When Naveen, Maggie, Ankita, and Rahkee moved to Bakery Living, they had no idea what kind of fun and friendships were in store. All four came to the property from completely different parts of the US and some – a different country.

Rahkee was the first of the crew to move to Bakery Living in 2016 as she wanted to be in a more accessible location and somewhere she could be closer to UPMC. She lived in Tennessee and Massachusetts before coming to our small city, and felt that Boston and Pittsburgh had some similarities towards the look and feel, but also the people and cultures to socialize with.

Ankita moved all the way from India after her husband came to the city to further his education. She is a Product Manager but also an artist! Catch her at local art shows around the city with her acrylic masterpieces.

Naveen moved away from Boston to attend Carnegie Mellon University. As a data scientist and the founder of a healthcare tech startup, Naveen is the life of the party at Bakery Living. He often shares the spotlight with his dog, Cece.

Maggie came all the way from Houston, Texas to further her schooling and receive her Ph.D. from Pitt. Unfortunately, she’s leaving us this summer to officially start her job out in Texas, but she’ll be close to her family again!

Just before the lockdown in 2020, the four of them and many others met at the resident events hosted at Bakery Living. Even though COVID put a halt to their mingling, they still stayed in contact and gathered together when we were able to host events again. Naveen says that Bakery Living is “where everybody knows your name,” a reference to Cheers, because everyone really does seem to know each other despite it being such a large property. Rahkee expressed that this property was different than other she's lived at in the past.

 

The property does a good job at hosting events and actually getting people to show up to them. When I lived at other properties, you didn’t really see as many people come. 
 

What does the group do each week? A little bit of everything! Sometimes you’ll find them hosting a potluck, other times it's board game night or just having a few drinks together. Some of their favorite memories together have been celebrating Holi and Diwali, which are hindu holidays that occur in the fall and spring. Ankita told me about some of the events planned this year, but they all have one concert they are especially looking forward to.

 

We like getting a group together and going out. We already have the Ed Sheeran concert planned! 
 

They’ve gone to music festivals together, annual Pittsburgh events, and farmers markets. They still keep in touch with people who have moved from the property. Doesn’t matter if they moved 10 minutes away or to a totally different country, the friendship remains the same. The best part is that the friends who move away always seem to come back to visit Bakery Living to reconnect with everyone.

I should mention it’s not just the four of them either. Other residents join in on the fun too and their group of friends continues to grow day by day. They welcome everyone to come and enjoy each other's company!

We’ve talked a ton about the resident events, the group get togethers, and the socialization at Bakery Living, but what else makes this property a great place to live? Maggie and Naveen say the security and location.

Prior to moving to Pittsburgh, neither of them were very familiar with the area, so they had to rely on online searches to find their happy place. Maggie’s biggest concern was finding a place that had great security, but also had amenities and events that would make it easier to make friends. After looking at Walnut Capital properties and stumbling upon Bakery Living, Maggie was confident in choosing her home with us. She loves how safe the property is and doesn’t doubt her decision for a minute.

 

I was really concerned about finding a place that had security and made me feel safe. They have a really great security team here. There’s also so much to do around here like the parks, restaurants, and places to shop. 
 

Naveen wanted to be within minutes of CMU to easily get to and from class. Our property is less than 10 minutes from campus, so it was a perfect fit. He felt like Bakery Living was the best location he could have picked that was close enough to continue his education, but also near jobs he would be interested in after completing his Master's. And guess what– he got a job so close to our property that he can walk to work with Cece!

But Naveen said he had something else to admit about his decision to live with Bakery Living… While on his tour, his competitive side kicked in.

 

The first time I came here they showed me the door decorating contest. I knew I had to live here if I wanted to participate next year. The point is, they do a lot of events, and I wanted to be a part of them. 
 

He signed his lease shortly after.

Our residents have made it a mission to become friends with one another. Between the events our property plans and the activities our residents whip up, it's pretty easy to be a part of the community "where everybody knows your name." Find you happy place at Bakery Living today!