Student Spotlight - Rebecca Oberschmidt

During my undergraduate time at Pitt, I stayed in Pittsburgh for one summer and learned about all the events and things there are to do during the summer in Pittsburgh.  I am so excited to spend another summer here during graduate school, and here are some highlights.  

My classmates and I went to a Pirates game one weekend and got to see some fireworks afterwards (pictured below).  It’s a short ride on public transit, and the view from the stadium is amazing, as it has been called one of the best places to see a baseball game.  The fireworks are set off from the Allegheny River just outside the stadium so the breeze feels nice in the summer.  In Shadyside, Walnut Street is a great area with restaurants, bars, and shopping.  Throughout the summer, they have events like the Arts Festival and Jam on Walnut, an outdoor concert series which was our first hangout as a class last August.  There are several large events that take place over the summer, with my favorite being Picklesburgh.  You guessed it - the theme of this event is all things pickles!

Pittsburgh’s many parks have tons to take advantage of during the warmer months.  There are disc golf courses, hiking trails, and great picnic spots to enjoy that are just a walk or bus ride away.  Lots of events happen in them too, from live music concerts to movie screenings.  Pitt offers discounted tickets to different shows and events in the Cultural District.  I went to see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra recently and we got great seats to a great show.  During the school year, a lot of the museums and other spots (like Phipps Conservatory, and our trip there is pictured below) that require admission fees are free for Pitt students.  There are outdoor concert venues in the city and a short drive out of the city.  My classmate Madalyn and I saw the Jonas Brothers when they came to the Pavilion at Star Lake last year, and it was such a great night!  My parents and I also took a trip to Fallingwater and Ohiopyle, which are about an hour outside the city.  Fallingwater is one of the houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and is built on a waterfall, so it was beautiful with such interesting architecture.

All in all, Pittsburgh is a great place to live, and with some more time on our hands and the weather in our favor during the summer, we get to enjoy more of what the city has to offer.  There are so many things to take advantage of as a Pitt student, so I am happy that I got another chance to check some things off my Pittsburgh bucket list!