So, What's All The Hype About Garden City?
Deciding which college you're going to attend will be one of the biggest decisions in your life. College is a place where you're going to be spending a majority of the next four years of your life, a place where you're going to meet the friends you'll keep forever, and most of all, the place where you'll create the most amazing memories. But aside from academics, one of the biggest questions asked on college tours is, "what's there to do on the weekends?" Because, let's be honest, that is definitely one of the most important factors when choosing a school.
Being in Garden City, Adelphi is close to so many attractions. Coming from a small town, the closest mall to me was about two and a half hours away. Now, this was a problem for me because I am absolutely obsessed with shopping. When I first started at Adelphi this past fall, a couple of my friends and I decided to take a trip to the Roosevelt field mall (which for the record, I do not recommend for the first week of school, because I ended up spending all of my money. Whoops!). For those who don't know, Roosevelt Field Mall is a huge mall about ten minutes away from Adelphi. And the best part? Our Panther Express will take you there! The Panther Express is our university's shuttle service available to all students. On the weekdays, the shuttle goes to/from the Nassau Boulevard and the Mineola train stations, the Hempstead Bus Terminal, Stop and Shop, and Roosevelt Fields Mall. On the weekends, the Panther Express is available to go to all those places as well as to Target and Walmart.
Another one of my favorite places near Adelphi is a place called The Witches Brew. This cafe is most definitely one of the cutest places to hang with friends. Their menu is about four pages long, filled with different teas, coffees, and desserts. And, they have vegan and vegetarian options! Like many people, I'm lactose intolerant, so the dairy free side of me enjoyed this immensely! This cafe isn't like any normal cafe; The Witches Brew doesn't have traditional wooden chairs like many other boring restaurants, but instead they have couches and different upholstered furniture for the guests to sit on. The cafe is decorated with twinkle lights, and the colors change every few weeks. Around Halloween they were orange and red, then they changed to blue and green, and currently they are red and white. The atmosphere of The Witches Brew is one you won't find many places, and I recommend a trip there for everyone!
(Myself, along with two other Adelphi Ambassadors, and my roommate at the Witches Brew)
Since Adelphi University is an important contribution to Garden City, many restaurants will actually offer student discounts when showing the restaurant your Adelphi ID card. Another of my favorite restaurants is Rustica. Rustica is an amazing Italian Restaurant right down the road from Adelphi. When presenting your ID card at Adelphi, Rustica will give you ten percent off of your order! When the weather was a little nicer, my friends and I would walk to Rustica to get lunch or dinner on the weekends. It's a great place for the whole family or even just you and your friends! Also, they deliver!! So, if you're craving some amazing penne alla vodka, or a great slice of pizza, call up Rustica and they'll deliver right to your building!
As some people may know, Adelphi is located extremely close to the city. We're only about twenty-three miles from New York City, which is about a 40-minute train ride. I have always been fascinated by New York City, given the fact that there is so much diversity and so many things to do. Often times my friends and I will be thinking of what to do on a Friday or Saturday night, and we'll end up hopping on a train and going into the city. My absolute favorite time to be in the city is around Christmas. Though it is a little chilly, Christmas is definitely the most magical time to be there! You can marvel at the Macy's window displays, take a stroll through Central Park, or my favorite thing to do, go see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
(A picture of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in early December)
In our University Center, we have a booth called the Panthertainment Booth. Here you're able to get discounted movie tickets, discounted sports game tickets, discounted Broadway Show tickets, and so much more! This past week, a couple of my friends and I heard they were selling discounted Lion King tickets at the Panthertainment Booth. We all enjoy going to see Broadway Shows, so we were extremely excited to go see how much they were selling for. When we got to the booth, we could not believe that the tickets were only $40 for orchestra seats! Normally, for a show as popular as the Lion King, and seats as good as orchestra seats, tickets start at about $135, so $40 was a steal! But, not only does the $40 include the tickets, it also includes transportation to and from the theater! My friends and I snatched up tickets, and it was definitely the perfect decision.
So, whether you'll be a commuter or a resident on campus, Garden City will never cease to interest you!
