OFF-GROUNDS FOOD OPTIONS: THE CORNER

OFF-GROUNDS FOOD OPTIONS: THE CORNER

by Jordan Smithson

Nestled behind the Rotunda, on University Avenue, lies the Corner. Essentially, the Corner is a strip of off-grounds shops, restaurants, and study spaces where students and Charlottesville community members gather alike to hang out, shop, study, and most importantly, eat! The Corner provides a place where UVA students can escape the hustle and bustle of grounds and the monotony of the dining hall food and explore a greater variety of tasty treats. The saying goes “you will never go hungry at UVA, but you might go broke” and this is due, in part, to the many unique eateries that the Corner provides. There is a place to eat for every occasion, whether it’s celebrating an A on a final, taking your visiting parents out for dinner, or meeting for an interview. Here are some Corner restaurants that truly stand out:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g57592-d8654185-i307393287-The_Corner-Charlottesville_Virginia.html

The Virginian:

A small, but delicious pub-style restaurant situated in the center of the Corner. A great place for special occasions or, if you and your friends are lucky enough to snag the window table or outdoor seating, people-watching. Students love Virg Mac N’ Cheese and their assortment of burgers and sandwiches. My particular favorite is the crab cake sandwich!

https://www.yelp.com/biz/roots-natural-kitchen-charlottesville-2

Roots Natural Kitchen:

When you’ve had a little too much dining hall pizza and Chick-fil-A nuggets, Roots is there to reintroduce you to chicken that isn’t fried and vegetables that don’t come atop globs of cheese and tomato sauce. It is a natural, healthy alternative to on-grounds food while still being quick and easily accessible to students. The most popular students picks are the delicious rice bowls that come with tons of veggies and protein options. What would UVA students do without Roots?

http://thevirginiaadvocate.com/2013/10/25/crozet-pizza-charlottesville-november-issue/

Crozet Pizza at Buddhist Biker Bar:

Crozet is situated at the end of the Corner’s side street, Elliewood Avenue, and is fantastic if you’re looking for relaxed, outdoor seating, beautiful string lights, and delicious pizza. It’s a great, laid-back environment which an equally great menu to match. What’s more, Crozet hosts amazing, local bands frequently so you are treated to both dinner and a show!

https://www.glassdoor.com/Photos/Boylan-Heights-Office-Photos-IMG534550.htm

Boylan Heights:

A college-themed college restaurant in a college town. My favorite memory at Boylan was standing squished between dozens of people, deafened by screaming, as we watched the UVA Men’s Basketball team defeat Duke in their home court. It’s the perfect sports bar that infuses the UVA academic aesthetic into their presentation with murals from the academically-inspired movies, Dead Poet Society and Rushmore, and menu items such as The Teacher’s Pet and The Over-Achiever.

http://theromantic.com/romance-pregnancy-food

Bodo’s Bagels:

A Charlottesville classic, Bodos is an essential part of UVA food culture. These are the best bagels in the area, and possibly in the state of Virginia. Not only is the menu simple and delectable, it is also CHEAP, perfect for students, professors, and families alike. Typically, Bodos is insanely busy on weekend mornings and early afternoons, with a line out the door for hours, but it’s very rare that you’ll find it empty at any time of day. Whenever some students find themselves in the unfortunate situation of staying in the libraries until the wee hours of the morning, they will reward themselves by sticking around until Bodo’s opens and getting the first ticket of the day!

UVA Dining: The Inside Scoop

UVA Dining

by Joshua King

You may be wondering how UVA dining compares to other schools. UVA’s food is pretty decent
compared to the competition but please do not come here for our gastronomy because we are
not #1 in dining! That being said, UVA does have a large variety of restaurants and foods to choose
from, allowing students to have a well-balanced diet. Here is a basic overview about dining on Grounds.

Meal Plans

There are only two meal plans available for First-Year Students: Ultimate Access and All Access 7.
There is not much of a difference between the two. Both give you unlimited swipes into the dining
halls during business hours, but the Ultimate Access plan comes with 300 Plus Dollars per semester
while the All Access 7 only comes with 150 Plus Dollars. Plus Dollars is basically UVA cash that can
used at any of UVA’s non-dining hall, on Grounds restaurants like the Chick-fil-A or the Starbucks.
Upperclassmen students have a larger variety of meal plans to choose from, varying in number of
meal swipes and Plus Dollars. A popular meal plan amongst upperclassmen students is the
Semester 80 which comes with 80 meal swipes and 350 Plus Dollars.

