My bad sense of direction, along with the rush hour traffic, had me showing up an unfashionably hour late. As soon as I arrived in Eugene my aunts Deidra, Janet, and I immediately crawled into her BMW and hit the town. All the shops my Aunt Janet planned to take me to already closed, so we hurried to get to the second part of her plan: an art gallery, The End Zone. I barely noticed the thick rain beating down on us as we traveled down a couple blocks, casually window-shopping along the way. As we entered the gallery sweet smiles, and walls full of abstract art greeted me. The clusters of people building up art small talk with their mimosa’s standing tall and deliciously in their hands, the live acoustic duo, and even the hungry bum on the bench feening off the free finger food brought me to a world I’ve never visited.

I made my way down the aisle, amazed by every piece I saw. My eyes were first warmed up with abstracted acrylics. I was intrigued by every little stroke and fine detail incorporated into one big piece. I loved the vibrate colors and patterns that made each piece unique. A wall of pencil media captured my attention; instantly a man whose cigarette breath was stronger than his kind smile introduced himself to me as the artist. His sketches of famous rock stars from the 70’s until now were like photographic images of the stars. He noticed my eyes favoring his sketches of Jimi Hendrix. He explained to me how he found an autobiography of Hendrix, turned the page to a perfect picture of him playing, and his hands couldn’t say no. Behind me I heard my aunts sweetly bicker about buying a Janice Joplin portrait, about where it would go; she would find room in their place. How much it was, she would use her card. I tore my ears away from eavesdropping and wondered into another room dedicated to one artist who was sitting in the far back corner with a small sketchbook under her hands. She faced her multimedia displays such as ceramic, jewelry, acrylic, pencil, and watercolors. I stopped to admire a small section dedicated to the art of those in the Linn County jail. I felt a warm appreciation for their correctional facility. Although the inmates are limited with concrete and security due to their cases, they’re able to expand their creativity with multiply forms of 2D media and show it off outside of those limits. I left the art gallery with my hands full, in my right a small abstracted card that was originally painted by Julie Williams and in my left a few cheese and crackers I snagged while we slipped out the door.

We were famished after the art crawl. There were too many choices for dinner, so my aunt Deidra made the difficult decision and lead us to Killer Burger. Loud rock music filled most of our conversations, but it added the perfect punk touch to the restaurant. Our eyes scanned the menu, and I uncovered Killer Burger’s bait. They offer bacon with every burger, including with the vegetarian option along with a note of confidentiality. Our stomach’s made a quick decision for a round of bacon cheeseburgers. Soon we were introduced to a plate full of French fries and a big juicy burger with a ½ inch cheesy patty. I would recommend you don’t have your first date there unless you are okay with showing off a face full of hamburger while the rest is left oozing out of your hands, but man it was good. No date can compare to the company of a savory burger topped with melted cheddar, bright and crisp veggies, bacon that beautifully wedges its way into the bite, and a choice of a sweet wheat bun that holds together an all American wet dream. The burger was so fat with flavor that I was only able to finish half of it. The warning is in its name, Killer Burger, a burger willing to kill your stomach with kindness.

We retreated back to the car holding our potbellies and leftovers. The town was somber, but the college students kept the atmosphere bright. I could hear their drunk hollering from blocks away. I sat as a spectator behind my aunts as they babbled back and forth to each other. Noticing how much they resembled any other devoted couple. They made to sure that I knew the plan for our tour tomorrow, but the only plan I had in mind was making my way to bed.