There’s no place like home

Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived. Please wait for the summer to make a complete stop before unbuckling your seat belt.

Here we are. Fall semester is practically upon us. Students are starting to return, scared freshmen are moving out for the first time and townies are preparing for the annual population spike.

Every summer the streets of downtown are quiet and calm. Townies are able to enjoy their art shows and local restaurants in blissful peace. But as August hits, every townie knows that the days of shopping on Kirkwood and driving through campus are over.

However, this year I will not be here for the annual migration. Rather, I will be making my own migration back up to Minnesota. In preparation, I have done the usual packing and in doing so have come to the realization that this is probably my last extended summer in B-town.

Knowing that my trips back are going to be limited and brief, I have already begun to contemplate the things I will miss and remember about my old hometown — things that can be found nowhere else.

The first and most obvious thing I will miss is downtown Bloomington. Kirkwood and the surrounding area have no equivalent, at least none that I can find. Where else could there be such a collage of art, culture, food and people?

While downtown, I have welcomed Christmas with Santa and the lighting ceremony, made lifelong friends and shared some amazing meals. Those blocks have marked wonderful times in my life and the lives of countless other townies.

Another example is The Chocolate Moose. This historic local ice cream shop has been a landmark in my life for as long as I can remember. Even my parents went to The Chocolate Moose — back then, however, it was called The Penguin. I will miss their pineapple shakes, moose horns and the oh-so-satisfyingly cold grape slushy.

Right across the street from The Chocolate Moose is Third Street Park, another local hangout for townies. I know I have found myself there many a time in years past with an ice cream cone dripping into my lap. A few days ago I visited the park with two of my best friends, and as we all sat together in silence on a park bench, everything felt so familiar — like home.

Sitting there under the stars reminiscing about old Bloomington memories, I knew that most of all I will miss the people. I will miss friends and family and all of the townies that make this wonderful city so great.

So, while I have been trying to teach you how to be a townie all summer, I realized that it’s not the shops, restaurants and events that make Bloomington — it’s the people.

Therefore, my final words of advice as a certified townie are this: Don’t be afraid to embrace this town, even as a student. The people who live in Bloomington can help you find a home here and teach you what it truly means to be a townie.