Dining Halls

There are three main dining halls here at UVA: Newcomb Fresh Food Co, O’Hill, and Runk,
and typically have weekday hours from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Each dining has is unique in its
own way. This past year, Newcomb for example  serves Korean food every Monday and
chicken wings every Wednesday. Newcomb is also the closest dining hall to classes, making it
extremely crowded during lunch hours. O’Hill is the closest dining hall to New Dorms and has the
best salad bar and the largest variety of fresh fruits. However, O’Hill typically has the fewest number
of entrees for students as it only has three main stations. Runk is my all-time favorite! During the
weekdays, Runk has an international station featuring different entrees from around the world.
Starting at 10:00 AM on the weekends, Runk brunch with fluffy pancakes, an omelet station with
a variety of meats and vegetables. This all may sound good, but Runk is also the furthest dining
hall from classes and most of the first-year doors meaning a longer walk for most students, but
less time standing in lines.

Other Dining Options

When you ever get tired of the dining hall food (and you will), there are plenty of on Grounds
restaurants to choose from. The most popular restaurants are Chick-fil-A, Five Guys, and Subway
located on the first floor of Newcomb Hall in a place called the Pav. Another popular place is the
Amphitheater. During lunch time, the Amphitheater has four different food trucks that serve BBQ,
Greek food, pot pies, and Chinese Fried Dumplings. My favorite on Grounds restaurants is Rising Roll:
a restaurant that serves fresh sandwiches, brewed coffee, and has the coolest Spotify playlist on
Grounds!  Need a late-night snack and all the dining halls are closed? On the first floor of O’Hill,
there is a place called CrossRoads that stays open until 2:00 AM. They serve burritos, pizza, pasta,
burgers and other quick meals. CrossRoads also has a convenience store where you can buy chips,
soda, and candy. Remember, Plus Dollars can be used at any of these locations and even at a local
Papa John’s when your order a delivery.

Meal Exchange   

UVA Meal Exchange allows you to purchase certain meal combos from on Grounds restaurants
using a meal swipes instead of Plus Dollars. For example, at Chick-fil-A between the hours of
4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on the weekdays, a student can purchase an original or spicy chicken sandwich,
an order of fries, and a medium-sized fountain beverage for just one meal swipe. So as a First-Year,
you could technically eat Chick-fil-A everyday without spending any of your limited Plus Dollars.
However, there is a limit to just two meal exchanges per day (the Ultimate Access Plan gives you
three) and only one can be used per hour. Meal Exchange can also be used to buy a To-Go box
from the dining halls which makes it convenient for for you to eat a quick meal in between
back-to-back class.

Ride of Your Life: The Beauty of UBikes

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that UVA is walkable. There’s almost no chance that you’re going to want to get somewhere on Grounds and not be able to get there on your own two feet. Even students who live off-Grounds are able to hoof it in thirty minutes or less. The walkability is a huge advantage– driving to campus isn’t a thing here, and while buses can be convenient, in most cases they aren’t absolutely necessary.

But say you have a tight schedule. You have one class on one corner of Grounds and another on the opposite side and only ten minutes to get between them. Or perhaps you need to get somewhere quickly out of the blue. Maybe you just want to cruise around for a bit and glide down McCormick Road. In any case, the solution sits at a big blue beautiful rack near you.

UBikes, baby.

UVA is one of few schools to have its own bikeshare program. Bikeshares are big in cities like D.C. and New York City where they allow people to easily and efficiently commute without congesting the streets or getting stuck in traffic. People can grab a bike from any hub, ride it to any other, and lock it up and forget about it. No maintenance, no worries of theft, just the fun and simplicity of a bike ride.

But how the heck does it work? Well, Prospective Student, as a certified UBike Ambassador™, I’d love to tell you all about it.

1. Making an account

Ubike.virginia.edu is the only website you’ll need during your four years in college. Here, you can register in the UBike system and make your account. There are two main plans to choose from, either hourly or monthly.

For sporadic users, hourly makes the most sense. This is for people who might ride every once in a while or just want it in case they get into a pickle. You’ll only be charged when you’re actually riding the bike, and it’ll cost $3 / hour (it’s proportional though, so if you ride for 30 minutes it’ll charge you $1.50).

Otherwise, monthly is the best bet. This plan allows for an hour and a half of riding time per day. Considering that most rides between classes will take only a few minutes, this is a ton of time. But how much will this cost? I’m happy to say that UBike will only run you $5 / month.

