Court Street Coffee

       The second I walked into Court Street Coffee I was greeted by a friendly barista that was standing behind the counter. The tone of her voice automatically made me feel very welcome in this establishment. After sitting down and taking in the vibes of the coffee shop I really noticed that it had a very home-based feel to it. There are couches and chairs in the front where people can sit, relax and talk. Then there is a separate room in the back and to the side with tables and chairs where many OU students sit to study and do homework. These areas have more light than the front of the shop does; I speculate that this is due to people coming in to do work at the tables. Something that I found very interesting is that there is a family style table in the very back where a group of girls sat with coffee while working on some sort of group project.

       This place is very different from a Starbucks, yet it attracts the same base of people and serves the same purpose. These people, mostly students, are looking for a good cup of coffee and may be interested in getting some work done. The main difference between the two is that Court Street Coffee is very relaxed and the colors and paintings on the walls are filled with rich earth tones along with splashes of color that make you feel at home. Another difference is the mismatch of the furniture that gives each table you sit at a different feel. This shop existing in Athens shows the emphasis of the small noncommercial businesses existing in the town. This coffee shop offers a warm experience to anyone that comes in.

Donkey

For this inaugural blog post, I decided (like many others, I’m sure) to go to the Donkey Café and soak up the environment.  I went there in the evening time, and the first thing I noticed was the lighting.  It wasn’t incredibly bright inside the place; there was dim lighting, so you could see where you were and what you were doing, but not a tremendous amount more.  However, I also noticed that much of what you could see in the light was very brightly colored, thus adding a sense of warmth to the ambiance.  There are also several distinctive rooms.  The main sitting area as you walk in boasts a number of comfortable chairs and small tables on which to put your food and beverage of choice.  Moving deeper into the café, you come upon a large room separated from the shop with many more tables and chairs and a small stage.  This is what I call the open-mic night room.  The Donkey is known for having local musical groups, comedians, poets, and others perform on-stage for a smaller crowd.  There is also an upstairs where there is more seating and a cabinet full of games and such if you do not happen to be working during a given visit.  I think Donkey was designed like this so that any customer had the option of sitting and working comfortable, taking in a show, or just relaxing with some friends.

            The crowd at Donkey seems to be, predominantly, students who need a peaceful place to work away from their personal home environment.  The softly lit rooms appeal to a sense of calm for these students.  Everyone seems to be relaxed and focused.  Even the employees keep a certain chilled out demeanor as they take your orders and make your beverages.  Everything about Donkey, from the cozy chairs to the light music over the sound system lends itself to an air of tranquil study.

            In relation to the community, as I mentioned briefly, Donkey brings in an assorted array of musical, comic, and artistic performers on occasion.  This brings not only the community of performers in Athens together, but it also brings together the collective community of the audience.  It also makes a good meeting spot for student groups.  Any group can pick out a table and set to work without much interruption, if any.  What the existence of this place says about Athens is thought we may be known for such a grand party school, we know how to tone it down, study, and appreciate the finer things of our own area, be it music, poetry, comedy, or just quality food and drink.   

~ Kevin Snider

For this inaugural blog post, I decided (like many others, I’m sure) to go to the Donkey Café and soak up the environment.  I went there in the evening time, and the first thing I noticed was the lighting.  It wasn’t incredibly bright inside the place; there was dim lighting, so you could see where you were and what you were doing, but not a tremendous amount more.  However, I also noticed that much of what you could see in the light was very brightly colored, thus adding a sense of warmth to the ambiance.  There are also several distinctive rooms.  The main sitting area as you walk in boasts a number of comfortable chairs and small tables on which to put your food and beverage of choice.  Moving deeper into the café, you come upon a large room separated from the shop with many more tables and chairs and a small stage.  This is what I call the open-mic night room.  The Donkey is known for having local musical groups, comedians, poets, and others perform on-stage for a smaller crowd.  There is also an upstairs where there is more seating and a cabinet full of games and such if you do not happen to be working during a given visit.  I think Donkey was designed like this so that any customer had the option of sitting and working comfortable, taking in a show, or just relaxing with some friends.

            The crowd at Donkey seems to be, predominantly, students who need a peaceful place to work away from their personal home environment.  The softly lit rooms appeal to a sense of calm for these students.  Everyone seems to be relaxed and focused.  Even the employees keep a certain chilled out demeanor as they take your orders and make your beverages.  Everything about Donkey, from the cozy chairs to the light music over the sound system lends itself to an air of tranquil study.

            In relation to the community, as I mentioned briefly, Donkey brings in an assorted array of musical, comic, and artistic performers on occasion.  This brings not only the community of performers in Athens together, but it also brings together the collective community of the audience.  It also makes a good meeting spot for student groups.  Any group can pick out a table and set to work without much interruption, if any.  What the existence of this place says about Athens is thought we may be known for such a grand party school, we know how to tone it down, study, and appreciate the finer things of our own area, be it music, poetry, comedy, or just quality food and drink.   

~ Kevin Snider

LuiLui Sushi Tuesdays

One of the things that I appreciate about OU is its emphasis on the importance of local businesses. Although we do have a Quizno's and a Wendy's on Court St, most of the on campus eateries are not food chains. Over the past two years, I've developed special relationships with each of the local stores scattered on Court. But it wasn't until recently that I tried LuiLui.

On all days of the week, LuiLui's menu has a variety of soups, salads, lunches and dinners that would satisfy even the pickiest eaters. However, I didn't walk all the way down to Station St for just your average cheeseburger. I went for SUSHI, and man, it was worth it. On Tuesday's LuiLui offers 15 varieties of sushi. The only other place that I've had sushi in Athens is China Panda, which is all the way out on State St. LuiLui is a much more convenient walk, and is a lot cheaper than China Panda. A roll of sushi runs from 5-8 dollars.

