Erie is laid out in a grid fashion with the lake being the northern point. downtown separates east from west. It’s flat and easier to navigate than pgh. The lake is a beautiful place for quiet reflection. There are some good colleges: public is PSU Behrend & private are either Gannon or Mercyhurst. If you want to avoid natural disasters, but don’t mind lake effect snow it’s not a terrible city to visit or have a summer home.