Cramming in adventures as the semester ends

It’s been a great semester, bucket-listers. Too bad it’s almost over.

I hope you’ve been inspired to be a little more pro-active during your time in Gainesville. Maybe now you’re keeping your eyes and ears peeled for potential adventures/blog submissions.

In true procrastinator form, I’ve taken it upon myself these last few weeks to cram in several bucket-list musts before I head home for the holidays. I won’t be back in Gainesville until next fall, but hopefully we can keep this blog going with guest submissions and firsthand accounts of weekend adventures.

If you’re short on experiences and tight on time, do some of these mini experiences before hitting I-75.

1. The Satchel’s Pizza Van

Hopefully you’ve been to Satchel’s. It’s an obvious bucket list selection for the awesome environment, signature salad and truly delicious pizza. I’ve made the trip more times than I can count, heading east on Northwest 23rd Avenue for miles and miles, but I had missed out on a critical part of the experience: landing a seat in the Satch van.

That changed Wednesday. Due to some smart maneuvering — well, mainly that we dined at around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday of a week of finals — my party of four landed the elusive van.

The aqua van, outfitted with a wooden bench and free-standing chairs and tables, can fit about two small- to medium-sized parties. Twinkle lights glowing above our heads made the experience even cuter.

The wooden bench got a little uncomfortable after a while, but trust me when I say the day-after soreness is worth the experience. Don’t forget to bring a Sharpie so you can add your own, ahem, artwork to the table, ceiling, chair, window or whatever other surface you find in there.

And just for the sake of envious salivation, here are some tiny pics of the delicious grub from our night. There was a devil’s food cake, but it was somehow devoured much too fast for the camera.

Don’t forget about the restaurant’s fittingly quirky hours: It’s open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 1o p.m.

Bring cash and patience — the van is worth the wait.

2. Brophy’s Karaoke Nights

All semester long, gathering the nerve to arrange a karaoke night with friends was on my personal list of musts. I consider myself a Rock Band aficionado, but singing in front of strangers is considerably more frightening than friends (though I’ve secretly dreamed of it for, say, my entire life).  After putting it off for as long as possible, three close friends and I went to Brophy’s Irish Pub, located downtown at 60 S.W. Second Ave., for Thursday night karaoke, per a friend’s recommendation.

The songs play from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., and the playlist is ex-ten-sive. Seriously, don’t look at the book for too long or you may not be able to sing at all — that’s what nearly happened to me. I was the last performance of the night before staffers started taking tips to keep playing (and to think, they almost missed out on a lovely rendition of Madonna’s “Beautiful Stranger”).

I suggest coming in with a roster of crowd-pleasing songs you know (i.e. anything heinous from the ’80s, well-known country songs, classic rock) so you can ensure a performance and sign up quickly. It’s important to keep everyone in the bar happy — try to avoid somber numbers unless you’re confident you’ll rock it!

Overall, the pub is laid-back, accepting and comfy — I loved the wraparound couches.

3. Choose your own adventure!

For the postmodern bucket-lister: my multimedia reporting class recently launched a Web site called Glimpse/Gainesville that is chock full of stories detailing potential bucket list experiences (including the Morningside Nature Center video I posted earlier this week). The videos, slideshows and blog posts on this site were produced by students in our UF class over the course of this semester. For many of us, including yours truly, it was our first time creating pieces like this — be gentle.

The Web site contains stories about Satchel’s, the Santa Fe Community College Teaching Zoo, Lillian’s, Magnolia Plantation bed and breakfast, and self-defense classes on campus, among other profiles. You’ll also notice that bucket list posts about Burrito Brothers and the Friends of the Library book sale made the cut, too. Just sayin’.

Rapid fire community suggestions

These are delivered, some jokingly, via Twitter and Facebook:

RT @tandrew belligerent comments during Gainesville City Commission!

RT @kfreilly Stay in town when everyone else has gone home. Gainesville becomes a different city.

