, this is what people who move into other towns do. I met some really cliquish folks even in Denver that were from the suburbs there and wanted nothing to do with the new folks. However, it was easy to meet others because there were tons of other transplants. I didn't meet them till I moved to the Capitol hill area of town though. It is the same thing in Pittsburgh. YOu will meet more in Shadyside or the Southside then you will in the suburbs or even Squirel hill.

[Hopes]

---Check out the "strictly platonic" posts on Craig's list:

craigslist: pittsburgh classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events

---Here in the "activities" section are people seeking others to join them in specific activities like running, tennis, etc.:

pittsburgh activity partners classifieds - craigslist

---Join professional organizations.

---Volunteer for something you feel passionate about.

---Get involved in politics.

---Join a community theater group. You don't need to act to participate. There are behind-the-scenes things to do.

---For networking, don't discount people based on their income status or career. Since most people have lived here their entire lives, you'd be amazed who knows who around here. Little people can have some big connections in Pittsburgh. You'd never know it until you become good friends with them.

---Don't criticize Pittsburgh to Pittsburghers. They won't want to hang with your negativity. (I remember taking a pottery class once. There was a women there who was from Kansas. The very first thing out of her mouth was how she hated how the sun doesn't shine here in Pittsburgh. I didn't want to get to know her any better because I truly wasn't interested in spending my time with someone who was negative about something as simple as the weather. I'm sure she joined the pottery class to meet new people. It's a shame she didn't realize how she turned people away by having a negative attitude.)

---Go to every social event you're invited to attend regardless of your interest in the event or the person inviting you. You never know who you'll meet there.

---If you're single, try one of these singles groups that has social events: Gatherings Pittsburgh -- "a relaxed way to meet new friends" I know many people who have attended social events held by singles groups. They didn't meet someone from the opposite sex at the event, but instead met same sex friends and ultimately found a girlfriend/boyfriend through their new friends. (My sister met her husband this way YEARS ago. She attended a singles event and made friends with other young ladies at the event. Her husband is the brother of one of the women she made friends with at the event.)

---There are three people in this very thread asking the same question. Invite each other to do something for goodness sake!

[fleetiebelle]

A couple of websites that I've used/heard about are:

MeetIn: Pittsburgh Events - Fun Events Free Events Make new friends in Pittsburgh, Meet new people in Pittsburgh - MEETin.org
People post events and anyone can go to anything. It's free to join.

This is Happening: thisishappening: home
Database of arts/cultural events around town. you can search by date, neighborhood, venue, etc.

[Agbor]

No Bord, its not just you...I have heard lots of people say that they felt like
outsiders in Pittsburgh,eventhough the people are friendly...Have heard it said
Pittsburgh people are clannish...Most of my friends at school were from..Phila.
Chicago..Detroit Atlanta,NYC and from overseas...most of the people I had become friends with were people..from NYC who were going to school here,
I met when I came back here..someone I knew from Brooklyn said she had lived in other parts of the country,even the South..and she found Western Pa. the weirdest place she had ever lived..and the people weird..

I heard Phila. isn't friendly but I was told that is just the East Coast way..not to be friendly with strangers..

Thanks Hopes and flettiebelle for the links will try some of those and see what happens..

[Mr. Mon]

I have lived as all over the East Coast and found that it was hard to connect to people outside the bar culture everywhere I lived. It wasn't until I bought a house did I really get to know my neighbors and get involved in the goings-on of Pittsburgh. I sincerely think it has more to do with ownership and buy-in than it has to do with culture, regardless of where you live.