Eugene's Best

Caitlin H.

February 3, 2010 - 6:30 PM

The daily student newspaper, the Oregon Daily Emerald recently published the reader's choice selections for Eugene's best. The categories are: dining, campus life, and nightlife. You won't find all of the selections online that appeared in print. While I certainly agree with some popular choices, I thought I would weigh in on the results, and give my personal vote.

In the Eat or Drink Category

Coffee: I don't drink coffee, so what would I know? I only mention it because I know there are many coffee drinkers out there. The published favorite was Espresso Roma

Bakery: The Sweet Life! No other Eugene bakery even comes close. Sweet Life changed my life. End of story.

Breakfast: The Glenwood has the best breakfast in town. It is close to campus and has a nice variety within the menu. I'll admitI enjoy the Glenwood for lunch and dinner as well.

Ice Cream: Prince Puckler's, another gem located close to campus. When President Obama came to speak at the University of Oregon, Prince Puckler's was one stop he had to make himself!

Pizza: Track Town Pizza is one of my favorites for many reasons. They have beautifully captured the spirit of Track Town USA within their company, the pizza is delicious and the buffet is the sort of epic pick-me-up that will make any student feel like they can ace their next exam.

BBQ: Papa recently passed away, which was a great loss to the city of Eugene, but Papa's Soul Food Kitchen lives on. You have to dine there to really understand the experience, but it is a true house of comfort food when you need it. Plus, where else can you order frog legs off the specials? I might mention there are some unique menu items as well.

Bar to End the Night: My experience with the local bar scene has been somewhat limited, although I am convinced there is one thing I will need to experience before I leave Eugene - closing time at Max's Tavern. I understand Tuesday is trivia night, which sounds splendid, and at closing every night they play "Sweet Caroline" to end the evening...and everyone sings along.

In the Campus and Classes Category:

Mode of Transportation: Biking. Eugene is designed for all bike lovers out there. As annoying as it is at times, I love that Eugene is full of so many bikes it can actually be a challenge to find a place to lock it up.

Major: It was printed that journalism was the best major on campus by popular vote. Well, I have a theory: journalism students print the paper and are most likely to read the paper and thus vote in this contest. I think the surveyed pool might have been a little lopsided. There are a lot of great colleges and departments on campus. My own vote has to go to education. The school is ranked 4th in the US, but it gets my vote because of the new HEDCO facility. With recent donations and upgrades, the Education building is simply stunning.

Place to Catch a Nap: College students do love their naps. The EMU has the best couches, but can be loud at times. Knight Library is quiet, but there is no good place to lie down. The best place to nap has to be the campus lawn on a sunny day and in the Law School when the weather is not so great.

Place to People Watch: the Fishbowl. You'll recognize the location from the food fight scene in the movie Animal House. I assure you, the location is equally as entertaining on a daily basis as the scene from the movie, although food fights aren't common.

Place to Study: The Knight Library is pretty amazing. With four floors, three of them quiet floors, and an incredibly friendly staff it is hard to find a better place to study.

Campus Icon: The Oregon Duck. It's self explanatory.

Residence Hall: I would vote for Bean, because the ‘cramped' quarters make the community, but with the constant construction going on a stone's throw away (I couldn't think of a metaphor that was a shorter distance) I wouldn't want to live there anymore. The next best residence hall is the new Living Learning Center.

In the Play and Shop Category:

Movie Theater: It's a tossup between the $1.50 theater and the Bijou. If you don't mind waiting to see a movie a bit after its release date, it is hard to beat seeing a movie for less than $2. However, The Bijou always has some great art films that you often can't find at other cinemas. Plus the Bijou used to have a GIANT cat that was precious and they now serve organic popcorn. If that doesn't scream ‘Eugene' I don't know what does.

Concert Venue: The Hult Center is one of my favorite locations in all of Eugene. I look forward to the Oregon Festival of American Music every summer, and the Bach Festival hosted here is famous. My favorite show that I've seen at the Hult was a Savion Glover performance.

Bike Shop: Paul's Bicycle Way of Life. This shop was simply wonderful. I once had to have my bike fitted for a new seat and this company took great care of me. A part had to be special ordered and this shop had my bike back to me faster than any other place in the city could have. I was impressed with their service and was surprised to find out they have four Eugene locations making getting a bike serviced even easier.

Place to Bike: EVERYWHERE! It would be impossible to pick just one location. Eugene is a very bike friendly city. Check out this map for biking trails in Eugene.

Bookstore: While I enjoy the Duck Store (the University of Oregon bookstore) my favorite bookstore in Eugene is the Smith Family Bookstore. It is a used bookstore with so much variety and is one of Eugene's oldest Independent bookstores.

Secondhand Store: Eugene seems to have a significant number of second hand stores. In the interest of a good deal, I happen to frequent them from time to time. My personal favorite is a Goodwill location in the Delta Oaks Shopping Center. They separate the University of Oregon gear on a special rack making a search for vintage Duck gear a breeze.

Game Shop: The CD/Game Exchange shop has been my secret to finding games for my old Nintendo 64. I don't often play video games, but this store is great for finding old used games for old systems, finding old movies, or even trading your old stuff back in!