From Dominick Tao: Late-night games of capture the flag, hide-and-seek or assassin on the UF campus. When running for your life, the North Lawn never seemed so long.

That’s it for now, everyone. Thanks for reading.

Adventure No. 5: Living History Days in East Gainesville

There is a 10-acre Gainesville community that does not rely on grocery stores, Internet or electricity for its livelihood.

You’ll find this throwback to simpler times on a city-run farm, located in East Gainesville, made to recreate Alachua County life in 1870.

Every Saturday at Morningside Nature Center, a crew of farmers, bakers, volunteers and a blacksmith put on Living History Days, demonstrating indoor and outdoor chores to visitors.

My classmate Thomas Stewart and I recently traveled to the farm to document a typical Saturday for a class video project (it’s the bottom!). My impression? Think Colonial Williamsburg (a model brought up in several of our conversations with staffers), Cracker-style.

A few families trickled in and out during our morning visit, including grandparents giving their tiny grandchildren glimpses of pigs and a Philadelphia woman meeting her first cow, Penny. We estimated that about 15 to 20 people visited the farm during the three hours we were there, which was just a few hours before Florida’s kickoff against South Carolina.

Naturally, I believe this is a place you’ve got to see before you get out of here.

We weren’t able to compress all of our interviews and shots into the two-and-a-half minute video, so I hope you enjoy the audio extras I recorded.

Inside the cabin: “A Palace”

By K. Sanders

An interview and tour with Merald “Deuteronomy” Clark about the farm’s authentic cabin, moved from nearby Rochelle, Fla.

The kitchen is attached in the back, and there is a loft area for sleeping above this living room that was simply too dark to photograph. There is no bathroom (what is this modern plumbing you speak of?), but an outhouse is near.

About the loom

By K. Sanders

Merald describes in this interview how women made their own cloth on household looms during the Civil War to save money. Unfortunately, there was no one available to demonstrate the craft for us, but Merald does a nice job of explaining why it was important and what goods it could produce.

Also, please excuse the loud background noises of touring guests — no fears, Merald’s voice prevails over the racket, but you’ve been warned.

Behold, the kitchen.

By K. Sanders

Priscilla Moring used to run this place as the farm’s first manager, but she works part-time now, still coming out to serve up biscuits, syrup and coffee to Morningside visitors. She’s been there for almost 15 years, she said.

Listen to her while she works in the kitchen and tells me why she just can’t help coming back to the farm (yes, that other voice belongs to yours truly).

Also, the biscuits were delicious. I recommend you try them for yourself before graduating.

Did you have a good time at the farm? Share your story below, even if you didn’t.

Guest List No. 2: Vandy law student/former Gator shows his list

I’ve never met John Clayton Brett, but something tells me he had a great time while studying at UF a few years ago.

Now a law student at Vanderbilt University, John e-mailed me this list after throwing some creative bucket list suggestions my way via Twitter. He saw my call for submissions in the Twitterverse and was one of the only people to thoughtfully respond (this is a teaching moment — participation is rewarded, dear readers!).

He decided to throw out the suggestions without going into much detail, which is understandable considering he’s been swamped with school. You might notice that a few of his ideas are pretty similar to Kevin Reilly’s favorite nightlife scenes; however, I feel like there’s something for everyone to try on his list, so it can’t hurt to give one a go (unless you don’t quite clear the fence at Swamp or get out of that traffic ticket).

In John’s words, here are 17 experiences you can’t leave Gainesville without having:

1. Complete (or give an honest shot at) the Around the World list in Salty Dog.
2. Throw a football on the field of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
   
3. Get scolded for turning pages loudly in the the law school reading room.
4. Feed the alligators of Lake Alice.
5. Watch the sun rise while anxiously finishing a paper and chain smoking at Target Copy.
6. Listen to a full evangelical monologue in Turlington Plaza.
7. Mingle with locals west of I-75 or north of I-10.
8. Become irrationally enthusiastic about a Student Government election.
9. Get out of a parking ticket during a traffic court hearing.
10. Survive a 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. marathon on University Avenue.
11. Jump the fence at The Swamp Restaurant.
12. Watch the sun set at Paynes Prairie.
13. Place a Jai-Alai bet no one understands.
14. Mingle with locals at Tim and Terry’s.
15. Play chess outside the Hippodrome.
16. Watch a show at the Reitz Union Amphitheater.
17. Find the hidden Lake Alice view behind Hume Hall.

