Jaya

My college aged son will be at the University of Georgia for a summer program. Knowing nothing about the area I 'd be happy to hear from anyone who knows the Athens area. He will probably live in on-campus housing. Bring a bike or use public transportation? How are the restuarants for vegetarians? Any areas to avoid? Any info the locals know that an out-of-towner should be told? Thanks!for any info.

starrs

Athens is a great college town. If he's staying on-campus he can walk to just about everything he needs to do. A bike would be good. Plenty of vegetarian options. Athens is safe. He'll have a great time, mom.

Jaya

Thanks starrs! We're tucked way up here in New Hampshire and Georgia isn't a place we've been to other than a short trip to Atlanta several years ago and I just wanted to get a sense of the area down there.

starrs

The hardest adjustment he'll have is to the humidity in the summer.
Oh. And maybe the accents

blue_eyed_girl

Ditto to starrs comments. Athens is a wonderful college town with great restaurants (many vegetarian options) and is small and easy to get around. A walk from the south part of campus to the north campus/Athens downtown/main street area can easily be done in 20-25 minutes. Bikes are used by many to travel beyond the campus area. Also, if the summer program offers campus bus passes that is another option for getting around. The summer heat and humidity are the grumblings of many of our northern friends, but we make up for it with Southern hospitality! ;-) Hope your son enjoys UGA!

Jaya

Thanks. He arrives there today!

starrs

Spent the day in Athens today. Just wanted to share that there's a new Hotel Indigo in downtown Athens now. I love Indigo hotels! I didn't stay there but did a search for Athens and this thread came up, Just information for folks searching in the future for Athens info.

http://www.indigoathens.com/

Jaya

Thanks for the info. My son is at UGA now as a grad student, so the hotel info is helpful for whenever I can get down to visit him - after the weather cools down though!

NeoPatrick

"The hardest thing he'll have to adjust to is the humidity".

Nope -- it's probably the square little hamburgers!

here's an interesting story. I was directing a national high school theatre workshop in Athens for the University many years ago. One of the staff members rented a room in a private home for the summer. I was invited over for lunch one day and the grand dame of the house was as charming and hospitable as could be. We had a great lunch, but sometime I guess I happened to mention something back in Ohio. Immediately she clammed up. Soon she cleared the dishes and disappeared. I felt I had stayed my welcome and soon departed. Later the guy there told me that when I left she scolded him severely -- "never, EVER, invite a Yankee into my house."

Jaya

LOL - good story. I used to live in Louisiana many years back and I made sure he knew that the South is the South! Hopefully by now he has a Bulldogs bumper sticker on his car (to offset that fact that he has "Northern" plate on it right now).

hmmm

White Castle, based in Columbus, Ohio, claims that it invented tiny square hamburgers. The chain runs up and down the east coast and mid-west.

Lots of southern folks who never fought in the war were its casualties too, losing farms, homes and family members during the conflict, who suffered solely because they lived in the south. Although Neo didn't say how long ago he taught in Athens, perhaps his dinner host was so situated, and forced to take in borders.

Athens was beautiful yesterday. Moderate temperature and humidity and gorgeous blue skys. And, the Dogs ran wild.

Hope your son is enjoyed his summer term in Athens.

Jaya

Thanks hmmm.