Athens is a great college town, mostly because the town and the university blend together well, but each have their own seperate identity. Downtown provides a plethora of restaurants and shops, and people walk around freely, enjoying the nightlife of the city. There are tons of coffee shops in particular, as well as Irish pubs and ice cream parlors. The first night here, I ate at TransMetropolitan, or TransMet as they call it in Athens. The food is fantastic, the prices are good, and the people are very friendly. Jane, who handled my ticket, was very nice and very informative, giving me great information about the downtown area. It's definitely somewhere I'd recommend when in Athens.

Now, finding the stadium was another issue. I first attempted this at night, and ended up driving in a circle. Frustrated, I went to find directions, where only one house was lit up. Going to that house led me to the front steps of the Sigma Phi Epsilon house, where a group of guys were hanging out talking on the front steps. I was lucky to have run across them, as I ended up plunging into a great conversation about college sports, mostly baseball and football. They then presented me with a map of how to get to the stadium, along with parking directions. Both the map and parking directions were 100% accurate. I give major props to the guys from the Georgia Delta chapter for their help, and for being as knowledgable about college sports as any group of guys I've ever met.

The campus of Georgia is really nice..it's very wide open and the landscape is incredible. Lots of brick walkways, gardens, and historic buildings dot the campus. The facades from the outside are beautiful. Going inside the SLC (Student Learning Center), I was definitely impressed. Thick carpets, marble stairways, and tons of computers and outlets for students to research information. It's an impressive facility. The student union is also really impressive, and has the right college feel to it.

And the bulldogs...wow. Lots and lots of bulldogs. In fact, thanks to the people from "We Let the Dogs Out", there are 36 statues of bulldogs in Athens, complete with various artistic designs on each dog. I believe I've seen about 10 of them, with my favorite being "Dawgustus", complete with toga and olive wreath. It's a very creative idea, as well as fun...it only adds to the festive atmosphere around the city.

All in all, Athens is definitely a happening place. Georgia is very fortunate to have such a fun city as its home.