If ur coming today it's single digits and icy in spots. Take it slow. Be safe.
Cold Icy in State College
- Thread starter ImBadRU
- Start date
Arrived last night. I thought State College would be a nice college town but it’s more like middle of nowhere.
Had my transmission go on me just outside State College years ago - right by prison with signs all around saying don’t even think of parking here - had to walk to gas station to get it towed to local transmission shop .
Those things can be mutually exclusive. It's okay enough as a college town IMO, not quite as nice as Bloomington, IN for example, but it's no secret that the University Park campus is in the middle of nowhere. Cow pastures abound in central Pennsyltucky...hope you weren't expecting too much.
Except for the 7 football weekends a year I never understood the appeal of the place.
Many years back, I made the drive from central NJ to the PSU stadium (~240 miles), very early on a Saturday morning, in about 2.5 hours. Didn't see a single state trooper the entire way either in NJ or in PA. Was an awesomely fun sprint drive.
I guess, given the current weather conditions, people probably ought to avoid that sort of driving. Most especially after dark when it's not possible to see black ice. Especially as snow can and does blow onto the road in certain sections of Route 80 (and Route 33, which is part of my normal route).
During the week following that trip to PSU, I had to make another drive out to PA, this time to Muncy. Feeling confident after my rapid trip along Route 80 the prior weekend, I drove the same way. Unfortunately, a PA state trooper was lurking w/his instant-on radar. I massively flat-spotted all four of my tires from slamming on the brakes as we saw each other and he lit up his radar. Left two solid black lines down Route 80. Actually got down from 120mph to what he clocked me at, 76mph, IIRC. I pulled right over, even before he left his hiding spot on other side of the eastbound lanes.
After a lengthy wait, he let me off with a warning to slow down, lest I "go through lots of sets of tires". Pretty lucky to come across a PA state trooper with a sense of humor.
I guess, given the current weather conditions, people probably ought to avoid that sort of driving. Most especially after dark when it's not possible to see black ice. Especially as snow can and does blow onto the road in certain sections of Route 80 (and Route 33, which is part of my normal route).
During the week following that trip to PSU, I had to make another drive out to PA, this time to Muncy. Feeling confident after my rapid trip along Route 80 the prior weekend, I drove the same way. Unfortunately, a PA state trooper was lurking w/his instant-on radar. I massively flat-spotted all four of my tires from slamming on the brakes as we saw each other and he lit up his radar. Left two solid black lines down Route 80. Actually got down from 120mph to what he clocked me at, 76mph, IIRC. I pulled right over, even before he left his hiding spot on other side of the eastbound lanes.
After a lengthy wait, he let me off with a warning to slow down, lest I "go through lots of sets of tires". Pretty lucky to come across a PA state trooper with a sense of humor.
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I've made numerous drives out to PSU or to Hershey Park or through PA to points West. For the most part, they've been enjoyable drives. Also, I kind of liked State College when I stayed there. Was quiet, but there were a couple decent restaurants.
For a number of years, there were lots of construction areas where I80 was down to a single lane. But if you hit them early morning or late night, they weren't really an issue.
The worst ever was coming back from Pocono raceway after an Indy car race. Not sure what else was going on besides people exiting the race, but I80E was either stopped dead or creeping along at like 5mph all the way from 115N to 33S. Took something like 7 hours to travel what normally takes less than 30 minutes on I80E.
Had I know it would be like that, I would've gone south on 115 and hooked up with 33 further south. But that was before GPS's were ubiquitous or even available.
For a number of years, there were lots of construction areas where I80 was down to a single lane. But if you hit them early morning or late night, they weren't really an issue.
The worst ever was coming back from Pocono raceway after an Indy car race. Not sure what else was going on besides people exiting the race, but I80E was either stopped dead or creeping along at like 5mph all the way from 115N to 33S. Took something like 7 hours to travel what normally takes less than 30 minutes on I80E.
