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RILEY SCOTT
05.30.19
For a small, hidden town in southeast Ohio, Athens has many characteristics that its residents and students treasure alike. Here’s what the culture staffers of The Post chose as the best parts of an already perfect place:
Baylee DeMuth: Fusion Noodle Company has my heart (and my money). Its General Tso’s chicken is my go-to choice almost any time I find myself Uptown. It’s even $2 off a certain day of the week, and I love a good deal.
Riley Runnells: Bagel Street Deli is incredible. There are so many different options of bagel sandwiches, and you can even create your own. The food, atmosphere and epic music selection make Bagel Street the best place to eat Uptown, and everyone should try it.
Sydney Walters: My favorite lunch (and late night dinner) is probably Ginger Asian Kitchen. It reminds me a lot of BIBIBOP Asian Grill from back home, and I LOVE sushi. One of my favorite dinner stops is grabbing some pizza from Courtside Pizza on slice night. I mean, who would turn down 50 cent slices of pizza?
Kevin Pan: Union Street Diner, because some of my best memories of Athens have been from sitting in those booths at some random time past midnight.
Baylee: I find myself studying in Front Room Coffeehouse a lot actually. I like the view of campus from the windows and being around so many other people who are also studying motivates me to get my own work done.
Joseph Stanichar: If you’re a caffeine addict (and if you aren’t yet, you will be), study where the coffee is. Whether that means a coffee shop, Alden library with Cafe BiblioTech, or your dorm if you have a coffee maker, caffeination is nearly as important as hydration for focused studying.
Riley: My three favorite places to study are Front Room Coffeehouse, Donkey Coffee or my dorm. Front Room is usually crowded, and I like having a lot of people around me, so that’s an ideal spot. Donkey Coffee is such a chill atmosphere with comfortable seating everywhere and delicious coffee, so I’ll get a lot of work done there. My dorm isn’t the most exciting place, but I get a lot done when I put some music on, have some snacks and sit down to focus on my work.
Sydney: I spend way too much time (and money) studying at Donkey Coffee. Good coffee, the coolest baristas, and a laid back atmosphere make Donkey the best place to study. If I don’t want to walk Uptown or spend money on coffee, I love studying on the fifth floor of Alden, back in the stacks, looking out at College Green. During the nicer days, I study on the patio outside Front Room Coffeehouse or in my hammock wherever I can find trees.
Jillian Craig: Most of the time, I study in my dorm because it’s quiet and calm and a relaxing place to study. I will go there when I’m done with classes for the day to try and get my work done. If I don’t have enough time to go back and forth between my dorm and my classes, I’ll go to Alden Library or Donkey Coffee. Alden is convenient because the location is central to a lot of lecture halls, but Donkey Coffee is delicious and the atmosphere is just as productive as Alden.
Baylee: My favorite green hands down is East Green. It’s so pretty I literally feel like I’m walking through a magical forest. If I had to live in campus all four years of college, East Green is where I would be.
Riley: My favorite green is definitely East Green. I lived there freshman year, and it’s so gorgeous to walk around. Not to mention having Jefferson Hall right next door is a pretty good perk, because there’s a deli for lunch, a grocery store and a mailroom. East Green is convenient and gorgeous. Everyone should walk through it when the weather is nice and appreciate how pretty it is.
Sydney: 100 percent East Green. East Green has so many trees, easy access to College Green and access to two dining halls without walking to the other side of campus. You also have Jefferson Market, which is the largest and easily the best campus market.
Kevin: College Green. Everything about it is amazing.
Jillian: Don’t let anyone fool you: West Green is the best green. You don’t have to worry about hiking up Jefferson Hill or Morton Hill, Baker Center is close by and it only takes 10 minutes to get to most places on campus. West Green is also one of the cleaner greens on campus and has one of the healthier dining halls available on campus.
Baylee: Despite Shively being so close to where I’ve always lived on campus, I have to say Nelson is my favorite. If I can eat waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I will, and Nelson gives me that option.
Joesph: Respectfully yet intensely disagreeing with Baylee’s opinion, Boyd easily has the best food of the dining halls, with quality sandwiches, pasta, meat and vegetarian options. Shively is fine other than the inconvenience of being closed on weekends, but Nelson’s unchanging and uninteresting options get very old very fast.
Riley: Boyd is definitely the best dining hall. Boyd has so many delicious options, and the ‘Destinations’ section is by far superior to any other section or dining hall. Boyd is also just a pretty atmosphere to hang out in because there’s a lot of windows and fun music playing wherever you sit.
