moving from SanFran to Pittsburgh-culture shock? (Erie, Duquesne: neighborhood, school, live)

[greg42]

People think of San Francisco having hills, steps, etc, but Pittsburgh has even more public steps than San Francisco! Just a fun stat I like. :-) They're signed as streets here too.

There are those types of similarities, although Pittsburgh is much smaller in the area population and less diverse in race and ethnic backgrounds. Not that there aren't a lot of different backgrounds, just that the numbers of a given minority are likely to be much smaller. You won't have as wide a variety of restaurants to eat at, perhaps less kinds of places to shop for grocery items. A few things like this. For most, these are not insurmountable culture shock issues, I would think. Plus there is some comfort in that large decrease in the cost of living.

Good luck with the move!

[Copanut]

...we don't have Rice-A-Roni, "The San Francisco Treat!

but try Primanti's

[Bagger]

Originally Posted by yakshikiz

Hi all,

i got the gig and now I'm moving to Pitt. I'm excited. Im wondering what to expect in terms of culture shock..for those of you who know both places, what kinds of cultural differences shoud I be ready for? We Californians have a bad rap in some places-how can I avoid embarrassing myself?

I grew up in Pittsburgh and love the city. I now live in San Jose, not SF, but at least the bay area.

You'll have to get used to winters!
The food scene isn't as good but, it's not bad in the 'burgh. Some good spots.

I think the biggest difference is that SF is a global city... a city that people around the world know and want to visit. Pittsburgh isn't. But that doesn't mean Pittsburgh doesn't have a lot to offer... I just don't think it's quite the world class city SF is.

So aside from that status point and the winter... I think you'll find a lot to like in Pittsburgh. Lots of arts... a lot of history... and I think the friendliest folks around.
I will say that if you enjoyed the prestige of living in SF... I think that will be lost in the 'burgh. But maybe that's not all bad. The friends from San Jose that went back there with me enjoyed it a lot and didn't feel out of place.

Good luck !

[Joshbarblahblah]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

My school I'm thinking (Duquesne) it was just rated by the US News and World Report it's in the top tier colleges of the USA. While it may not be a research school, it's still a prestigious school.

Oooh okay. Good for Duquesne! I knew that its law school is pretty good, but I didn't realize that the rest of it is so respected. I never really looked into Duquesne much, though, so perhaps that's why I was not aware.

I wish that Chatham and Carlow had a better reputations. From what I understand, Chatham was quite respected back in the 70s and 80s but has gone downhill. It would be nice to have the Forbes/Fifth corridors just overflowing with top tier schools.

[PreservationPioneer]

I've heard Pittsburgh called the "San Francisco of the east," but obviously SF is a much larger city. It's a neat comparison, though -- beautiful hills and scenery, gorgeous historic architecture, fine cultural institutions, etc.

[BrianTH]

I agree that you have to adjust the SF comparison for the fact that SF is a much larger city. But once you do that, I also agree it works on certain levels (and both because Pittsburgh is not quite what some people think, and nor is SF from the opposite direction).

[Hopes]

Another interesting fun fact is San Francisco and Pittsburgh have similar latitudes. That's partially why the surrounding areas of both cities are great grape growing regions.

[WILWRadio]

If you want a real culture shock, try Kansas City.

[yakshikiz]

I"m excited, if a bit scared about this winter. i spent a january in chicago once and it wasn't so bad, as long as you were walking in the right direction (out of the wind). I mean, people here react like I'm going to Siberia. But somehow entire populations seem to survive every year, so I'm sure they can teach me the survival skills a la Nanook of Pittsburgh.

I know PIttsburgh isn't NY or Boston, but is there still some type of East Coast reserve/attitude I should be aware of? Again, I know it's not a foreign planet, but it is a different culture and I don't want to annoy my new coworkers.

Thanks!

[Joshbarblahblah]

Originally Posted by yakshikiz

I know PIttsburgh isn't NY or Boston, but is there still some type of East Coast reserve/attitude I should be aware of? Again, I know it's not a foreign planet, but it is a different culture and I don't want to annoy my new coworkers.

Thanks!

Most of the people I go to college with insist that the attitudes of Pittsburghers is quite different from the rest of the East Coast. One girl in particular said that she doesn't even consider Pittsburgh to be an Eastern city because our attitude is more in-line with Mid-western cities. (I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not!)