Top Ten Places in C-U...

Well, it's down to my last week here in Champaign Urbana. In continuing with my, now controversial, lists I have decided to do "Top Ten Places in Champaign Urbana". These are my favorite places to hang out at, or were at one time. Basically, these are the top ten places that I have had wonderful memories that I will cherish forever (cheesy shit). So here goes...


10. Merry Ann's- I chose Merry Ann's as my number ten because in high school, it was the shit. After hard parties we would go there and order Biscuits and Gravy and eat fries. Merry Ann's has also been a place of solice for me. When going through break-up's I would eat plates of cheese fries for my comfort food. Merry Anns fizzled away after high school but came back strong last year, last summer, when there would be parties at Amy's and we would need a relief from the heat/annoying hippies that seemed to overrun the party. Me and Jackie would go there and have a cigarette and share a shake and talk about whatever was on our minds. A little trashy, but too perfect. I'm sure it will be a townie fav. for the rest of its existence.


9.The Office- I have to say, that as annoying as it is going there and seeing everyone I know from high school, and as annoying as it is to go there when fighting with Jaclyn, and as annoying as it is, just for millions of reasons, I still love The Office. We celebrated New Years 2004 there, which was a wonderful occasion, considering I was too young to go elsewhere, and from what I remember, too young to be at The Office? I have had MANY druken nights there, with my Birthday, Nikki's Barcrawl, Amy's Birthday and my going away party. Not to mention the countless nights of partying and having a grand ole time. If I had to choose a favorite sit-down-for-conversation-bar, The Office tops my list my a million.


8.C-Street- Hmmm. My first gay bar experience. I remember asking Keith Cooper what to wear on AIM because I was so afraid that I would get there and be, like, the hideous 16 year old fag that shouldn't have bothered leaving his house. I remember when I got there, and I saw men kissing one another openly, and people dancing and grinding their dicks together and tons of sexual tension just pouring out of everyone, I felt really uncomftorable. Being raised to believe homosexuality is a sin kind of makes even the queerest of the queer a bit uncomftorable with who they are. Since then, C-Street has been my little slice of gay hell. I used to wonder what it was that made straight men so uncomftorable at gay bars, and I now understand. The bar has been a disappointment and an epiphany in many ways. I have learned a lot about the superficial lifestyle and the fake friendships that you encounter with 'the gays'. All in all, I have had some of my BEST going out memories at C-Street. Anytime I want to get trashed and go make out with my best friends and dance until I am sweating to death, I go to C-Street. I have to say, I am so much more excited for the gay chicago bars than I was for C-Street. Psh.


7.Lincoln Square- Seems like an odd choice, considering the mall is void of all exsistence. However, at one time, it was hoppin', well at least Lindsey and I thought so. We spent many middle school afternoons running around Lincoln Square playing spit tag. Since Lindsey had a chronic masturbation problem (sorry to put this all out in the open Linds), I used to have to bribe her with free Enzo's to get her out of the house. We would use the money my mother gave me to buy clothes on cheesy breadsticks and incense cones. We would run around Herbergers and play tag with my brother. We were the ultimate losers and we loved every second of it. I find that my best memories are the times when I forget about all of me insecurities and just throw the shit to the wind and have a fucking blast, regardless of what people think of me. I am glad, though, that I wasn't an older person watching us, because I would hate to think how trashy we looked, two greasy acne prone teenagers spitting at one another for fun. God.


6.Prarie Play A.K.A Meadowbrook Park- When I first started dating Ryan, we would make daily trips to prarie play, in part so he could excersize on his rollerblades while I walked and listened to all of his theatre stories, and also to feed my love for photography. Around that time I was in yearbook, and was trusted with the amazing cameras that took the most crisp images you could hope for. The atmosphere inspired me and we had Breyonnes photo shoot there. It is so funny to look back at, because it was 30 degrees out and Breyonne was running around the park in dresses she bought while in New York, trying to look cute, freezing her ass off, and we were all laughing the entire time. I got some hot pictures of her and Ryan together though. Fo Sho. I have had wonderful nights there as well. Going there stoned out of my mind in highschool, to lay in the field and stargaze, and make up names for constilations that didn't even exist. Or falling off of the wooden structures because I was too drunk to hold myself up. Or going there completely sober and playing ghost in the graveyard because it was the most fun thing to do. I love Prarie Play and I hope I find a nice park to chill in in Chicago


5.Six Pack Volleyball Courts- Originally I thought I should put Brookens Volleyball, since I played there a shitload more and actually played REAL games, but I decided that based on fun factor, the six-pack wins. I would go there with highschool friends and play crazy volleyball that had no rules. Ryan and I would go there to practice my hitting and my approach and jump serves, because it's so much harder in sand. Ryan was a good sport, helping me considering he sucks ass at volleyball. The courts were where a lot of my friendships kind of blossomed. I would invite everyone I liked to play and I learned more about them as time progressed. When we were bored, we would meet there and stunt and drop people and laugh at the our stupidity. Volleyball was wonderful


4.Carle Park- Birthday celebrations, Harmonizing music while swinging and splashing sand around with my toes, volleyball games and cake eating. Carle park was, at one point, a place I went to get incredibly high and lay on a merry-go-round. It's interesting how it's come full circle in a way. I spent time at the park discovering relationships and friends and stuff in highschool, and then I got to do it recently as well. Everytime I go to Carle I laugh until I can't stand it, and I play until I feel sick. Thank God for Sundays in the Park, and any day really. They always have a way of making my week so much better, mostly thanks to the people involved.


3.408- Ah, 408. The parties and wonderful times I had there. The tent room, the crazy first experiences, the relationships, the insightful conversations, the insane fights. It's all so fresh in my mind. I know that I will NEVER again have an experience like 408, and I am kind of glad by that, considering NOTHING could ever top it. I look back at 408 and I am SO happy that I had those experiences, no matter how many fights it caused and the drama and yadda yadda. It was def. one of, if not THE, best summer(s) of my life.


2.Virginia Theatre- Considering I am a big theatre whore, I have to pick my fav. theatre out of the bunch. Station was in a close second, but the Virginia is just "amayzing". Being a lead on the stage was a phenomenal experience. Can't even begin to EXPLAIN how amazing it feels. Seeing shows there, it feels like the most professional setting out of all the theatres in town, given the scenery on the inside is beautiful (despite the ceiling). All in all, it made me feel like I was a real actor.


1.503- Golly. High School was insane, but the best two years of my high school life were spent at 503. The castle. We had the wildest most crazy experiences there. Lesbian Nights. Parties. Songs. Dances. Cheerleading the beds. Passing out to Christmas lights. Two dogs. So much shit man. 503 is the place that I really figured out who my friends were and where the line was drawn between party bud and true friend. I love 503, and if I could live there again, I would in a heartbeat

That was long, don't feel like writing much else. I should head to bed soon anyways. Harry Potter is phenonmenal. I sense something bad/good happening very soon. Sad, but necessary. So it seems. Later.