I'm Loving Da 'Burgh! (Pittsburgh, Scranton: hotel, find a job, buy)

[Denton56]

RestonRunner said,
"Everyone (literally) around me was wearing Steelers gear on Sunday as we explored the city.""

Perhaps that's because the Steelers were playing on Sunday. Sunday in the fall is pro football day!

[Denton56]

>>>Thanks for the tip! We'll see what comes of the other opportunity in Oakland, but considering he only asked if I had delivered pizzas before and then just put my phone number in a drawer I don't think my chances are very good.<<<

They might want someone to deliver pizzas who knew their way around the city, someone who had lived in the city for more than two days.

[scrapp]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

-There is NO traffic! Period. What you Pittsburghers whine about as "traffic" is a CAKEWALK compared to the poorly-planned suburbs of Northern Virginia where my 7-mile commutes could easily exceed 45 minutes. Quit yer bitchin'!

To be fair, I don't think you are going where the traffic is, since you are living in town. You need to commute on the parkways from/to the suburbs to really properly enjoy the PGH traffic. That will allow you lots of time in your car to properly study places like Greentree Hill, Churchill, and both sides of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.

And if we get bad weather... yesterday afternoon it took the 28x bus over an hour and a half to get from Oakland to the airport, even with the busway. Of course the best is when the "bathtub" on the Parkway East overflows and floods the road. In that case they totally close the Parkway East and divert all the traffic thru on downtown streets. That's always fun...

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Thanks, Jay! I just walked in to apply for a position delivering pizzas with Little Nipper's along North Craig in Oakland. The owner, Enes, seemed really nice, albeit I had difficulty understanding him. He just had me leave my name and number. He asked me how much experience I had delivering pizzas. Not to be offensive, but it doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to pick up an order, put it in your car, plug an address into a GPS, hoof it over there, run up to the door, make change, hand over the order, then hoof it back. I'm hoping I get this, as I could really use some instant cash.

Someone I know online once told me delivering pizza was the most lucrative non-professional job he ever had. I usually tip $3, and more in winter.

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Thanks for the welcome! I'm surprised people would take the bus from here when we're so close. I walked Downtown in about a half-hour's time via Penn Avenue. I'd prefer to walk than to spend money to take a bus.

Wait until January or February.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

About the Penguins comment, the Steelers may be more popular among older people (50 and up) but I think the Pens are just as if not more popular among many in the 30 and under crowd with all their promotions and student rushing. I'm young and know many people my age who get more excited over the pens than the steelers.

Yeah. This is actually the first time I've heard anyone express "closet-ism" about liking the Penguins.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

I most certainly learned my lesson today that Bigelow Boulevard is NOT conducive to pedestrians or cyclists.

I was going to say something, but it's one of those things it's good to learn for yourself. I don't think I've ever seen anyone walking on Bigelow. There's a staircase built into the hill, just in case you ever find yourself on the ground there again (or maybe that's how you got down there in the first place).

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Trust me when I tell you that Bigelow Boulevard is lined with thick piles of litter that are somewhat obscured by guard rails or overgrown weeds/foliage. I would really love to be part of a litter clean-up if they even do them around here.

Here's info on the Redd Up Coalition. It covers SH and Homewood, but I'll bet they'd love to help you configure your own Redd Up plan.

Homewood/Squirrel Hill/Point Breeze Redd Up Coalition's Spring Cleanup to Hit the Streets This Weekend - U.S. Newswire | HighBeam Research - FREE trial

[DaBurgh]

Pizza delivery guys in Oakland made $12-15 per hr. on Friday/Saturday nights. And this was back in the 90's when minimum wage was lower. Nowadays they may make $14-17 per hr.

1/3 to 1/2 of the deliveries go to students, which is good and bad. Good because you may end up taking 3 or more deliveries to a residence hall like Towers at Pitt or fraternity row at CMU. Students aren't big tippers, but the commission adds up. It's probably 6 cents on the dollar nowadays. Assuming the worst and you get no tip, you get at least 3 bucks for the trip, since the total of the orders will add up to around $50. Round trip = 1/2 hour.

In the two years that I delivered (full time), our shop had 1 robbery. Not sure what it's like today though. I do remember a series of robberies in the Mt Oliver area over the summer. You can try and request day shifts. Good money can be made on Saturday and Sunday afternoons too.

[rhondee]

[quote=RestonRunner86;16830846]

Spoiler

-Yeah, the weather here is obviously awful, but I was prepared for that when I came here.

Actually you just missed a 5 month period of straight up sunshine and nice weather here, but is to be expected that wouldn't last since we are going into winter now.


So glad you're here Reston and welcome! I know it's a general non- recommendation to move without having a job lined up but I am sure you will do just fine b/c with your great personality and attitude only good things will come your way!

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

Sorry wasn't meaning offense but that was just my observation. Maybe it's because the Pens have been doing better and started getting cups in the 90's.

Ah... no offense taken.
Just putting it out there that the Pens draw a huge age range of people.
Besides, it is not the students paying 3-5 grand for a season ticket!

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

I realized after a year-and-a-half of working with the Feds that a "desk job" doesn't suit me well because I love to be on my feet running around incessantly, greeting people, cleaning, stocking, leading, etc. for an honest day's pay. I've already received leads to be a part-time baker (I can't bake/cook!) and for a position with a Downtown bank that I've already applied for. I'd even wait tables to work my way up to a management-level opportunity.

For some reason, Starbucks comes to mind. With the end of the semester near, some positions may open up as students graduate or leave for the year.