And there you have it.

Did he miss anything? Think there’s a place in Gainesville that merits its own post? Send me your own list and it could be published, too. This blog is meant to share and inspire.

Blast a message or tweet to @bonjourkatie on Twitter.

Adventure No. 4: Getting books on the cheap

I adore bookstores. Really, as a journalism and English major, a more inspirational locale would be hard to find.

That being said, I don’t know how I resisted the biannual Friends of the Library book sale all these years.

The sale, which benefits the Alachua County Library District, offers a warehouse of books, reference guides, DVDs, videos and records — and dare I say it, more — for incredibly low prices. We’re talking hardcover books for $1, $2 or $3.

College-budget awesomeness.

Students, residents, teachers and children typically start lining up before dawn on the sale’s first day, which was Saturday. The 24th was also my birthday, so I didn’t make it on opening day.

Come Monday night, however, I realized it was time to check it out.

I arrived at the huge warehouse, at 430-B North Main St., with two book-loving friends and pretty low expectations. I wasn’t in the market for anything and didn’t expect much to be left after all the buzz about thousands of people snatching up top books.

What I predicted was pretty far from reality: The warehouse was still stacked with books — encompassing genres such as mystery, romance, classics, drama, poetry, political, children’s, adolescent — that I still had a lot to choose from. There was even a section for hobbies and a VHS collection of fabulous ’90s titles like “Home Alone 2” and “Autumn in New York.”

My friends and I agree that the classic literature section looked the most picked over, though there are still plenty of copies of “Sister Carrie” available (I include this because I read that novel for a class this semester and understand why someone would decline to put in her or his basket.)

I ended up with an armful of nonfiction (at least four titles had to do with journalism) , a Shakespearean play (“As You Like It,” which at a cost of $1, I did very much), and a $1 VHS copy of “East of Eden,” starring James Dean (yes, I still have a VCR).

All for $13.25.

Luckily, there’s still time to get your hands on some discounted reading material. The show runs through Wednesday at 6 p.m., where everything is just 10 cents. On Tuesday, everything will be offered at half price.

If you can’t make it this year, don’t panic. You can still check it off the bucket list —you’ll just have to wait until April 24 through 28.

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Adventure No. 3: The Great Underwear Dash

Tonight’s your chance to legally streak down University Avenue with hundreds of fellow students in nothing but your knickers.

Ladies and gents, get ready for the 10th Great Underwear Dash, which will be held this evening, according to the event’s Facebook Fan page.

You’ll have to enjoy this critical college experience without me, sadly. The Undie Run is on my bucket list, but my presence is required with family this weekend.

Luckily for me, the dash is offered twice a year.

Here’s what you need to know:

– Meet up at Turlington Plaza at 11:59 p.m.

– Be ready to strip on spot — your clothes will be donated to Gainesville’s Salvation Army.

In addition, I’ve collected nine tips from my good friend Andrea Asuaje, a veteran dasher and blogger, to get you excited and prepared for the big event. I chased her and another friend around with a digital camera a few years ago and have been craving my own experience ever since (see tip No. 4).

1. Wear something that is comfortable and won’t give you a wedgie. “That’ll slow you down,” she said.

2. Don’t be shy or self-conscious. “No matter what size you are or what you look like, you’re going to have fun.”

3. Anyone can do take part regardless of their fitness level. If you want to shine in the spring dash, you could use tonight as a trial run.

4. Bring a camera, or, like Andrea, hire a documentarian to capture the spectacle. “Having someone at pre-planned points that you are going to run by is helpful.”

