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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