LuiLui's decor is a sort of sad attempt of a fancy restaurant. Although the tables are covered with glass, and fancy curtains are strung along the windows, you can tell that it was decorated inexpensively. The walls are covered with chipped paint, and the store is sprinkled with tacky oriental knickknacks, even though sushi is only served on Tuesdays. Although I've heard it's pretty empty on most days, it was packed around 5 on sushi night. The customers were mostly older adults, but a few groups of students were also there. The atmosphere was fairly quiet, with soft, upbeat music playing in the background. I think Athens is always in need of more local, affordable sit-down restaurants, which is probably why LuiLui is still in business. I think it's the kind of place you could take your parents when they come to visit, or a good place to go for a first date. I know I always end up taking my parents to dinner at Casa when they come to visit, so I'm looking forward to showing them somewhere else. I would highly recommend sushi night to anyone looking to try something new. My last advice is to walk, not drive there, it's a perfect distance from uptown. By the time you're home, you aren't so stuffed anymore!

My Little Hike.

The other weekend I took a little hike over across highway 32, to a little hill that is mischievously named"Bong Hill".  The trip up the hill is a little tedious and can be tiring, but it isn't to terribly hard.  The path leads up a little dry creak bed riddled with loose rocks and underbrush everywhere, but it all pays off in the end.  Sitting on top of the hill looking out over Athens, Ohio is one of the best feelings in the world for me.  It reminds me of how nature and people can live together in a small little community and still look beautiful.  The rolling hills around OU's campus is a wondrous site, and can only be described as a true appalachian landscape.
The best part about sitting on top of the hill is watching the sunset though. It is something that can only be captured in painting, or in memory.  I love the surrounding area of Athens. It's just seems like a wild and untamed land filled with the adventure that Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer got into.

Casa Nueva

Casa Logo

This weekend I went to Casa for dinner with some friends. I always end up having a very interesting experience at Casa. My roommates love to go there not only for their food but also for their night scene. I will say that it's not exactly my "scene" but I don't mind going occasionally. The atmosphere at Casa is very different from most restaurants you'd see in a big city. The first thing I think of when I think of Casa is 'hippies'. You have the waiters with the hair down to the floor, the ones that don't shave their arm/legs, the one's with dreads and so on. I have absolutely nothing against 'hippies', their lifestyle is just different then mine. Casa attracts a wide variety of people, the college hippies, townies, families and college students looking for an affordable place to eat. You can have two very different experiences there, you can have the laid back, there for dinner and good conversation experience, or you could have the loud, at the bar, bands playing in the background experience. When I went there this weekend we were lucky enough to go there and just have dinner and not have to deal with loud annoying head banging metal bands playing.

Night Scene

I think that Casa provides a calm relaxed environment (depending on what time of day you go) for the most part. If you go there during the day its a nice place to go and relax and study and not have to be in the library. At night time it provides the atmosphere for friends to get together and have a good time. Aside from providing food and drinks it provides a safe environment. I know that I've been in bars/restaurants where I feel as though i'm being judged or looked at, but at Casa I never once get that feeling.

Workers

The main thing that Casa says about Athens and why it's good to the community is it buys all of its products locally (150 mile radius) and one of its main tasks is to give back to the community. I think that it is so great that they provide products that are not processed and are natural and healthy for you. It's hard to find good healthy food on a college campus and on top of that it's delicious!

        Last Wednesday night I went to Jackie-Os with some of my friends. Jackie-Os is a fun brewery turned restaurant located on Union Street on the Ohio University Campus. It has a fun atmosphere where locals and students can eat, drink, and listen to music. Along with a fantastic variety of local grown food people often go to drink. Jackie-Os brew their own beer and have special happy hours where you can get the special beer for great prices. Along with the unique drinks it is also a hot spot because of the live music. A few times a week they have local bands play sets for free. It is a fun place if one would want to relax and enjoy the easy going atmosphere. It has plenty of room and is very open so one is not cramped and crowded as it might feel in other bars around campus. It is unique in that there are not a lot of hyped up students and more of a young adult attraction. 

Friday Night at the Union Street Diner

            On Friday, after a show at the Union my friends and I went to the Union Street Diner so I could examine the environment and feel of the restaurant as it pertains to Appalachian lifestyle.  I always enjoy coming here, especially at one or two in the morning for a delicious cup of coffee.  The overall look and feel of the restaurant is like typical small town diners, very quant with a friendly and open atmosphere, but with so much more. I think it was designed as a very family friendly place to eat and converse with the local community over a cup of coffee. 

            The customers that come into the restaurant can vary.  Usually at one or two in the morning there are students like my friends, and myself but sometimes there are townies that come to relax and talk with the friendly staff running the restaurant.  The people that usually come here are hard working locals from the community and students looking for a good place to get some quality food with a laid back atmosphere. The great food and friendly space is what drives people to come and spend an hour or two here.  Its location from all the craziness of downtown Athens brings peace to the quant little diner that it is.

            Union Street Diner provides more than just great food, it provides a space where a community can come together to meet, converse, reflect upon their days, talk about the great music they saw from the night before, talk about shenanigans from the night before, and be more of growing community than it ever could be.  It brings the great small town and happy-go-lucky spirit that Athens has to offer every day. Union Street Diner proves that Athens is a great small town to be social and interact with people every day, whether their local townies from in town or in the mountains.  It’s a melting pot of Appalachian in every sense of the word.