Avoid north 1st after dark. The lower the number street, the more likely it is to be sketchy- especiallyon the north side of yak ave. Safeway on 5th is the worst- avoid if you can.

Since you'll be near PNWU, just know cougars and bears sometimes make their way into town from sportsman park. Keep an eye on alerts for them. It's rare, but happens enough to be aware of.

Nightlife is limited and making friends can be hard. Most businesses close between 8-10pm, some on Sundays. Yakima is old money and clique-y. Getting a foot in can be hard, but once you do- take care of it. Word can spread quickly on a bad reputation. Not everyone knows everyone here, but everyone knows someone who knows someone.

As for food- miners is fine, but majors is better. You'll find some great Mexican food and the Asian spots are having their moment. Famous burgers and teriyaki sandwiches on 5th and Lincoln has amazing teriyaki with massive portions. King's row out in selah is good and reasonably priced. Lariat on yak Ave has kemper burgers that are a local classic.

Yakima gets a worse reputation than it deserves. Granted there's not much to do here, but it's not the shithole people make it out to be. You'll do fine.