Squirrel Hill

My group explored Squirrel Hill. We got there on a 61 bus. The ride was relatively short and if the bus hadn't announced it, I wouldn't have noticed that we had moved from Oakland to Squirrel Hill. I remember Dave saying in class that Squirrel Hill has one of the highest concentrations of Jewish people in the world, and I could definitely believe that. Besides actually half of the buildings in the area having the words "Squirrel Hill" somewhere on them, most except for some of the businesses seemed to have some affiliation with Jewish culture. We found a Synagogue, a Jewish community center, and a Jewish elementary school.  


The businesses that we noticed the most of were restaurants, specifically Asian restaurants. On any given block there were between two to three noodle houses or buffets. At one point, we stumbled across some sort of Korean broadcasting station. That was pretty neat. I also noticed a few seasonal businesses, namely costume shops open for Halloween. I don't know what these shops sell in the off season, but I'll be sure to look if I'm ever back in Squirrel Hill.

Our group forgot to interview somebody, but we were approached by several people asking for money. I was surprised to see that in such an affluent community, but I guess it makes sense to go ask for money where there's a ton of it. They were more active here than around the University. They came to us instead of sitting on the sidewalk. Besides the panhandlers, I couldn't see much of a difference between the people of Squirrel Hill and Oakland.

Overall, Squirrel Hill is a beautiful neighborhood rich in Jewish culture. It has a large number of small shops, as well as restaurants. Its only a few short minutes from the University of Pittsburgh and is well within reach for anybody looking for a nice change of scenery.