Had I know it would be like that, I would've gone south on 115 and hooked up with 33 further south. But that was before GPS's were ubiquitous or even available.
That’s the thing about cults . . . They know how to recruit followers.
NJ must have more gullible and weak minded high school students coming out of its public schools compared to other states?That’s the thing about cults . . . They know how to recruit followers.
That's because there is none. You have to admire the sales job required to
convince recruits to agree to live there
I loved my four years there, and fell in love with the place the first time I visited. Biggest things that appealed to me where lots of open space, and the ability to walk everywhere that I wanted to go.
PA is close. It's a relatively inexpensive state school that's not particularly hard to get into. It's a decent school producing lots of graduates who go on to grad schools at places like MIT, Stanford, Columbia, etc. (I know because I've met and/or worked with bunches of them).
Also, lots of kids (probably not just in NJ) don't want to stay in state for college. But don't necessarily want to travel across the country either.
Gullibility and weak-mindedness is not why people choose to go places other than Rutgers, or whatever their local college might be.
How is the downtown these days?
Thriving or have the shops fallen victim to WOKE policies?
It’s become pretty expensive out-of-state (then again, I guess that’s true everywhere).
I was up for the football games, but never did anything other than drive through downtown.
From what I understand, everyone is hurting for staff, and several places have closed. Plus, every year, they are building a new hire rise or two.
I just looked now and can see that it has grown more expensive. And yeah, it seems many places have grown more expensive for OOS (and in state in many cases).
My advice to academically gifted kids today would be do your undergrad at a reasonably decent school w/an honors program for the least money you can get away with. By which I mean, take the full ride to your local state college. Then spend the money on a great grad school.
I didn't used to think that way. But the ridiculous (and rising) cost of an undergraduate education, even at state schools, has changed my mind. If the student is certain to go on to grad school, then overspending for undergrad is just a waste of money.
Good news is United moved the flight from IAD to EWR that goes into SCE. If I ever make it out for a football game, will most likely fly.
That part sounds nice.
I have two college age sons, one a senior and the other a freshman. I was surprised to see from their respective HS classes who was accepted to University Park. It makes the bolded a headscratcher to me as some of these kids weren't the best and the brightest.
State college is a very good college town imo and the campus is very nice overall. It’s not for everyone because it’s big but I know a ton of grads and they all loved it.
I’m a college counselor in NJ. How easy it is to get into depends very much upon what major a student is applying to. The back door into Penn State is to apply to schools like Health and Human Development or another less competitive school, and to apply to the summer start option. And to apply Early Action.
For business and science, I have very good students with some amount of honors and AP coursework and 1400+ scores that aren’t admitted to main campus.
For business and science, I have very good students with some amount of honors and AP coursework and 1400+ scores that aren’t admitted to main campus.
Its a small town that embraces the school while Rutgers is basically a disjointed ugly mess. Not sure why people would **** people wanting to get away from ugly crowded environments
Some people dont want to experience city life
Some people dont want to experience city life
four words that should never be spoken or written together.
Not saying RU is the ideal campus. New Brunswick wasn't exactly a garden spot even
when I attended in the Golden Era of RU basketball in the mid 70's. Just thinking
there's a happy medium between Piscataway and State College
Agree. Why not make an addition outside the perimeter of the RAC footprint that will accommodate additional concessions and rest room facilities?
Great idea. An area of need. Big screens. Outside bar. Etc. make the place desirable.
I’ve only been there once…for a football game…in 1988…the last time we beat them. The campus was scenic but it was too remote for me. Glad to have experienced it, even the annoying cat roar, but glad we won and glad to have never visited again.
Hoping for a clean game and victory for the Loyal Sons tonight!
Hoping for a clean game and victory for the Loyal Sons tonight!
Seems like it must be pretty cold inside Bryce Jordan this evening particularly down the end where RU was shooting in the first half.
Cold and Icy - sadly an apt description of RU's shooting tonight!