Exciting Area around Campus

Cue7
Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:39:12 +0000

Litlhurry - hehe maybe we’re getting a bit off topic here, but I still think Lorenzo’s offers the best pizza on South St (and some of the best greasy, satisfying pizza in Philly). I’ve never been to Lickety splits though, so I should definitely try that soon. What Middle Eastern and Vietnamese places do you like in the South St area? I’ve been to Shouk, which is kind of a cool hookah lounge.

Also, Litlhurry, I completely see what you mean with your reasoning to apply to U of C and not Penn. In comparing cities, while West Philly may boast more student-oriented activities than Hyde Park, I vastly, vastly prefer the city of Chicago to the city of Phila. Now, don’t get me wrong, Phila has definitely grown on me as I’ve spent more time here, but I LOVE Chicago, and did so from the moment I first arrived. Phila has a “grittier” feel, whereas Chicago gave me more of the “WOW Big city” feel with so much to see and do. (Also, don’t for a second think I’d have rather done my undergrad at Penn rather than Chicago - in being a grad student at Penn, all it showed me is how much I appreciated my undergrad years at the U of C. :-)

In a way I supoose, as a pretty studious undergrad who sought out social activities in the city of Chicago, it was nice in a way to go OUT in the city, and then come back late at night to the cozy, residential HP area. It was like coming home.

Again, don’t get me wrong, I like HP a lot, and I’m growing to like it more and more as I’ve gotten older. When I was there though, I always wished there were a few more amenities available (a CVS right near campus that was open late, a Chipotle-like place that was open late, maybe like a 4-screen movie theater). I guess one of my biggest memories is seeing how early (for a student) everything closed in Hyde Park, whereas at Penn, most of the big staples for students (College Pizza, the Philly Diner, etc. are open very late). It seems like for college kids, there should be at least a few nocturnal options.