I have been living in Pittsburgh for almost six months now.  I live in the South Side, and I absolutely love it. Compared to my hometown, Ridgway, Pittsburgh is much more exciting.

My hometown is literally in the middle of nowhere and very small. I like to call my town a “redneck town.” The closest city to Ridgway is State College, which is about an hour and a half away. The only activities to do in my town are outdoor ones, like canoeing, mountain biking, fishing, and hunting. Ridgway is filled with people who wear camouflage and hunting boots on a daily basis, blast country music in their cars, and love doing outdoor activities. Ridgway is also known as the “Chainsaw Carving Capital of the World.” We have a huge chainsaw carving rendezvous every year with people all over the world that come to enjoy all of the festivities in the beginning of March. My town might be redneck, but it’s a really nice looking town. Ridgway is filled with large, beautiful Victorian homes; that’s one thing I love about my town. Ridgway is also really beautiful in the fall time with all of the leaves changing color.

Living in Pittsburgh is much more exciting than Ridgway, especially South Side. If I’m bored, my friends and I can always find something to do, whether it’s going out to eat, going to a hookah bar, going to see a band play, or going to see a movie. One thing I really love is that South Side is filled with a ton of neat restaurants, and since I’m a culinary student I really like going to all of the different places to eat. I’m also really into music so I love that there are so many different bands that play in Pittsburgh all year round.

Since I’ve moved to Pittsburgh I’ve met a lot more people that are into the same music and have the same interests as I do. I have a lot of great friends at back at home, but I’ve made a bunch of friends since the fall quarter of school started. I’m really glad that I decided to go to the Art Institute and live in the city rather than being miserable in a more boring environment.