When I think about my Charlottesville experience as it draws to a close, two separate physical spaces come to my mind: the Grounds/Corner area (including JPA and 14th Street) and the Downtown Mall. It's easy to feel like we're living in a bubble. We are students by occupation, so our daily activities are somewhat limited: We go to classes and the library during day, and then the Corner or Rugby (for the young ones) at night. Our physical mobility is limited especially if we are sans car, too lazy to walk a mile or too afraid to be harassed by strangers on the trolley.
I worked outside the U.Va. bubble last summer when I was an intern on the Downtown Mall. It was physically a trying experience, but it made me appreciate the City of Charlottesville beyond the University Avenue and 29 North areas to which I was so accustomed.
Every work day, I bridged the gap between the two spheres of the Corner and downtown by walking to and from my internship on Main Street. I refused to take the trolley or a cab on principle -- I hate waiting for public transportation, and I wanted to suffer as much as possible to spite my parents for not giving me a car, even though it was more than 100 degrees. When I arrived at the office after walking more than a mile in the sun and humidity, I had to paper towel off in the bathroom. It was very professional. By the end of the summer not only was I incredibly tan from exposure to the morning and evening sun, but I became an adept power-walker. To this day I'm that weird kid you notice walking faster than everyone else to and from class.
Besides training to be Speedy Gonzales, I also began to appreciate how unexpectedly fun the Downtown Mall is. Going to out to dinner at some of its nicer restaurants or for drinks at its bars is an instant upgrade from the usual drab college kid food. Basically, any outing downtown makes you feel a million times more baller than going out on the Corner.
And where do I begin to list my favorites? Dumplings from Marco & Luca's Noodle Shop are a cheap and addictive lunch, dinner and snack. Cupcake Friday at the Mudhouse is still my favorite holiday -- there's just something about eating a Funfetti cupcake for no reason that makes my day. Revolutionary Soup and Christian's are now on the Corner, and it may just be my imagination, but the fare sold at their downtown locations tastes just a bit better knowing I had to make the journey.
If you're trying to get drunk in a classier manner, the Pear Mojitos at X Lounge, any of the martinis at Bang or a glass of wine purchased at one of the numerous wine bars and wine shops are thrilling alternatives to the drink specials on the Corner. OXO's dance party Friday and Saturday nights is a more cosmopolitan way to get your freak on with people you'd never run into at dance parties on the Corner. There are live music options for different tastes almost every night, and every day there are vendors set up along the Mall selling colorful scarves and jewelry from different cultures.
I have two cautions for those who want to begin frequenting the downtown area, however. If you wear high heels, you may break your ankles getting caught in the cracks in the brick, or will at the very least fall on your face. And like the parking nightmare around Grounds, parking on the Downtown Mall is a trying ordeal that requires patience, daring and months of diligent quarter-collecting.
This past summer was eye-opening for me because I migrated between the downtown Charlottesville bubble and the U.Va. bubble every day, sometimes numerous times a day if my friends and I chose to go downtown at night. Crossing the bridge over the railroad tracks on Main Street is like a passageway into another lifestyle where the academic and social stresses of college do not have to come with you. I learned that the regular downtown denizens rarely cross over into the Corner "scene" and often express their relief that students are gone, allowing for less human and car traffic around Charlottesville. I couldn't help but take these statements personally, though we do take up a lot of room in this place and then leave Charlottesville after graduation, most likely thinking of it fondly as a college town.
So if you haven't already done so, at least grab dinner and enjoy the delicious food and diverse atmosphere this city has to offer -- before you become a nostalgic fourth-year like me.
Mary's column runs biweekly Fridays. She can be reached at mbaroch@cavalierdaily.com.
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