CMU is a small campus, so moving about within the university isn't much of a problem at all (if you are the Holland-visiting type, this map might be helpful). As freshmen you're likely to be staying on-campus, which means you can basically spend your entire first year on foot.

Doing that would be extremely boring, of course, and we do advise you to take time to travel around and explore the area. You'll have less time for that once you hit your sophomore year and beyond, you see.

Bus

Buses are the most standard way of getting around if you don't have a car. You'll be issued a PAT bus sticker sometime during orientation, which you affix to your ID card. This gives you unlimited travel on all Port Authority Transit buses, which is basically the company the services the whole of Pittsburgh.

The bus network is fairly extensive, and you can get to most places you'd need to by bus. The main issue with the bus service, though, is that the buses don't come that frequently, and may often be late. If you have time to kill and the weather is good, its probably not an issue to stand around the bus stop chatting with friends while waiting (seniors have described taking the bus as a social activity), but during winter its generally too cold to do anything but shiver and curse the tardiness of the service.

You can get a whole slew of bus route maps at the UC, outside the inner entrance to Entropy and the upper level of the bookstore.

Kevin adds:

Places like Shadyside and Oakland are within walkable distance if you wanna go eat some off campus food!! (Which you will want to... trust me...)

Squirrel Hill and any other further places like Strip District or Downtown Pittsburgh you got to take the bus, which is free with your Student ID and a valid bus stamp which is issued at the beginning of every semester.

Then there are large malls like Waterfront, Monroeville Mall etc which are slightly further and you need abt an hour's bus ride. We go to Waterfront a lot... cos it's got everything there.. Target, Giant Eagle, Office Depot... and a cinema there too.

And there is also this huge place called Grove City which is even further, and we usually charter a bus to take the SSA members for a shopping trip at the beginning of Fall semester. This is where you buy almost all of your winter clothings etc... So don't worry about bringing too much clothings from back home!!

--- /* Basic Bus Info: Squirrel Hill(Eat n Park (accepts dinex), Giant Eagle Supermarket, a few restaurants): 61A, 61B, 61C, 59U

Waterfront(Department Stores, Restaurants, Cinema): 59U, 61C(must walk)

Strip District(Asian groceries): 54C

Oakland(Restaurants, especially cheap for supper) and Craig Street(Subway there accepts dinex): Bus 11 aka walk. or practically any bus u can take. usually by the time the bus arrives you would have walked there already.

DO travel around more. It IS fun, although terribly time-consuming once you get beyond Squirrel Hill and start going to places like Century III and Monroeville where the total travelling time alone can near 2 hours (we're not even talking about the waiting times yet). This is really where shopping lists come in.

TJ */