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6A I Friday, September i, 2006 | The Red & Black
VARIETY
Plenty of little-known places to visit in Athens
By RACHEL WEBSTER
rwebster@randb.com
For a small town, Athens
has a lot of secrets.
Athens’ best-kept secrets
include restaurants, coffee
shops and attractions that
not everyone knows about.
This list contains a sam
pling of at least semi
unknown spaces waiting to
be explored.
Memorial Park And Bear
Hollow Wildlife Trail,
293 Gran Ellen Dr.
Typically referred to as the
“Athens Zoo” by students,
Bear Hollow Wildlife Trail
combines wildlife, the great
outdoors, and running and
biking trails into one attrac
tion.
The wildlife trail houses
animals such as otters, a
bobcat, hawks, deer, a
groundhog and a 300-pound
black bear.
“I like it because it’s like
an escape,” said senior Carly
Heyman of Marietta. “When
are you going to see a bear in
Athens? You don’t see that
every day.”
Heyman said she enjoys
biking on the covered walk
ways around the wildlife trail,
then walking among the ani
mal pens during her cool
down.
“It’s always open,” she
said, “so you can just walk in
whenever you want.”
Foundry Park Inn and Spa,
295 E. Dougherty St.
At the Foundry Park Inn
and Spa, even students
strapped for cash can
indulge, thanks to the spa’s
specials nearly every day of
the week.
For example, Manicure
Monday features two mani
cures for the price of one.
Two-for-One Tuesday
offers the same deal with
half-hour massages.
On Fridays, the spa offers
a 10 percent discount on
facials.
Every Sunday, the same
discount applies to hot stone
massages.
Besides all these specials,
students always receive a 10
percent discount on spa
services at Foundry Park Inn
and Spa, no matter what day
of the week they need pam
pering.
Jot ‘Em Down BBQ,
150 E. Whitehall Rd.
Students seeking some
southern barbecue at a rea
sonable price should follow
the suggestion of student
Mark Chilla and visit Jot ‘Em
Down BBQ.
“In terms of the barbecue
in Athens, it is by far the
best,” said the senior from
Alpharetta. “The Brunswick
stew is second to none.”
Chilla described the decor
of the restaurant as “very
homey” and said the restau
rant’s patrons can get a good
barbecue meal for “well
under $10.”
Skate-A-Round USA,
3030 Cherokee Rd.
The roller-skating rink at
Skate-A-Round USA could
probably cause students to
have flashbacks to childhood
— the lights, the snack bar
and the never-ending circles
of skaters of yesteryear are
all in place.
Alex Gibbs, a junior from
Snellville, found the rink
appealing as a fun and
unique date idea.
“It’s a good chance to just
roll around talking to some
one,” he said.
However, “the music
sucked,” he added.
Maybe the rink still plays
the music of the roller-skat
ing heyday, as well.
Cups Coffee Cafe,
1911 Barnett Shoals Rd.
Many students mentioned
Cups Coffee Cafe as a haven
away from the hectic lines
frequently seen in other cof
fee shops around Athens.
“I like going there because
it’s not as crowded as the
downtown places, but it’s
still really cool and has a
good atmosphere,” said
Whitney Snell, a sophomore
from Dunwoody.
HEATHER FINLEY The Red 4 Black
A This eagle is one of
many animals making its
home at Athens’ Bear
Hollow Wildlife Trail.
Blue Bird Cafe
reopens in style
SCOTT CHILDS | The Red & Black
A The Blue Bird Cafe, featuring an extensive vegetarian
selection, has been renovated and is open once again.
By KRISTA DERBECKER
kderbecker@randb.com
Blue Bird Cafe, a cozy fix
ture in the Athens restaurant
scene since 1975, was recent
ly almost turned into a
Subway.
When the new Hilton
Garden Inn came in, the Blue
Bird’s rent doubled, said
manager Dave Mundy.
There were talks of letting
Subway take over their cor
ner on Pulaski and North
Thomas Streets, but Mundy
and others invested thou
sands of dollars into the tiny
cafe for renovations and
changes.
And so after being closed
for a month this summer, the
Blue Bird Cafe reopened —
with hardwood floors and a
bamboo bar.
Now not only do they
serve breakfast, but also
lunch and dinner, along with
fine beers, wines and teas.
Although the cafe opened
it doors for dinner and drinks
in July, the Blue Bird has yet
to fluff its own feathers when
it comes to advertising.
“We’ve been shy on pur
pose,” Mundy said. “I like to
have things right before I
show them off.”
