Carnegie Mellon area??

[Emptymag]

My son may be going to Carnegie Mellon in the fall and I was looking for a local's opinion of the area around CMU. Is it safe? I was there last year and drove around a bit and it seemed fine but I've been hearing about an increase in crime in Pittsburgh. Are the bad areas far enough away that there won't be any spillover? Also, he is supposed to fly there by himself and take a public bus from the airport to CMU. Are the buses safe? We were in Atlanta looking at Georgia Tech and I was told the MARTA was unsafe at all times. He is not very worldly and I'm a little concerned .
thx

He's got no safety worries taking a bus from the airport to CMU.

As far as the CMU area goes, the biggest concern is the fact that he's going to be immersed in liberalism.

The "bad areas" are just a stones throw away, and realistically there's no wall preventing the bad from going to the good, but for the most part, the CMU campus isn't convenient enough to the bad areas for much spillover.

[secamp32]

The kid has to learn. If a bus to Oakland is too much for him, you might as well bubble-wrap him and keep him in the basement.

I'd really like him to learn but not get harmed in the process. I'm completely unfamiliar with the area around the airport and thru which the bus passes. I just don't want him riding on a bus thru the "hood" with his suitcase.
I live in the NYC metro area and there are areas thru which I don't like to drive, armed, much less take take a bus thru.

I appreciate the responses. He had to cancel this weekend since he got pneumonia last week and the Doc said his lungs aren't clear enough yet.

Thanks

[scruff]

I'd really like him to learn but not get harmed in the process. I'm completely unfamiliar with the area around the airport and thru which the bus passes. I just don't want him riding on a bus thru the "hood" with his suitcase.
I live in the NYC metro area and there are areas thru which I don't like to drive, armed, much less take take a bus thru.

I appreciate the responses. He had to cancel this weekend since he got pneumonia last week and the Doc said his lungs aren't clear enough yet.

Thanks

Seriously, you don't have anything to worry about. I just checked and was surprised to see that the 28x Airport Flyer actually goes through Downtown and on to Oakland. It's door-to-door service from the airport to CMU. I thought he'd have to transfer downtown, but even that is pretty safe.

[pyld]

CMU (and for that matter, almost all of oakland) is no worse than anything in Manhattan south of 110th street at any hour of the day or night.

Seriously. It's like a utopian bubble even compared to what the kids at Columbia get in Morningside Heights.

If you said you were sending him to Duquesne, this is an entirely different conversation.....

[Emptymag]

Seriously, you don't have anything to worry about. I just checked and was surprised to see that the 28x Airport Flyer actually goes through Downtown and on to Oakland. It's door-to-door service from the airport to CMU. I thought he'd have to transfer downtown, but even that is pretty safe.

Yeah, Pittsburgh International airport isn't even remotely near the city - at all.
It's out in the rural area way outside the city. As Scruff mentioned, he'll be going from the airport straight to CMU, so there's nothing to fear about the bus trip.

He'll be just fine getting to the campus.

[dm1898]

I'm a Pitt student now and live in the area. If he ever has any questions or needs someone to show him around just let me know.

[secamp32]

I'm a Pitt student now and live in the area. If he ever has any questions or needs someone to show him around just let me know.

Thanks

[QuackXP]

Seriously, you don't have anything to worry about. I just checked and was surprised to see that the 28x Airport Flyer actually goes through Downtown and on to Oakland. It's door-to-door service from the airport to CMU. I thought he'd have to transfer downtown, but even that is pretty safe.

I though so to until I checked as well.

http://www.portauthority.org/rt/28x.pdf

There is no safety issue taking the bus. If you wanted another (more expensive, starting about $35) option look at the Super Shuttle. They offer shared van , private van, and car service. Might be worth while if he is coming with luggage. There are no cargo areas on the regular city buses.

http://www.supershuttle.com/Locations/PittsburghPIT

I lived in Mt Washington in the 2000's and had friends in Oakland. I never felt I could not be in Oakland or driving to Mt Washington at any hour and I worked 2nds in the strip district. The main area around the campus is safe unless your boy is looking for trouble. However if you draw a five mile circle around Oakland you can find your way into some unsafe neighborhoods.

Like all areas, especially cities, criminals are going after soft targets. Teach your kid some good situational awareness. Chances are if he is not walking around with headphones in staring at his phone and is keeping an eye on his surroundings there will be dozens of easier targets for criminals around him.

[secamp32]

So he's committed to CMU. Pittsburgh here we come. We did a last minute campus tour on Friday and the area seemed pretty good to me. It's 6 1/2 hour drive each way so he'll probably be taking the bus to and from the airport when he comes home for holidays.

[Emptymag]

Does he shoot?
If so, we hold pafoa group shoots at an area gun club not far away every couple of months.