The Things I [will] miss the Most

Peter E.

April 17, 2010 - 12:24 PM

Biking home from the McMenamins on 19th and Agate yesterday, I thought to myself: "dang, I'm gonna miss this next year." I had just finished happy hour, which has become a staple of my Friday afternoons, with some friends (Trafton, a fellow blogger, being one of them). I've realized over the last couple months that I've become pretty attached to Eugene in my three years here, and it's going to be difficult to leave it in a couple months. Thus, to wallow in my self-pity, I'm going to break down the top ten things I'll miss about Eugene (outside the obvious such as friends). In this post, I present to you in no particular order numbers ten through six:

10. Microbrews: Eugene and Oregon in general are home to some amazing breweries. Eugene boasts both Ninkasi and Oakshire, and they both make some incredible beer. I strongly recommend any IPA by Ninkasi, and Oakshire simply doesn't make a bad beer.. Outside Eugene, Rogue, Deschutes, Widmer, Full Sail, Bridgeport, and Henry Weinhard (just to name a few) call Oregon home. Oregon has definitely instilled in me a love of good beer, and I've been spoiled by all the great local brews (though my wallet may appreciate a break).

9. McDonald Theatre/WOW Hall: These two concert venues have treated me very well. I've been to some of the best shows I've ever seen at these intimate venues, and their proximity to campus and my house are very appealing. McDonald is a very versatile theatre with great acoustics and removable seats, so it's great for sit-down movies or comedy shows (of which I've attended both) and rowdy concerts as well (I've attended my fair share). WOW Hall is a really intimate venue, holding only about 500, and two of the best concerts I've ever seen, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and The Felice Brothers, were at the WOW.

8. Biking: Eugene's numerous bike trails, bike lanes, and (for the most part) conscientious drivers make Eugene extremely bike friendly. From what I gather, Tulsa is not, so I'll definitely miss that next year.

7. Sam Bond's Bingo: Located in the Whitaker, Sam Bond's Garage is a well kept secret. It doesn't attract too much of the college scene, and there's always an eclectic mix of young locals, older neighborhood folk, anarchists, graduate students, and even a pirate. There's a cast of characters every week, and we've come to recognize some of the regulars. For example, there's Elliot from Booze Weekly Magazine (yes, he's the Editor In Chief) that must drink whatever is in his hand when N45 is called. Beyond the people, it's hard to beat their buck-fifty PBR in bottles. We head over for Bingo Night every Monday hosted by local radio DJs Tom and Scott. They are funny guys, and, as they say, "the more you drink, the more fun bingo is." It's a foolproof formula, and we've gotten successful at it. As if the company, booze, and entertainment isn't enough, my roommates and I have accumulated some pretty valuable loot ranging from romance novels to a Rodney Dangerfield board game. It'll be a challenge to find a better bar.

6. Ducks football: Autzen Stadium has become synonymous with fall for me. The only other sporting event that I've witnessed that rivals Autzen was Game 7 of the 2001 World Series when the Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees. It simply goes beyond words, and it'll hurt me so badly to watch Duck games on TV longing to be there.

So those are numbers ten through six. I'll be back next week with the final five things I'll miss about Eugene.