2. Getting a bike

There are 21 hubs around Grounds. You can check out a bike from any one of them– between all hubs, we have about 120 bikes total.

To unlock a bike, you approach it and gently poke its number pad. From there, you type in your account number and, when prompted, your PIN. Done! Slide the lock into the handy lock holster and you’re good to go. (But you should know that all professional UBikers link their student ID to their account so that they can just press their card to the panel and skip the account number.)

UBike also has a handy app called SoBi, short for Social Bicycles, available for all mobile devices. This app allows you to look at the map of the system and see how many bikes are at each hub ahead of time. You can also use the app to reserve a bike for yourself. This way, you’ll never be blindsided by an empty rack.

3. Rolling around

Now’s the fun part. UBikes have three gears that you can adjust for going up or down hills. The left handle also doubles as a bell when you twist it in case you need to get someone’s attention or just want to celebrate the fact that you’re on a bike.

Once you start riding, you might not want to stay on Grounds. Never fear. You’re free to ride anywhere you like as long as you eventually return the bike to a hub within an appropriate time frame. And if you want to ride somewhere and hang out there a while, UBike’s got your back even then. At any point, you can dismount and put the bike on hold for up to two hours every day. You can do this anywhere, and during the period no one will be able to take that bike but you. In practice, this means that if you and your friends want to go grab dinner or see a movie on the downtown mall, you can hop on UBikes, make the ~10 minute ride, put the bikes on hold on the mall, and then come back after you’re done. Dinner, movie, UBike. Now that’s what I call a dream date.

Now that you have this extensive UBike knowledge, maybe one day you’ll end up like me, idling down the road, straw hat askance, taking the road less travelled and taking it easy, aiming for the horizon and maybe even daring to dream you’ll make it there. I’ve been riding for years, four years of peddling without a single glance back. It’s a simple life. Sometimes it makes you wonder. Yet I’ve never wavered from my wanders. Each dawn, as I dust off my saddle in the red morning glow, I wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else than the bike lane of the open road. And I wouldn’t trade my companion for anything. It’s me and this UBike until our tires go flat. And if I see you along the way, I’ll tip my hat.

Zach Schauffler

schauff@virginia.edu

Convocation

To kick off our regular posts, we thought we'd begin at the beginning with an insider scoop on UVA's annual opening ceremony. This will be your first major University event– read on for an idea of what that will entail. –Ed.

    Convocation: it’s a strange word. It feels stuffy and old and outdated. Sometimes before I say it
I panic because it has the potential to be a word that I might mispronounce.
What does it even mean? Why do people keep mentioning it? How does it pertain to UVA?
Why should I care?

    It’s Brynna again, and I’m here to answer all of these questions.
I sure asked similar questions before I attended first-year convocation last August.
While I was skeptical at first, Convocation proved to be a neat experience and a great introduction
to the UVA community I had just joined. So here is what I’m calling,

“What the Heck is Convocation”: A Sneak Peek of a First-Year’s First Glimpse of UVA

My hallmates and I at our convocation in August 2017.

Seriously, what is a “Convocation”?

    According to the dictionary, the word “convocation” means a large gathering or assembly of people.
This definition makes sense because almost 4,000 first-year and transfer students will gather on the lawn,
seated and facing the Rotunda, the first weekend of the academic year for this event.

Why do students face the Rotunda?

    The Rotunda is the center of UVA. Built in 1826, this building was the first library of the University.
Students sit facing the Rotun This symbol comes full circle four years later at graduation, when students
walk from the Rotunda toward Old Cabell Hall, leaving the first library of the University to enrich the
world with what they’ve learned over their four years.

    

Look at it! Teeming with knowledge to be learned by YOU!

Should I sit somewhere special? Are some seats better than others?

    All seats are the same except for one. Since you, dear reader, are already preparing for your
first year I will enlighten you on the greatest secret of them all. The Seven Society will ask the
student sitting in the seventh chair in the seventh row to read a note to everyone in attendance.
I pitied the poor soul who had to read a fairly long note to 4,000 people. So if you would prefer
not to take on this responsibility, don’t sit in this seat. But if reading the Seven Society note is
something you’re interested in, by all means go for it.

I heard everyone gets a nickel?

    That’s correct! Each chair will have a nickel on it, face up (which conveniently is
Thomas Jefferson’s face). These nickels are a gift from the UVA Alumni Association, and
serve as reminder to give back to the UVA community after you graduate.

Do we ALL sign the Honor Pledge? Wouldn’t that be a crazily long line?

