Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette photos Ian Rosenberger surfs on a table his uncle made back in 1977 in his Heinz Lofts apartment. The 24-year-old Beaver County native placed third on "Survivor: Palau." Click photo for larger image.

One of the happiest days in many people's lives is the day they move into their own place. And it only gets better when your first apartment boasts one of the area's hippest addresses and comes with a drop-dead gorgeous view of the city skyline. Just ask Ian Rosenberger of "Survivor: Palau" fame.

Last month, the 24-year-old moved into a top-floor apartment at Heinz Lofts, a new luxury apartment complex on the North Side. Built between 1912 and 1931, these five historic buildings once housed the food processing operations of the H.J. Heinz Co. Mr. Rosenberger's apartment is in the five-level Cereal Building, the largest of the five and the one that serves as its official social "hub."

Mr. Rosenberger's corner apartment, which features tan walls and scores of windows, was originally built as a ketchup kitchen. Just 795 square feet, the L-shaped space is a little confining for a kid who grew up on a Beaver County horse farm. But its 16-foot ceilings and exposed ductwork seem to be a good fit for a 6-foot, 8-inch guy who answers the door in ripped jeans and bare feet.

"This is the first time I've ever lived alone. This is a good place to get away to."

When the Economy native decided this summer to set up housekeeping in the city, he also looked at apartments in Mount Washington, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill. But it was Heinz Lofts, which had its grand opening in April, that gave him that gotta-have-it sensation. Looking at the one-bedroom apartment at dusk, when the lights Downtown were just starting to twinkle, it hit him: How could he not live here?

"I felt it was my chance to be a real Pittsburgher," he says.

A piece of "tree mail" and a signed cast photo from Ian Rosenberger's stint on "Survivor: Palau." Click photo for larger image.

The young man liked the idea of living someplace historic. An added benefit is the loft's close proximity to PNC Park, Heinz Field, the Strip District, Penn Brewery -- you name it, it's all within walking distance.

The apartment is far from posh, as befits a guy who's just recently on his own. The only "real" pieces of furniture are a moss-green microfiber couch and loveseat from Value City, a wood coffee table his Uncle Tom made in 1977, and a large wall unit from IKEA that took him "3.5 million years" to put together.

"It was like an immunity challenge from 'Survivor,' " he jokes.

His postage stamp-sized bedroom is just as spare, furnished with a standard double bed and the black and yellow Zippy monkey he's had since he was a baby. A large window facing the apartment's long, window-lined hallway keeps the space from feeling too closed in.

Mr. Rosenberger, who currently is splitting his time between Pittsburgh and L.A. as he pursues a career in the entertainment industry, says he doesn't really need that much stuff. Besides, his new loft -- which overlooks the Three Rivers Heritage Trail -- is a huge step up from his last place, an old house near Penn State's main campus. Its furnishings consisted mainly of two stools and a decrepit couch he and a roommate pilfered from a trash bin.

"My mom was like 'All right, it's time for you have a real place,' " he says.

At Penn State, Mr. Rosenberger was homecoming king and president of Undergraduate Student Government during his senior year. But the Quigley Catholic alum didn't hit true celebrity status until he appeared on "Survivor's" 10th season, filmed on the South Pacific island of Palau.

	A wall of photos of people, places and things that have meaning for Ian Rosenberger. Click photo for larger image.

As one of the final three contestants, he is most remembered for stepping down from a rocking navigational buoy in the final immunity challenge to preserve his friendship with the eventual winner, New York City firefighter Tom Westman.

For Mr. Rosenberger, "Survivor" was always more about the adventure than the money, he insists.

"I mean, where else do you get paid to be Huck Finn for a living?"

Though he was identified as a dolphin trainer on the show, Mr. Rosenberger actually spent the summer before the show was filmed as a counselor in Key Largo, Fla., using dolphins as a rehabilitation tool for children with disabilities or critical illnesses.

He took time off from Penn State to do the TV show and make appearances afterward. He expects to earn his bachelor's degree in agricultural extension and educational leadership this spring.

If he had not appeared on the show, he concedes, he never would have been able to afford such cool digs at such a young age. Units at Heinz Lofts start at $825 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and run as much as $2,725 for three bedrooms with a gas fireplace and rooftop terrace.

"I'd probably be doin' the Jimmy Buffet thing, in a shack someplace."

In decorating his bachelor pad, Mr. Rosenberger had just one rule: Each item had to carry a good memory. For instance, the wall unit holds a pair of crampons he wore to scale a glacier in Alaska and a football helmet worn by Penn State alum and '73 Heisman trophy-winner John Cappelletti.

As you might expect, there are several souvenirs from his 39-day stint on "Survivor." Chief among them are a signed cast photo and a piece of hand-painted "tree mail" that he surreptitiously stuck in his bag one night on the way to tribal council.

A Wheaties box with Joe Paterno on the front sits atop a cabinet in Ian Rosenberger's kitchen in his Heinz loft. Click photo for larger image.

On a second tree mail, he, Westman and fellow survivor Katie Gallagher scribbled an exhaustive list of all the foods they desperately missed during the show: corn dogs, Hershey kisses, TGIF desserts.

"All you did was sit around and think about things to eat," he says.

Meanwhile, a footlocker in the corner of the living room offers clues to his childhood. It's filled with newspaper clippings, baby photos, copies of speeches he wrote and a badge from the Penn State dance marathon. Nearby is a blue director's chair that his parents, Kim and Anthony, gave him after he directed "Jesus Christ Superstar" his junior year of college.

Even the kitchen holds keys to what he holds dear. A Wheaties box featuring Joe Paterno's famous mug sits atop one cabinet and the stove holds salt and pepper shakers from the Slovenian village of Novo mesto, where his great-grandparents were born. A signed T-shirt from Disney World (he was a puppeteer there after his freshman year of college) decorates another wall.

All of his artwork has meaning to him. One wall displays black-and-white photos of his favorite artists, actors and places, including a still from the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and shots of jazz great Chet Baker and the Eiffel tower.

Most treasured of all is a painting of a small boy crying over his puppy. His paternal grandmother, Jennie, painted it when he was a little boy and gave it to him right before she died in December.

"I've taken that from place to place to place," he says, smiling, "from college to Florida to here."

If this all makes Mr. Rosenberger sound like the most sentimental guy in town, well, that's because he probably is. But he's not embarassed.

"When I'm 80, I want to be able to show my grandchildren some of the stuff I was lucky enough to do."