COLUMN: How to experience Bloomington as B-town, not Bloom

Let’s get something straight. “Bloom is a magazine,” as one Reddit user put it. “Btown is where I live.”  

So, what do B-towners do — often during “townie summer,” once most students move out — that Bloomers are missing? It’s behaviors, hole-in-the-wall spots, whole sides of town and events they’re skipping out on. These differences are what create such a seemingly impenetrable wall between campus and townie communities, but they can be practiced by anyone, any time. 

Seeing Bloomington as B-town is about upholding Midwestern manners. You tip — and tip well — for services provided. You thrift for yourself and for your budget, not to resell. Real ones are looking through dishware at The Salvation Army, not donating Shein to Plato’s Closet or checking for brand-name tags at Goodwill to upcharge on Depop. 

You read “one-way” signs and respect right-of-way laws at roundabouts. You know where you’re going and how to get there. I’d like to say B-towners stop for pedestrians, but that's a little too generous. One big Bloomer mistake is jaywalking, not inherently, but at inopportune intersections. Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out, but it’ll take looking up from that finicky GPS and reading signs with your bare eyes (sunglasses optional). 

If you’re only eating on Fourth Street, campus and around the mall, you’re definitely not taking a big enough bite out of Bloomington’s foodie scene.  

B-town is burgeoning with specialized markets like 4th Street International Market for Mediterranean foods, Little Italy Market and World Foods Market — formerly known to townies as Sahara Mart — downtown, B-Town International Market for East Asian foods and Apna Bazaar International Market for South Asian foods on the east side or Bloomingfoods Co-op Market for fresh deli on both sides of town.  

Sprinkled across the cardinal directions are smaller, local alternatives to avoid bigger-name restaurants. Line of drunk IU students at Jimmy John’s on Kirkwood? Walk just a few blocks south to Rush Hour Station for a fresh bánh mì sandwich. Tables full of loud IU families at My Thai Downtown? Take a short drive east to Bangkok Thai Cuisine. 

While IU and its students host events on campus and downtown, there’s so much to explore in a town where you can drive from north to south or east to west in 15 minutes. Students gravitate to Fairfax Beach and Lake Monroe on the south side, but miss out on what’s going on up north — where you could be renting a canoe or kayak for a few hours on Griffy Lake or playing volleyball in the sand at Lower Cascades Park — and out west — where you could be throwing discus or taking a hike around Karst Farm Park. 

By staying holed up in familiar places like campus, Kirkwood Avenue and Kirkwood-adjacent areas, students often miss out on the beating heart of Bloomington: its people.  

Events including all residents of Bloomington like the Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market every Saturday morning April-October, the Bloomington Winter Farmer’s Market same time from November-March or the People’s Cooperative Market every Saturday. Two clicks on the Monroe County Public Library website under “Programs” and then “Community Events” will give you an overview of community events every day.  

While changing your residence to Bloomington won’t make you a townie by blood, there are many ways to engage with the townie community and see B-town as it truly is during townie summer. Simply explore your community with curiosity and allow the townie spirit to enter your heart.