Sydney: This is difficult. I like each dining hall for different reasons. I love Nelson’s breakfast, especially its homemade donuts and cheesy hashbrowns. I worked at Nelson my first semester and made omelets, so the made-to-order omelets are a cool feature. I lived in Shively, so the convenience of having a dining hall downstairs made Shively seem less miserable. I really like Shively’s Grab ’N Go, which is like Chipotle, and the ice cream is delicious. Boyd has the healthiest and probably the best tasting food and atmosphere. Its noodle bar is the main reason I walked across campus for dinner.
Kevin: I went to Boyd every single day of freshman year and almost every single day of sophomore year. So yeah, it’s not bad.
Baylee: I think Artifacts Gallery has to be my favorite. It’s a boutique with a lot of interesting finds that just screams Athens.
Riley: Artifacts Gallery is definitely my favorite. The boutique has so many unique finds and interesting items that make it so special. Like Baylee said, it screams Athens.
Sydney: I’m a big music nerd, so I love Blue Eagle Music. If you play music of any kind, you’ll get lost in the store for hours. I almost bought a flute last semester, and I’ve never played the flute in my life.
Kevin: I like shopping for drinks at any of our wonderful Uptown establishments.
Baylee: On a really nice day, I like to relax in the Scripps Hall Amphitheater. I just love the grassy steps that are perfect for lounging in, while also getting a nice tan.
Joesph: Don’t be afraid to relax at Alden! Nobody’s going to check on you to make sure you’re studying, so if you want to curl up in an egg chair and binge Netflix, by all means go for it.
Riley: I love chilling out behind South Green and laying on a blanket by the river. It’s such a relaxing place to study, nap or people-watch.
Sydney: I’ve taken countless naps in my hammock on College Green or South Beach. If you love the outdoors, a hammock is a necessity on this campus.
Jillian: The patio chairs at Front Room are dangerous in the best possible way. When the weather is nice, the patio chairs are my go-to place. Sitting in the sun with a good book (or even a few assignments) is great way to unwind after a long day of classes.
Baylee: Court Street Coffee has the best iced mochas in town. I wasn’t a coffee drinker until I started getting coffee from there.
Joesph: Wherever there is coffee. You stop being picky after a while.
Riley: Donkey Coffee is my favorite. Between the atmosphere and its power chai, I could spend every day hanging out there and drinking the delicious coffee.
Sydney: Donkey, no questions asked. The baristas are the best. It has the cutest coffee mugs and the coffee is delicious (try the Iced Mocha; it is FANTASTIC.)
Baylee: I’m a big fan of walking along the Hocking River. It’s so cool to be on the outskirts of campus, walking by the golf course and eventually reaching the cherry blossom trees. I’ve just gotten lost admiring how beautiful our school is.
Riley: I’m not much of a nature person. I typically like to spend time indoors or in cities, but my favorite place is behind South Green by the river. You see cars driving by and people running, biking and rollerblading on the trail. It’s just a relaxing place to lay down a blanket and read a book or study for classes.
Sydney: If I have the means to leave campus, Strouds Run is so peaceful. Hardly anyone goes there, and the lake is small and quaint. It’s just so quiet. I also love the area between Alden and Cutler. It’s surrounded by buildings, but it feels like you’re in a forest just sitting there doing homework.
Jillian: Most definitely The Ridges! Everyone seems to be afraid of it, but there’s a lot of history to the grounds, and the hiking trails are beautiful. I could spend hours walking around the property, taking in the scenery.
Baylee: My favorite thing about Athens is that it’s nothing like where I’m from. Everything from the old red bricks I walk on to the hills that surround campus, it’s an entirely different world that I’m always excited to come back to in the fall.
Joesph: No matter the weather, OU’s campus always looks like a postcard. Whether covered in snow or in full blossom, Athens is truly a beautiful place. Also, the squirrels are hilariously dumb. Watch them for more than a minute, and they’ll always do something entertaining.
Riley: My favorite thing about Athens is the beauty of the nature. Everything about Athens is beautiful: the trees, the flowers, the grass and a plethora of other things. It could be snowing or a crystal clear sunny day, and Athens would beat out any college area for its beauty.
Sydney: I love Athens because it is the perfect definition of a college town. There are so many things within walking distance of campus. It also has such a small town feel. I see four or five of my friends on a short walk from my dorm to class.
Kevin: Athens itself. This town and the people here are amazing. I’ve met the best people, made the best memories and had the time of my life here. It truly is a home and it’s also much more. I’ve never seen time fly by so fast before I got here.
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This story is part of a series of specially designed stories that represents some of the best journalism The Post has to offer. Check out the rest of the special projects here.