By Sean Pratt

A common complaint I hear from people is that there is nothing to do in this city, and oh boy does this get me absolutely fuming! This is an absolutely perfect city with zero flaws and I defend it at every chance I get because it’s a flawless city and you are wrong if you don’t think so and also I’m gonna drain your bank account. Y’know I may have gotten a little extreme there and I’d like to formally apologize for being so harsh on you, and hey, to make it up to you I’ll tell you about some places to hit this weekend, or any weekend. It’s up to you really, hope we can still be friends, bud.

Let’s start with stores, and let’s get the obvious out of the way first. If you go down North Prospect you’ll find yourself at the center of Heaven, if your heaven is full of global supermarket franchising corporations. I’m a big Target guy personally, (sorry Meijers fans, not as much to the Walmart enjoyers.) I think they simply have the best selection of books and music of the big three. But there is not much special about that. 

But if you are looking for more local, smaller mom and pop shops. Midtown is the place to be, If you go there most Saturday afternoons you’ll likely see me walking around. Exile on Main Street (on Chestnut Street), which sells mainly records but other media as well, Jane Addams used bookstore is a place I’ve also spent hours in, the whole place itself has that used book smell which is definitely candle material, and Corson Music, a nice musical instrument shop are my highlights in that area. But there are plenty of other stores and I’m almost positive there is at least one place you’ll fall in love with.

I’m sure after all that walking around you could go for something to eat, and boy, do we have places to eat. The nice thing about living in a college town is that there is a restaurant for almost any cuisine you could think of. If you have an itch for Mexican food I can safely and confidently vouch for Dos Reales on North Prospect. If you are craving some Chinese or Japanese food, Oishi Hibachi Steakhouse as well as Ming Garden are my personal favorites in that boat. If you are in the mood for some Middle Eastern food, Naf Naf Grill, the Shawarma Joint aptly named “Shawarma Joint” all seem to be big hits. If you go farther North, back into midtown you can get to Pizzeria Antica, the most authentic Italian pizza you can get in our area. With ingredients and wood burning ovens imported all the way from Naples, the pizza capital of the world, It’s a really nice experience that would definitely have you coming back for more.

If you are looking for more local, American style cuisine (whatever the general consensus of that is), we have a nice selection for those too! Hickory River is my personal favorite Barbecue place in town and has been my whole life. Mary Ann’s Diner is easily a staple of the community, as well as the steakhouse and The Ribeye, both across the street from each other on South Neil St, and maybe you could stop by Jarling’s Custard Cup after, which has been rated as one of the best Ice Cream shops in America by the Today Show. 

Also make sure to keep an eye out for all of the many food trucks around town, they can range anywhere from taco trucks, to adobo trucks, all the way to a food truck that sells just donuts!

If you are looking for some nice entertainment by yourself or with a group, you’ll never believe this but, I got you covered don’t even sweat it! The University of Illinois has a really big theater program. There are plenty of shows that are put on by them, later this fall (Oct 26 – 28.) They are putting on a production of Rent written by Johnathan Larson at the Virginia Theater, this is something I’m personally excited to see. It’s not just the U of I that has this going on though, the Champaign Park District has productions that any child or teen could sign up for. I know some people that do that and they are a great crowd fueled by passion. This November they are putting on a production of Willy Wonka Jr. 

If theater isn’t really your forte though, you aren’t out of luck. There’s a ton of live music venues that double as restaurants, The Space, Neil St. Blues, Rose Bowl Tavern, the Canopy Club, a pivotal piece in our city’s DIY punk music scene, which is really interesting as well and could be an article of its own. Make sure to check back to The Centinal, experiencecu.org, and smilepolitely.com to see what else is going on around our city since there’s always something new to check out!

Now all this sounds nice but if you are like me, you don’t have access to a car at all times. What can you do to get around? You have two main options, MTD Buses, and the green VeoRide bikes that have been popping up around town. and I’ll walk you through how to get the most out of both of them.

MTD Buses are reliable and relatively cheap compared to something like Uber. If you don’t carry cash on you that often, you can download the Token Transit app on your phone to use a card to buy either a one time bus fare for $1, a one day bus fare (on weekends) for $2, a 30 day pass for $20, or a full year pass for $60. If you aren’t sure which buses to get on and where your closest bus takes you, there are map booklets that show all bus routes on weekdays and weekends, as well as a trip planner that tells you how to get from one address to another. 

Now that you are caught up on bus transport. Let’s get to the one we’ve all been seeing dumped on the sidewalks and neighbors yards. You activate a bike through the Veo app for a $1 unlock fee, and get charged 35 cents for every minute you are riding the bike. Which if you ask me is a pretty good deal, those bikes go 15 mph, 5 times the average speed of someone walking. The app also has a GPS tracker for every bike so you could find the closest inactive bike to you.

If you liked this article, or perhaps learned something new. Make sure to keep checking back to The Centinal’s quarterly issues, as well as our website at thecentinal.org for more information on upcoming events, restaurants in the area, and more.