The Cafeteria in the BC Campus Center
There are few people who will admit it, but the deep-fried bean and cheese burritos are secretly delicious.
Lam’s Chinese Restaurant
2510 University Ave.
Deceptively condemned looking, but you should try getting a table at lunchtime. However, while you wait for your table (and subsequently your dim-sum), check out either the Arowana fish in the lobby or the long-haired metal dude who lives across the street; both of these guys are surviving specimens of dying breeds.
Charly’s Bar
2695 Mt. Vernon St.
Despite the fact that there are no pickled eggs served, this place is still a top-shelf dive bar. My two favorite parts of this bar are the uninviting exterior (to keep out the riffraff), and the foxy bartender found inside (because I’m a man, and I like foxy bartenders). Also, you get to hear a ton of dirty jokes and innuendos made by guys with names like “Stretch.”
Northeast Branch Library
3725 Columbus St.
This is an alternative to the Grace Van Dyke Bird Library (the GVDB, if you will); this library is awesome if you want to study without the crowd, or actually get on a computer between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Pepe’s Pollos
2651 Oswell St.
Pepe makes a mean traditional chicken taco, and he makes it really freaking fast.
Red Pepper
2641 Oswell St.
In the same shopping center as Pepe’s Pollos, the Pepper is good if you have a little more time on your hands and an adventurous streak. The food is a twist on traditional Mexican cuisine. There are pretty good odds that you can sit next to the owner and discuss the menu.
The Military Recruiting Offices
3501 Mall View Rd.
Just in case BC doesn’t work out for you.
East Hills Mall
3000 Mall View Rd.
This place blows Valley Plaza out of the water. Where else can you find a pottery workshop, a Kung Fu dojo (Fighting Dragons), a tea party company (Hallie Rose’s Tea Parties), a piano store, a vintage Rock and Roll music store (Rockit! Records), an anime specialty store (Write On Time), and a dance studio all in one place, let alone in a mall?
Not only that, but they have a Mr. Grumpy’s Pizza in here. Whenever my best friend Adam from Boston eats pizza like this and says, “This isn’t pizza,” it makes me really glad I’m not from Boston.
The Bluffs and beyond
If you take the 178 east bound until you get to Morning Drive and do some exploring, there are some killer mountain bike trails. You can also take your bike off some sweet jumps where the construction crews left big piles of dirt.
John’s Burgers
2637 River Blvd.
Although most people are familiar with John’s, many do not take advantage of the fact that John’s serves both french fries and burritos. Combining the two makes for a hearty delicacy, if such a thing is possible.
CALM
10500 Alfred Harrell Hwy.
If you ever needed justification on why America needed a national bird, and why that bird needed to be the Bald Eagle, go ahead and see for yourself. This is why the word ‘majestic’ was invented.
Peking Palace
5600 Auburn St.
It takes a little while to get the from-scratch pot stickers, but that’s alright since Peking Palace has some of the beautiful interior decorating of any Chinese food restaurant.
Country Club Liquor
3737 Columbus St.
The cold cuts here aren’t going to tantalize you with fake frills and cheesy names like at the chain sandwich shops. This place is the real deal, and it’s a pretty good deal at that.
The Malt Shop
5600 Auburn St.
You know how there’s that classy girl you have a crush on in your biology class, and you can’t decide how to ask her out? Take her to the Malt Shop, buddy. This will give you a bit more credibility than inviting her to the local dive bar to play quarters.