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Pittsburgh vs Boston
Apr. 14th, 2006 10:09 amThese are my impressions:
Finding stuff:
Both cities are big enough for my needs, as far as my commercial needs are concerned. As long as I know where to find rice milk and bicycle parts, I'll be happy. In fact, Pittsburgh might have better late-night options, due to Massachusetts's blue laws
Cost of living:
Renting an apartment in Pittsburgh costs, ceteris paribus, half as much as in Boston. But since ceteris not paribus, Pittsburghers live bigger than Bostonians.
Weather:
Pittsburgh is a bit warmer all year round, but surprisingly also more humid and has more wet days (according to my World Weather Guide).
Social:
Boston provides an endless supply of potentially-interesting people. But since most of them are related to MIT in some way, you're not likely to run into them at a nightclub: you have to network your way to them, something which I failed to do during my one year in Boston.
In Pittsburgh, this supply might be more limited. CMU is like a mini MIT (or actually like a cross between Bucknell and MIT). But again, the lower level is more important: what will my immediate surroundings be? If I can relate to my colleagues, housemates, etc, then I don't need to care what my city is like as much: I was socially unhappy in Amsterdam, despite knowing several hundred people (most of my colleagues socialized almost exclusively with each other: I didn't click with them, except for two or three people, so I quickly found other scenes). Then again, it's nice to be able to relate to people you meet spontaneously (this is the reason![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sarandipiti left Bucknell, which I didn't understand at the time). The question is: will I find such a "scene"? In Amsterdam, I occasionally enjoyed the Blijburg scene, but while this was wonderful as far as *musical* relationships go, it was merely "ok" for meeting interesting people.
Transportation:
Boston is much better, especially given the T. In Pittsburgh, even taxis are hard to come by. Bikers need to struggle with hills. If I go to Pittsburgh, I will consider buying a car.
Finding stuff:
Both cities are big enough for my needs, as far as my commercial needs are concerned. As long as I know where to find rice milk and bicycle parts, I'll be happy. In fact, Pittsburgh might have better late-night options, due to Massachusetts's blue laws
Cost of living:
Renting an apartment in Pittsburgh costs, ceteris paribus, half as much as in Boston. But since ceteris not paribus, Pittsburghers live bigger than Bostonians.
Weather:
Pittsburgh is a bit warmer all year round, but surprisingly also more humid and has more wet days (according to my World Weather Guide).
Social:
Boston provides an endless supply of potentially-interesting people. But since most of them are related to MIT in some way, you're not likely to run into them at a nightclub: you have to network your way to them, something which I failed to do during my one year in Boston.
In Pittsburgh, this supply might be more limited. CMU is like a mini MIT (or actually like a cross between Bucknell and MIT). But again, the lower level is more important: what will my immediate surroundings be? If I can relate to my colleagues, housemates, etc, then I don't need to care what my city is like as much: I was socially unhappy in Amsterdam, despite knowing several hundred people (most of my colleagues socialized almost exclusively with each other: I didn't click with them, except for two or three people, so I quickly found other scenes). Then again, it's nice to be able to relate to people you meet spontaneously (this is the reason
sarandipiti left Bucknell, which I didn't understand at the time). The question is: will I find such a "scene"? In Amsterdam, I occasionally enjoyed the Blijburg scene, but while this was wonderful as far as *musical* relationships go, it was merely "ok" for meeting interesting people.Transportation:
Boston is much better, especially given the T. In Pittsburgh, even taxis are hard to come by. Bikers need to struggle with hills. If I go to Pittsburgh, I will consider buying a car.
