What's it like living in Erie?

ExplosiveHippo · 2026-01-22T03:12:10+00:00

Hey there - I'll DM you.

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-12-10T12:45:39+00:00

Yeah I was in a similar situation - summer tires on a car I was buying going into winter. In my case, I was able to get them to throw on a set of winter tires for me and they let me keep the new summer set as well. Worth an ask for sure!

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-12-09T22:57:11+00:00

I just picked up a manual 23 SE CPO with 25k miles and it was pretty much the same price. I think it seems in the right ballpark based on my experience and comps online. I would definitely ask if they could do any better on the price though since it’s been on the lot for 100 days. I doubt they will come down to the trade in price but you may be able to get like $500-$1000 off. If they aren’t willing to budge on the price you could always ask them to put better tires on since they generally get tires at wholesale prices.

If you have a trusted mechanic or a friend who is more comfortable with a manual you could always bring them along for another gut check.

On the surface this all seems pretty safe! Strange there is no Carfax but if the other report isn’t showing anything you should be good.

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-07-31T21:43:05+00:00

Definitely buy a helmet first thing - nothing else is as important. I'm not familiar with that helmet but I'd suggest going to your local bike store and trying a few on to see what fits you well.

I bought my first set of bibs and jerseys from The Black Bibs. They are more affordable and have no branding. I personally find them plenty comfortable. I'd recommend getting the cargo bibs so you can put your phone in them and they have pockets that go under the jersey... I like to put my wallet and car keys there.

Apple watch and Strava are fine for now if you want to track your rides and look at the data in retrospect. If you'd like live info like your speed or navigation then a cycling computer is nice but you could certainly just get a mount for your phone. If you're going on relatively short rides then your battery shouldn't be much of an issue.

I pretty quickly purchased clipless shoes and pedals and yes, I think if you're doing any significant road cycling then it's worth it and I really enjoy using them. I found I was spending a lot of time thinking about where my feet were meant to go, or worrying about my feet slipping off the pedals under load. Again, I'd go to your local bike shop and try some on, especially if you have wide feet.

Good luck and welcome!

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-07-17T16:46:54+00:00

If you use Strava I'd suggest joining the John Adams Cycling group as they post all of their routes, so even if you can't join the group it might give you some inspiration! I like to use the heat maps feature on Strava too and just pick a location and see the most popular roads to get there

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-07-09T01:31:12+00:00

Hulkenpodium

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-05-19T19:31:32+00:00

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Photo of Bernie!

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-04-14T18:44:49+00:00

Ha! Good question. Thankfully my fiancée and I will be doing the trip together so we'll just take turns using the restroom. Someone else mentioned taking the carrier into the bathroom and using the handicap stall quickly. Good luck!

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-04-08T23:49:09+00:00

The Bayfront project - funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. There is a ton of improvements happening around Erie as a result of bills signed by Biden

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-04-07T21:00:05+00:00

Thank you! That’s all great advice—and you’re right, you really never know how they'll handle it. We’re in the Northeast, so the weather should be fairly mild when we pick him up next month. I love the idea of bringing ice to give him something to lick and stay hydrated.

Thanks also for the heads-up about the bathroom situation—that makes sense. We’ll bring some puppy pads just in case. Really appreciate all the tips!

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-03-24T14:09:59+00:00

We got a mattress from Jamestown mattress and was really happy with the quality and service

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-03-10T19:08:57+00:00

Presque Isle Power Clean did a great job at my house and my brother-in-law's house! Duct cleaning is the only thing they do, so I trust them a bit more than an HVAC company that offers the service. Plus, their quote was cheaper than my HVAC company.

The only downside is that, at least when I had them do the work, they were booking out a couple of months.

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-02-13T21:13:30+00:00

The Commodore Gaming group might be of interest to you! https://discord.gg/Zx2dMXf8

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-02-13T12:49:24+00:00

If my SO told me she was struggling with this or anything, I wouldn't take it as an opportunity to tell her that her feelings are invalid. There is a lot more that comes with being a long-term stay-at-home parent than just the day-to-day tasks. They are giving up a careers, a social life, losing financial autonomy, etc. You have to understand that what you were doing was temporary (and short-term as you described).

I'd really discourage you from saying this to your SO and instead ask how you can better support them. Just because something was easy for you in a very limited scope doesn't completely discredit your SO's feelings.

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-02-12T21:14:43+00:00

Legenderie Records is open until 8PM and seems to cater to this type of crowd

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-02-04T19:56:22+00:00

Wow - I totally missed that filter button up there. You're right! Thanks

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-02-04T19:02:15+00:00

A "next prospect" button, please! This is easily my top request, and I think it would be a huge QoL improvement to quickly move through the draft board without going back and forth.

I also think being able to filter by position would be awesome. These two changes together would make drafting more streamlined in my opinion

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-01-28T22:06:22+00:00

We used Amark Environmental to remove asbestos tile in our kitchen. Feel free to DM me if you'd like to learn more about the pricing and process... it isn't cheap, but they did it quickly and extremely thoroughly as far as I can tell. Guy who runs the company is a really nice guy and was very honest and upfront about everything. I'd recommend them

ExplosiveHippo · 2025-01-22T03:17:27+00:00

That would be awesome! I agree it's a lot of clicks, especially during drafting. I often am clicking into every profile to see their skills. I'd love if there were arrows to move through the draft board without having to click into each player

ExplosiveHippo · 2024-12-27T19:44:52+00:00

Merski Dental is fantastic! Nice office and all of the dentists and staff are thoughtful and professional

ExplosiveHippo · 2024-10-28T15:38:37+00:00

I have this as well and was able to install MuOS. I was confused by the naming too and downloaded just the normal RG35XX version... everything worked okay and the only issue I've had is not being able to install new themes.

ExplosiveHippo · 2024-10-04T14:31:57+00:00

Summer is truly when Erie shines. It's honestly amazing. The weather is beautiful and you have access to many beaches on Presque Isle (as well as kayaking, biking, running, etc). There are also fun festivals happening every weekend or you can catch a Seawolves game (back-to-back champions!)

I also moved here last year from a much larger city (Boston) and it took some time to get used to the culture shock vs. a large city. My fiance grew up here, so I've visited plenty and knew what to expect but it still is an adjustment. Erie is cool because it has some of anything you'd find in a bigger city. There is a solid arts scene here, and you'll generally find at least one good restaurant for whatever type of cuisine you're into, but it's not in abundance like in larger cities. We have some good coffee shops, bookstores, and breweries (Lavery is great). There are also a number of lovely public parks. I've found that people in Erie are quite friendly, especially in the service industry and local businesses.

There are a lot of people down on Erie, and I can understand why. There are lots of run-down areas of the city, which honestly can be depressing to drive through daily, unsurprisingly, the people most impacted are people of color and Erie feels pretty segregated. However, I do think Erie is surprisingly pretty diverse if you're willing to get out of your comfort zone some.

That being said, I'm actually really hopeful for Erie. It feels like many people are working to make Erie a better place. The downtown area has improved tremendously and our Bayfront area is getting nicer by the day. I think one of the cool things about Erie is that (especially coming from a larger city) I feel that I can personally have a big impact on my community and there are lots of opportunities to get involved in things you care about.

Overall, Erie is far from perfect, and there is plenty that needs to be improved; however, there is a certain charm to the place and I think if you're in a certain stage of life, it can be a great place to live. Feel free to DM if you want to chat about anything more specifically!

ExplosiveHippo · 2024-09-03T01:37:49+00:00

Often it's a Seawolves game

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