5. Wear comfortable sneakers.

6. Andrea always brings jeans to give away because they are good for almost any season. “Bring clothes that you don’t want to wear anymore but you know someone else would want to wear.”

7. Try to stick with the group. Cars can become dangerous obstacles for those straggling behind.

8. Drink lots of water, not alcohol, before the run. “Nobody likes a puking runner.”

9. Finally, be friendly with the cheering fans you’ll encounter on sidewalks and midtown bars. “Make sure you high-five people at (The) Swamp.”

Here’s a great Alligator video to get you pumped even more.

Have fun tonight! You don’t have to rub it in, but feel free to leave a comment with how you thought it went.

Guest List No. 1: Former SG president offers 5 nightlife must-visits

This post is the first of several guest bucket lists I plan on sharing with readers.

Not everyone shares my take on Gainesville life experiences, and former Student Body President Kevin Reilly is a great example. He served as president from May 2008 to April 2009, graduated with his MBA in spring and is now working in Tampa. After a hard day of working in his Student Government office, he told me that he enjoyed spending his after-hours at various midtown establishments with friends.

Photo provided by K. Reilly.

Gainesville is renowned for its nightlife (see No. 1 party school rankings). But with all of the options, it can be a daunting task to decide what to do. At the same time, it’s also very easy to get comfortable and go to the regular bar with the regular people.

Branch out, try new things and see all of the nightlife spots Gainesville has to offer.

To get you started, here are five spots you must hit before graduation night.

1. The Swamp: The front lawn is more of an afternoon spot but worthy of first place nonetheless. There are few places better to be on a spring afternoon. Grab a table early on a Friday afternoon right across from campus and enjoy an ice cold beer. There is great people-watching to enjoy and a wonderful view of campus.
2. Salty Dog Saloon: Salty Dog is a great place to go for a great deal. The only place where you can get a $5 pitcher of the finest American beer, Yuengling.
3. Lillian’s Music Store: My favorite place to go on a Thursday night. Great group of people, great bar and live music. It’s hard to find a better place to go on a Thursday night in Gainesville.
4. Gator City: If you’ve spent a lot of time in Gainesville, you’ve probably been here on a Friday or Saturday night. My favorite time to go to GC is for football. This is the perfect bar to watch an NFL or NCAA football game. Big screen TVs, projectors and great specials ($15 all-you-can-eat wings and beer during Monday Night Football) make this the ideal place to watch a game.
5. Jimmy John’s: After you’ve hit spots one, two and three, the hunger bug is sure to strike. There is no better way to satisfy your need for food in midtown than a Jimmy John’s sub (my personal choice is a  No.10 — no cheese, no tomatoes). Great staff, great food, great location, and a great way to end a perfect evening in Gainesville. (Sure, Jimmy Johns isn’t exactly native to Gainesville, but I’ll let it slide in the spirit of limited midnight cravings in midtown.)

Do you think Kevin left something out? Share your favorite Gainesville nightlife spot here. Or even better, submit your own Gainesville bucket list by e-mail.

Don’t forget your ID.

Don’t go alone when social media can help

I can see how exploring campus museums could be taken on independently.

But you shouldn’t make venturing through your bucket list solo a habit.

Life experiences are best enjoyed when you can share with them fellow students — especially those who need a little prodding to complete their own Gainesville goals. After all, it’s not just the town that you leave behind when you graduate. Your friends probably aren’t going with you.

To make it easier to coordinate details with your buds, send out several invitations at once and think of new things to try before moving on, I’ve added a new link to the Blogroll that I hope will help you: Meet CitiSync.com.

This new social-media site enables users to make plans with their “crew” (how trendy!) by creating “gatherings” at local venues. It’s similar to the way you would create a Facebook event, but less cumbersome. The planning is simple, and the site’s design is smart.

It’s also worth noting that this site was founded by a University of Florida student, according to an Alligator story earlier this semester.