But the Blue Bird seems
close to being ready to be
shown off. With colorful
murals on the walls, just a lit
tle over a dozen wooden
tables and big bright win
dows, the Blue Bird is back
as a charming Athens staple.
The extensive vegetarian
menu includes their break
fast favorites such as German
style crepes, fluffy omelets,
crunchy granola with fruit,
black beans with cilantro and
tofu cooked in a variety of
ways.
The lunch and dinner
menu offers tabouli salads,
brown rice, veggie melts, cur
ried vegetables and quesadil-
las — and no entree costs
more than $7.
The wide variety of teas
caters to the tea connoisseur,
and Mundy encourages
patrons to be picky, or at
least mindful of their tea
options.
He also invited local musi
cians to come perform on
certain weekend nights, offer
ing a spot to any acoustic
instrument, from the cello to
the xylophone to the hand
drums.
“We draw the line at drum
sets,” he said. As a musician
himself, Mundy often plays at
the cafe.
And although he has his
music and his own massage
practice to keep him busy, he
remains loyal to the Blue
Bird, believing in the commu
nal feeling and loving the
people of Athens.
“My work ethic is about
what I can give them,” he
said.
As proof of his altruistic
motives for sticking with the
Blue Bird, he said, “I make so
little money here. Almost
everyone who works here
makes more than me.”
Mundy remembered a dif
ficult financial time for the
Blue Bird 10 years ago when
all the servers, chefs and
everyone who worked at the
cafe pulled their own pocket
money together to buy gro
ceries for the restaurant and
then split the money that
was made at the end of the
day.
“That’s what Blue Bird
has always been about —
people who love it,” Mundy
said. “The community has
made sure this place has
stayed alive.”
Mexican artists exhibit to showcase heritage
By KELLY SKINNER
kskinner@randb.com
A series of 10 lithographs
created by Mexican artists
will be on display starting
today to honor National
Hispanic Heritage Month at
the Georgia Museum of Art.
The exhibit, Grafica
Mexicana, includes pieces
that are all a part of the
museum’s permanent collec
tion.
According to a statement
written by the exhibit’s cura
tor, Dennis Harper, the
artists were all “among the
early and prominent mem
bers of the influential, politi
cal publishing workshop
Taller de Grafica Popular
(People’s Graphic Arts
Workshop) (TGP) in Mexico
City.”
He said “the 10 artists,
and TGP itself, were born
into and developed amid the
turbulent years of the
Mexican Revolution. The
prints assembled in this exhi
bition reflect the legacy of
HEATHER FINLEY | The Red & Black
A The Georgia Museum of
Art will feature lithographs
produced during the
Mexican Revolution for the
next two months.
that nation’s struggle and its
re-awakened pride in its peo
ple and its past.”
The pieces are as bold as
they are breathtaking — at
some points taking on more
of a social protest feel than
one of beauty.
But these lithographs are
not meant to agitate. They’re
meant to educate.
As Leopoldo Mendez, one
of the featured artists from
the Taller de Grafica Popular
group, once said, “We are not
yelling, nor are we trying to
surprise anyone. Our task is
to educate the people, mak
ing works that reflect in form
and in spirit the Mexican
Landscape and the Mexican
Man.”
“The works on display in
Grafica Mexicana... highlight
the everyday lives of laborers
and farmers from the mid-
1940s. It represents a specific
point in time and a specific
experience those artists
and their subjects were
going through,” said
Johnathan McGinty, public
relations coordinator for the
museum.
The exhibition was con
ceived by Susan Harper, who
worked in the education
department of the museum
as a graduate intern last year.
“While an intern, she put
together a ‘suitcase tour’ of
Spanish artists represented
in the permanent collection
before organizing this exhibi
tion. Susan did the initial
GRAFICA MEXICANA
When: Today - Oct. 29
Cost: Free, but donations
appreciated
research on the prints in the
show while I followed
through with its development
as in-house curator,” Dennis
Harper said of his wife.
Today is the first day that
Grafica Mexicana will be on
display.
While there isn’t a specific
opening reception scheduled
for this event, the museum
plans to honor it during the
Art Rosenbaum and Jay
Robinson exhibitions on
October 25.
These receptions will be
free and open to the public,
and they are fully catered.
McGinty said the recep
tion will feature traditional
old-time music by Dale
Wechsler, Noel Beverley and
friends, and Foodworks will
be providing the food.
Classic City can be
done on a budget
By ASHLEY BEEBE
abeebe@randb.com
The cliche is that college
students are poor —
though a visitor to the
University wouldn’t guess
it from the shiny BMWs
and Mercedes clogging
Lumpkin Street every
day.