     Yes you do all sign the Honor Pledge at the conclusion of the event, and yes the line is long
but not as long as you would think. There are several tables on the sidewalks next to where you’ll
be seated where you will sign the Honor Pledge. There will also be volunteers at each table to
organize the line and make sure that everything is moving smoothly.

But what happens during the ceremony?

    The ceremony is made up mostly of people addressing incoming students. From the President
of the University and Dean Groves, to the Honor Chair, these people have sage words of wisdom
to share with you.

    One of the most exciting and fun parts of the ceremony, however, involves singing.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a particularly gifted singer or not, the Good Ole Song doesn’t
discriminate. Convocation is the first time you’ll join arms with your fellow Hoos and sing
the Good Ole Song. Maybe you already know the words, maybe you’ll stumble through it
this first time. Either way, it’s your first moment as a true Hoo, which is what Convocation is all about.

Whether you don’t know a single word to the Good Ole Song or you end up reading the Seven Society letter, Convocation is your first event as a member of the UVA Community - so embrace it! If you have any more questions or want me to write about something specific, please feel free to email me at bmg5bg@virginia.edu. See you later incoming hoos!

Meet the Interns: Meet Joshua!

Hey Guys!

It’s Joshua, and I’m supper excited to be a Peadbody intern for a second summer in a row! I am a rising Forth year majoring in Spanish and History and I am from Greene County, Virginia. During the 2018 Spring semester, I was enrolled in five Spanish classes and interned as a teacher’s assistant in Valencia, Spain. It was hands down the best semester of my life. When I’m not improving my Spanish skills or completing History readings, I’m usually biking, playing inner-tube water polo at the Aquatic and Fitness Center, or just hanging out with my friends in OneWay Christian Fellowship where I will be the worship leader next year. This summer, I will be writing about everything you need to know about on-Grounds dining, how to stay physically active at UVA, double majoring, study abroad, and opportunities available for students who choose to stay in Charlottesville during the summer. So, save Hoos Stories to your Favorites and get ready for my future post!

Now it’s time for pictures from a few of my favorite memories at UVA. 

First Year

During my First-year move-in day, President Teresa Sullivan and Dean Groves dropped by to say hello!

I spent my spring break in Charlottesville to learn more about social justice and was also able to be a part of a worship team through an Intervarsity Christian Fellowship program.

Second Year

Here is a victory photo after a glorious game of inner tube water polo. 

A friend encouraged me to audition for UVA's version of Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca and I found my hidden talent as an actor. 

3rd Year

I sit at the front of every football game and one day, this happened!

On a nice warm Saturday evening, my OneWay Christian Fellowship family decided to have a cookout in one of the Lawn's gardens.

Studying abroad last semester was amazing! I lived with a host family, traveled around Spain, and even learned how to cook the famous Valencian dish, paella. 

That does it for now. Remember to visit Hoos Stories again for my future post. If you are visiting Charlottesville this summer, feel free to hop on one of my tours!  

Meet the Interns: Meet Maddie!

This week and last, we're posting a daily introduction to each of our fabulous Office of Admissions interns. These folks will be leading admissions tours this summer and are thrilled to meet & help prospective Hoos, both in-person and online. Please reach out to any or all of us with questions! We hope to see you on Grounds soon.

Hi guys!! My name is Maddie Sugg, and I’m a rising third-year studying Government & Religion from Chantilly, VA.

Like the other interns, I’m hoping to shed a little light on different aspects of the student experience throughout the summer ~ I’ll be posting more about career services, tabling, who (hoo) lives in the pavilions, different types of student government, start-ups, and using UVA & Cville transit ~ so much to look forward to!!

Around grounds, you can find me in Nau-Gibson (arguably the prettiest academic building), roller-blading down Culbreth, searching for the best spot to hammock, and hanging with friends on the Lawn.

taking in the solar eclipse on the Lawn

For now, a brief overview of some of my favorite things to do while at UVA:

enjoying the great outdoors (especially at Shenandoah National Park)-

hiking, biking, & bears, oh my!

celebrating the (incredible) food scene in Charlottesville-

pictured: Brazos Tacos (in the IX Art Park) and Barbie’s Burrito Barn (near the Downtown Mall)

& attending free talks offered around town-

highlights from this year included Hillary Clinton, Melody Barnes, Katie Couric, and Pete Souza

Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions, interests, and/or vulture facts at mes4wh@virginia.edu!

All the best,

Maddie