Adam Coelho, the site’s founder and marketing senior, told the Alligator freelance writer that CitiSync works best for assembling last-minute plans. Once an event is created, members of your crew who received an invite (who must register for the site) receive an e-mail and text message, the idea being that they will reply instantly. Gotta love a quick RSVP that doesn’t involve a lot of talking time.

There are several categories of activities, including nightlife, outdoors and entertainment. Even an experienced Gainesville guru could find out about new local dining spots by clicking under the restaurants tab (Pho Hanoi, anyone?).

If you’re hard-pressed for ideas, you could try the “most popular” feature and see where everyone else is going, complete with maps and ratings.

After browsing through the categories, I noticed that several suggestions also appear on my ever-growing bucket list.

That means we’re on the right path to finalizing the list, right?

(Post edited after meeting Adam in person to reflect his correct first name. Apologies!)

Adventure No. 2: “Burritos are a life experience?”

In special cases, yes they are.

That quote was taken from a text from my friend Noel shortly after I invited her to join me at Burrito Brothers Taco Co. for a bucket-list meal.

I think incorporating local restaurants into this blog is important, as some students never seem to make it off of Archer Road chains. Noel is a Burrito Bros. regular and didn’t think it was special enough for the blog. Given how close it is to campus and that I’ve never eaten there, I thought it meritorious.

The restaurant is located at 1402 W. University Ave., near Target Copy. They’ve been in business since 1976, but their old location was sold and demolished. The kitchen is located inside the Presbyterian Student Center, so patrons eat outside on a very nice patio (there are umbrellas to help students endure painfully sunny days).

Luckily, we went on a night that the green GUAC sign near the counter was blaring — that means there’s fresh-made guacamole available, and as Noel pointed out, “that we came on a good day.” I think it’s the equivalent of a HOT NOW announcement from Krispy Kreme, the difference being that when the light is off, there’s just no guac.

I ordered a regular chicken burrito, which at $5.39, comes with rice, lettuce and cheese. As far as burritos go, mine was filling, manageable and delicious. Noel ordered a primo burrito, which comes with sour cream, a bag of chips (fit for sharing) and a drink for under $10.

Here’s the rest of the menu.

Of course, we had to try the guacamole, which was about $5 with chips. It’s an investment, but it’s probably worth it if you’re a fan of quality guac. Also, there seems to be a myth that the green neon sign, when lit, means they are selling marijuana — according to their Web site, that’s not the case.

Parking is probably the biggest drawback to eating here. The parking lot is small and lends itself to double parking, which is problematic but acceptable under the circumstances, explains Noel. Do not park at neighboring Target Copy — they have signs that explicitly address the real cost of eating a burrito when parking in their lot (a towed car).

Try to go when you’re on campus so you don’t even have to worry about it.

Adventure No. 1: Discovering the Louvres of Gainesville

Maybe it’s because I grew up in Madison, Fla., a small town without scholarly museums and high art. Or maybe it’s because I spent the spring in Washington, D.C., home to scores of free magnificent museums located within a few blocks of each other.

Whatever the reason, whenever a friend tells me that he or she still hasn’t made it to the Florida Museum of Natural History or Harn Museum of Art, I’m sort of appalled.

These museums are staples of the University of Florida and contain some of the state’s finest collections in, well, the state’s history and art from across the world. You could stop by before a workout at Southwest Recreation Center, as they are located in the UF Cultural Plaza, near the Phillips Center.

Spending a few hours at the university’s art, natural history and butterfly museums should be on every Gainesville resident’s bucket list. As you’ll see, I’m a big fan.

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Florida Museum of Natural History

The permanent exhibits in this museum are topnotch and cover birds, plants, butterflies, sharks, native populations and even art. Many of the materials in the permanent collection of fossils were collected within 100 miles of Gainesville, according to the museum’s Web site, and nearly all of the pieces from land and water species are real (90 percent). The exhibit picks up where dinosaurs left off, covering the 65 million years since their untimely demise. There’s a mastadon in there. Enough said.

