We were visiting some schools in Northfield MN. We were staying in the only hotel in town. Historic but had seen a better day. There was a tavern in the basement of hotel. We were returning to park and were waiting on a couple who came out and looked to be vacating parking spot. Then we noticed they were extremely intoxicated and actually staggering. Then we noticed they had a toddler with them and were just going to the car to change a diaper. Hopefully they were going to sober up before leaving. It was so depressing my daughter decided she couldnât go to school in the town.
@itsanadventure, I agree with your ND review. I took two kids through it, and both times it was really pretty bad. With older (who yakked upon arrival to campus - car sick) we bailed before the tour. With the second, we bailed midway through the tour. Get your act together, Notre Dame!
D1 attends, and D2 is likely attending. B-)
@PengsPhils Lol! Our tour guide was indeed wearing Ugg moccasins and a Vineyard Vines sweater
@CTinthehouse had to go and have a look at the Carnegie Mellon mascot. And you are right it is a strange one. However we have one just like that at home and I told my son that he had to cancel his deposit at chosen college and re-apply to Carnegie just so that he could have âScruffyâ with him at all times!! He laughed but did agree it is a strange mascot - all ours does is sleep on the sofa and with really short legs has never been one for breaking speed records!
At least Scotties are cute unlike Bulldogs which are neither cute nor original. 
Uggs and Vineyard Vines arenât exclusively east coast preppy. Itâs pretty much the uniform here in suburban Chicago unless the kids change out their Vineyard Vines for a Patagonia and Birkenstocks. Those four brands plus lululemon are all the girls wear.
@doschicos â But his name is Handsome Dan!
https://news.yale.edu/2016/11/17/meet-handsome-dan-xviii
@whistlingal Seriously, I am not sure what competition the Scotty could win, other than a cuddle contest. https://www.cmu.edu/computing/images/index/scotty.jpg.
I think Carnegie Mellon realizes its not an athletic powerhouse and doesnât pretend to be one. Itâs D3 and I bet most of the students it attracts really donât care, or even find a Scottie mascot a tad refreshing. Youâre not attending the school for sports.
Some of the teams it competes against:
Brandeis - Ollie the Owl
Rochester - Rocky the Yellowjacket
Kenyon - Lords and Ladies (do they even have a mascot?)
Could probably take on a Banana Slug.
^Itâs all in good fun. My DS goes to CMU â doesnât give a whit about sports. He does like dogs and especially the goats they use for goatscaping (not scapegoating) at CMU.
@psycholing ours wouldnât even win a cuddling competition as at the grand old age of 15 he is a bit smelly!! Though he is a bit of a thief (apples are his favourite stolen bootie). We thought we should have called him the artful dodger! However he is a terrier and has all the tenacity and character of a terrier so maybe it isnât such a bad mascot.
Notre Dame is taking some heat. Personally, I think the place is great. I canât speak to those that got obnoxious tour guides. Some guides are over the top, some couldnât care less because they are only doing it for work study. Itâs just another reason to avoid some of the canned tours and walk around yourself. I also find it funny that some critics are all over the ND page. Wonder why if the place is distasteful to you.
@Whistlingal Sounds like you have a winner in a Bobbing for Apples competition.
@psycholing lol
@PengsPhils - North face is so passe, itâs all about Canada Goose jackets now.
@doschicos yeah that Lords and Ladies thing at Kenyon is not a selling point for S19. He looks good in purple, though, and loves the school! Time will tellâŠ
"North face is so passe, itâs all about Canada Goose jackets now. "
When I asked my friends from NY what sorts of cold gear I need to get my son (moving from Florida to Chicago), one of them suggested a Canada Goose jacket. ?!?
Not happening. Heâs a nerdy white kid who will have to ride the bus in the south side of Chicago, so Iâm thinking wearing a $1000 jacket isnât the way to go here. Might as well paint a bullseye and the words, âclueless, rich outsider - Rob Me!â
No kidding about the Canada Goose jackets in NE. In Dec was visiting family on LI and everyone had them. Went to the website and was shocked at the costs. Nice jackets, but expensive.
Sidebar: at a graduate school commencement, the prospective graduates may wear short bachelorâs-degree hoods over their academic robes. The interior of the hoods shows the color of the undergraduate alma mater. There was one CMU grad in my law school class. Tartan inside the hood! By far the coolest hood in the procession.