But it’s with the cash
conscious students in mind
that The Red & Black pres
ents the following ways to
be cheap in Athens:
Never pay full price for
clothes.
Wait a month, and that
killer denim skirt will be on
sale.
If the wait is unbearable,
check the brand and
size and scout discount
stores.
Call TJ Maxx and find
out when shipments
come in to find the best
deals.
Also, keep in mind, eBay
is a great place to find
expensive items for less.
Watch the gas gauge.
The easiest way to save
on gas is to use less.
Brittany Isler, a sopho
more from Lithonia, has
a simple formula. “If I
don't really have to go
somewhere, the car stays
in the parking deck,” she
said.
Try riding the bus or
even carpooling to campus
when possible — it’s free.
When forced to buy gas,
plan for it.
The stations around
campus are usually more
expensive — so check out
www.georgiagasprices.com
to find cheaper gas.
Buy in bulk - but make
sure it's used.
If a student’s parents
have a membership to a
bulk discount store like
Sam’s or Costco, that stu
dent can be added for a
small fee.
Take advantage of bulk
purchases — but be realis
tic.
No one needs ten
pounds of Cheddar cheese
that’s just going to get
moldy.
However, large packages
of chicken can be separated
and frozen, and milk is usu
ally a dollar less at bulk
stores.
Toilet paper and paper
towels are best bought in
bulk.
Lendingtree.com sug
gests buying school sup
plies at bulk discount
stores as well.
Use time wisely.
Sounds like middle
school all over again, but
one trip to the store
saves tons of money and
time.
Keep a list of the errands
and list of groceries for the
week and run all errands on
one day.
Shopping once a week
instead of every night
before dinner saves tons of
money.
Buy used books and sell
them at the end of the
semester.
The on- and off-campus
bookstores are expensive.
Check sites like ama
zon.com and half.com for
textbooks, then make sure
to re-sell them at the end of
the semester.
If the book will be used
next semester — if the
bookstore will buy it back
— list them at
dawgswap.com.
If not, sell on half.com.
The site takes off 15% of
sales under $50, but hey, it’s
found money!
Become a cheap date — or
just a cheap friend.
The Tate Student
Center Theater shows
movies for $1 for students.
Try a picnic on North
Campus.
Host a pot-luck dinner
with friends instead of
going out to eat.
The Ramsey Center
offers cheap “vacations” in
the form of GORP trips for
around $50. Try backpack
ing, caving, sailing, or rock
climbing as a weekend
activity.
Onlineathens.com lists
plenty of cheap Athens
attractions, including
the Bear Hollow Wildlife
Trail and Zoo, the Georgia
Museum of Art, and
the State Botanical
Gardens.
Don't buy it if it's not
necessary.
Come watch
the game
on our two 110
inch Screens!
DJ Wheeler
Fri iL Sat Night
No Cover
*2
00
wings
open early
for the game
$ 3°° pints
10-11 pm
Mon.-Sat.
Power Hour
9-1 Opm
$1 Drinks & Drafts
Ehow.com suggests buy
ing used books and CDs —
many of the shops down
town have a used section.
Borrow movies and mag
azines from friends.
If friends don’t have the
title, the Athens Regional
Library has a wide selection
of magazines for check-out,
as well as popular DVDs,
so check there before buy
ing a magazine or renting a
DVD.
5H?i54CINEMAS
340 Tanger Dr., Commerce
Located in the Tanger Outlet Center
SHOWTIME HOTLINE: (706) 423-9659
Admission: ADULT $7.00
STUDENTS (w/valid Student ID) $6.00
SENIORS (62+)/CHILD/MAT $5.00
PI ALL MOVIES PRESENTED IN A
STEALTH CINEMA ENVIRONMENT!
SHOW TIMES FOR 3/10/06 - 3/16/06
(Showtimes include oreadvertainment)
ACCEPTED
Daily 3:00p 7:05p
PG13
ANT BULLY
Daily 3:05p 5:05p
PG
Sat: 1:05p also
BARNYARD
Daily 2:50p 4:50p 7:15p 9:20p
PG
Sat: 12:50p also
BEERFEST
Daily 7:1 Op 9:30p
R
INVINCIBLE
Daily 2:35p 4:45p 6:50p 9:15p
PG
Sat: 12:25p also
STEP UP
Daily 4:55p 9:25p
PG13
Sat: 12:40p also
TALLADEGA NIGHTS
Daily 2:45p 5:00p 7:20p 9:40p
PG13
Sat: 12:30p also
WICKER MAN, THE
Daily 2:30p 4:40p 7:00p 9:1 Op
PG13
Sat:12:20p also
Show Times Subject To Change
www.novacmemas.com