2008 Woodie Awards
Ain't no town like B-town
Terry Badman
Issue date: 5/9/07 Section: Opinion
Christ I love Burlington.
I love walking down the rust-brick-laden Church Street, amidst the sounds of local street performers bleeding out their souls through their acoustic guitars. I love the way Nectars drowns their signature french fries in the most thick and orgasmicly awesome gravy I've ever shoved down my food hole. And I love walking along the waterfront, watching the sunset mix a watercolor cocktail of pinks and oranges above Lake Champlain.
Burlington is my Energizer Bunny, so-to-speak. When I feel myself down and drained from the regular day-to-day shambles of life, you can pretty much bet that I'll be in B-Town when the weekend rolls around.
I rambled on up to Burlington this past Saturday to get away from all of you- and to see freakin' Venom in "Spider-Man 3."
Now while I could easily go into great detail regarding my complete and utter disappointment with that film- specifically the often emo-esque Tobey Maguire- I'll save that rant for whoever is likely to review it in this issue.
No, I chose to write about Burlington for this issue because it's the perfect college town. I figured it might be interesting to do a cultural comparison, see how Castleton stacks up against the Muhammad Ali of Vermont college towns.
Let's start with the most common student complaint at Castleton: nightlife. Burlington has numerous bars, clubs, restaurants, and nightly activities- all within walking distance of UVM and Champlain College-- that would keep any college student entertained well into the wee hours of the morning.
Castleton has cow tipping and The Dog (which is actually in Hydeville). I mean there's nothing better than getting trashed on fifty-cent drafts and tormenting farm animals, is there?
What about other social gathering spots? B-Town has Church Street, the waterfront, University Mall, and Taft Corners in Williston-all within a ten-minute drive. Castleton's closest mall is twenty miles away in Rutland; a city whose "cultural" downtown area revolves around a Wal-Mart and a Price Chopper.
I love walking down the rust-brick-laden Church Street, amidst the sounds of local street performers bleeding out their souls through their acoustic guitars. I love the way Nectars drowns their signature french fries in the most thick and orgasmicly awesome gravy I've ever shoved down my food hole. And I love walking along the waterfront, watching the sunset mix a watercolor cocktail of pinks and oranges above Lake Champlain.
Burlington is my Energizer Bunny, so-to-speak. When I feel myself down and drained from the regular day-to-day shambles of life, you can pretty much bet that I'll be in B-Town when the weekend rolls around.
I rambled on up to Burlington this past Saturday to get away from all of you- and to see freakin' Venom in "Spider-Man 3."
Now while I could easily go into great detail regarding my complete and utter disappointment with that film- specifically the often emo-esque Tobey Maguire- I'll save that rant for whoever is likely to review it in this issue.
No, I chose to write about Burlington for this issue because it's the perfect college town. I figured it might be interesting to do a cultural comparison, see how Castleton stacks up against the Muhammad Ali of Vermont college towns.
Let's start with the most common student complaint at Castleton: nightlife. Burlington has numerous bars, clubs, restaurants, and nightly activities- all within walking distance of UVM and Champlain College-- that would keep any college student entertained well into the wee hours of the morning.
Castleton has cow tipping and The Dog (which is actually in Hydeville). I mean there's nothing better than getting trashed on fifty-cent drafts and tormenting farm animals, is there?
What about other social gathering spots? B-Town has Church Street, the waterfront, University Mall, and Taft Corners in Williston-all within a ten-minute drive. Castleton's closest mall is twenty miles away in Rutland; a city whose "cultural" downtown area revolves around a Wal-Mart and a Price Chopper.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
dan leiter '85
posted 5/09/07 @ 1:49 PM EST
whoa is this writer off base. hopefully s/he is a freshman who will transfer to paramus new jersey next semester. there s/he will find plenty of shopping options, taco bell and denny's. (Continued…)
Emily Bond
posted 5/17/07 @ 4:18 PM EST
Badman's assumptions of a city attaining culture by means of having a 'Taco Bell' and a 'Spencer's' within the same mall is totally bogus. Hopefully those of us FROM Burlington can help the less fortunate understand that it is not a city's 'consumer-esque' nature that validates it but a special blend of arts, culture, and expression. (Continued…)
Bob Richardson
posted 10/10/07 @ 7:05 AM EST
To sum it up:
Burlington - a place to lose yourself (born there)
Castleton - a place to find yourself
Bob Richardson
class of '58
Post a Comment