I went to grad school at PSU '89-'93 and returned to the area for a post-doc ~'95-96. I really enjoyed living there, but it does take some getting used to. It's fairly isolated and the campus/university pretty much dominates everything. On the plus side, there are some great concerts, speakers, etc. that come through campus. You can walk/bike from one end of town to the other which is great - most everything you need is in town. There is a mall outside of town, however. Running around there is unbelievable - tons of rolling hills, so you get in badass shape - try running up Orchard Rd. out by the stadium...it used to be part of my 10 mile loop, or hit 4-hills out behind campus. Although I didn't ride, except my mountain bike to/from campus, I did a fair bit of motorcycling around the area and if I recall properly, there are some great roads for cycling. I'm pretty sure PSU has a cycling team, and maybe even a tri team, so there's gotta be a group to hook up with if you so desire. There are also some good running groups around - go to Rapid Transit Sports, right across from campus and talk to Terry (if he's still there) - he's the man to put you in touch with the local running groups. If you need a haircut, go to Reynaldo's - right next to Rapid Transit - unless they've changed, they used to finish up with a hot lather/straight blade on the back of your neck that was just heaven - I'm assuming you're of the male persuasion here. For liquid recreation, I highly recommend Zeno's - although it's right across the street from campus, it's not really popular with the young'uns...it's quiet in the early evening, and you used to be able to get Yuengling's fine Porter for $4/pitcher a couple nights a week - that's probably changed as well. If you get a hankerin' for the best onion rings on earth, go to Ye Olde College Diner right on College Ave, and if you're jonesin' for ice cream, the Creamery on campus can't be beat. Lots of good road racing (running) in the area, too...the Nittany Valley 1/2 is pretty and tough. I'm sure the place has changed a bit since I've been gone, but hopefully some of the good stuff is still around.
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"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa http://www.litespeed.com