Just a small, quaint, little country town at the tip-top of Missouri. Surrounded by acres of farm land on each side, little would one know of the perks it holds. Like any town, it comes with a list of frustrations as well. Certainly not for everyone, but that’s up to you to judge!
1. Main Street
This is where the central hub of the city is. All of your stores, restaurants and business' can most likely be found by taking a stroll down this road. Pretty nice right? Except when you go to leave and have to wait a solid five minutes for the traffic to clear in each direction to make even a relatively safe turn. Oh yeah, the town is also full of four-way stops, no left turns, and the speed limit is about an average 30 mph. Watch out road rage!
2. Food
The most common question college students ask daily, “What do I want to eat?” Well, I hate to break it to you that there aren’t that many options. If you’re not a fan of fast food and exploring new places, you better hope that you’re a good cook. However, among the few options we do have, you can find some tasty and unique places like Diner 71, Simply Siam, Carson’s and Senor Burrito.
3. Game Day
Fall is in the air and fans are in the stands waiting to watch the infamous Bearcat football team. Kickoff was only about five minutes ago and the stadium is packed! Where are you going to sit? Tough luck for you, amateur. Unless you like being up close and personal with some stranger or had someone save a spot for you, you’ll be lucky to find a decent spot to watch the game! Skipping the stadium crowd and going to watch it at the local bar and grill? Sorry, it’s packed too.
4. Friendly Faces
Remember when I said that everything you would want to find is right off Main Street? That means that wherever you could possibly go, you will more than likely run into someone that you know. Going to the neighborhood Applebee's? This could turn into you running into that super cool chick who was in your class last semester and you guys get to catch up a bit. However, that could also be a disaster when it comes to seeing your ex-boyfriend, that girl you saw at the party with him, and even your algebra professor.
5. Dollar Stores
Wow, what a life saver. Can I just take a moment to say thank you on behalf of all the college students? Before coming to Maryville these stores never crossed my mind, now I find myself searching for them back in the city. Who knew how many handy and resourceful items you could get, right? You’re probably wondering what the problem is here. What’s wrong with saving money? Well, bargains are only bargains if you don’t overspend. With everything at a dollar, it gets hard to resist throwing the candy bars, gum, and festive décor in your basket
6. Locals
Of course, we don’t know them by any proper terminology. We just call them townies. First, they are the only reason we will ever use that word. Second, they are the only reason we know what a Spoofhound is, let’s be honest. Oh, but chances are your landlord is probably the owner of about one or two other business in town, so don’t get on his/her bad side!
7. Molly's
It’s Wednesday in the Ville, you all know what that means! Mug night. Being the only dance club within miles, college students take full advantage of their good tunes, dancing and drink specials. We like to call it “muggin” or “mugs.” Sounds like a good time right? Of course it is! However, I did say it’s on Wednesday. Too much muggin could make those grades drop, so be careful!
8. Homecoming
You thought your high school homecoming was a big deal? Sorry to burst your bubble. Homecoming preparations have already started for this coming fall. Yeah, it’s March. I can tell you from a personal standpoint that blood, sweat and tears goes into every piece that will make its way down the homecoming route. Not to mention, the hours. Ever heard of pomping? Yeah, neither did I until I had to do it for two months preparing a float. And paper mache is the end of your clothes as you know it. But when the day has finally come, it’s all worth it.
All in all, I think that this little town is a great place to be and I am both happy and proud that it has been part of my life. Which is something that I think many who have encountered it can say.