I love taking the tour of Florida’s varying habitats by traveling through rooms modeled after the cultural and environmental heritage of the northwest and southern parts of the state. This exhibit showcases Florida’s diverse history and geography.

There are also three temporary exhibits that will leave this winter, so check those out before it’s too late: They include photographs of everyday wildlife interactions, paintings of ancient animals by famous artist Charles Knight and a showcase of how butterflies have influenced the art and lives of the Zuni people, of southwest America.

It’s not always about Florida, you see. Especially if it involves butterflies, one of the museum’s specialties.

Built into the museum is the Butterfly Rainforest, a huge vivarium that is home to about 60 types of butterfly species, several waterfalls and beautiful flowers. I’ve been a few times, but my first visit came on my 18th birthday. The butterflies are not shy, as shown below — one even flew on my flip-phone and rested as I sent a text message. Don’t forget your camera, and go on the weekend at 2, 3 or 4 p.m. — that’s when the butterflies are being released into their picturesque new home.

The Florida Museum of Natural History and Butterfly Rainforest are open every day except for Christmas and Thanksgiving, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.

Harn Museum of Art

Tired of natural history? More of an expressive, suave type who appreciates design and innovation? Just walk next door.

The Harn Museum of Art has extensive collections from all over the world, spanning centuries of history and genres. There are masks, costumes, beaded items and other tribal gear from Africa, and an Asian assortment of ceramics, sculptures and paintings from mainly China, Japan and India.

The museum’s modern collection includes works by French impressionist painter Claude Monet and several other well-known artists, like Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. The contemporary and photography sections are also growing and impressive.

The museum is undertaking a huge expansion of its Asian art wing (something I covered as a reporter for The Alligator) despite a less-than-ideal economic setting for large projects. The new facility will cover about 25,000 square feet and provide three levels for Asian art displays, among other purposes. There will also be an Asian garden greeting visitors. Sorry, seniors: This expansion is expected to open in spring 2011.

The Harn is open every day except for Mondays, Christmas and Thanksgiving, Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.

Upcoming Events

Wednesday, 6 p.m.:  A lecture by Ming-ke Wang, a research fellow at the Institute of History and Philology at Academia Sinica

Friday, 5 to 10 p.m.: Starry Night at the Florida Museum of Natural History

Before the list, a rules roundup

During my research for college-centric bucket lists online, I came across several articles that largely encouraged students to spend their final year embracing hangovers, all-nighters and one-night stands.

That’s senior year in a nutshell for some. As University of Florida students and patrons of Gainesville, we can do better than telling each other to have a wild spring break and donate blood for beer money.

The Gainesville bucket blog won’t rehash stereotypes that one should live up to as a college student.  The lists and stories compiled here will be creative, provocative and encouraging for UF students on their way out of town and short on ideas.

To keep this blog free of graduation clichés and fresh on originality, there need to be some guidelines. These go for submissions, lists based from my reporting and original posts. These tips can also go for your own Gainesville list.

1. Posts should be relevant to the Gainesville college experience. Yes, studying abroad, talking to strangers and working out at midnight are staples of college life. Yeah, every college student should try these ideas. But lists like this and this are too general for this blog, and they don’t warrant the extra attention.

2. Gainesville must-dos should be practical for graduating seniors. Most of the items on my growing list, for example, are accessible within 10 miles of Gainesville and are pretty inexpensive (I know the rock gym will be a splurge). If it’s not relatively simple, it will probably go unchecked.

3. To incorporate more faces into the blog, I’m planning to spotlight the bucket lists of other UF students, some by invitation and, hopefully after a few weeks, e-mailed contributions. If you don’t want readers knowing about your deepest senior year ambitions, let me know so they don’t end up, um, published. There may be a way that your idea could still be featured on the site — just without a connection to you.

Keep in mind that this project’s goal is to educate students about Gainesville’s special attractions. They’re not all on University Avenue and Archer Road, but they’re worth a visit. Let’s get creative.