Truth--
About how long do the tours take and how much of them take place outdoors? I am trying to decide on shoes/coat etc.
Also, I forgot to send in my box-lunch form so I'll have to eat somewhere else... Any recommendations for a delicious lunch nearby the school, that an out-of-towner can find easily??
Cheers!
Hey there starlene45, believe me when I say you aren't missing much with the box lunch.
Illinois is very flat and the wind just gusts on through. The vet med campus has a berm that directs that wind right through the parking lot. I know in other places there are hills and stuff to slow down the wind. When it's around freezing here, there's still the wind to consider. That's why I recommended thermals. I know I want to look nice. Hopefully, my thermals will fit under my suit and not make strange things happen to my hindquarters... maybe not.
I just want you guys to be aware of the way the weather is, here. I miss last weeks 50 degree weather.
If you get a good tour guide, it'll take about 45 minutes with the outside portion being about 1 of those minutes. They start in the basic sciences building atrium and work their way around and down. If they take the usual route for the tour, It's a walk through the hall with the pictures of the alumni classes on it. It will then go outside from the door near the cafeteria/lounge thing (with no purchasable food in it
), then down the sidewalk to the small animal clinic. That sidewalk is not sheltered and the wind just whips on through, so the walk is generally a brisk one, thus the 30 second alottment per trip. Once you get into the small animal clinic, and a surgery suite. If your guide works at the wildlife clinic, you may be allowed to visit in that area. If your guide loves the aviary, you may spend more time outside. If they work in one of the other areas, they might show you where they spend a lot of their time. Then, you'll go around then down the ramp to the large animal section. Depending on the footwear (and whether they consider you a disease transmission risk
)you'll go visit the phantom mare and look at some of the stalls. If there are actually sick animals in those stalls, they may just forego that section and you'll go to see the recovery stalls. Last year, we saw the new MRI machine, and got to ooh and aaah for a bit.
You'll be in there long enough to warm up slightly, until you'll be going back up the windy sidewalk and back to the basic sciences building.
Youll be going up and down the ramp walking on the sidewalk, so keep that in mind when wearing heels.
As for food nearby:
None of these places are within walking distance, Well maybe Jimmy Johns, but its past the soccer field, across the four lane divided avenue, past the residence halls, and Illini Grove.
Its about a mile north on Lincoln Ave just north of the park (Illini Grove) on the west side of the street.
Theres a diner on the ne corner of Neil and Kirby (which is the same street as Florida, but in Champaign
) that is pretty spectacular any time of the day. Its called Merry Anns. Yay, breakfast anytime!
If you dont like diners, theres always the McDonalds kitty corner to that and Monicals pizza next to that.
I heard the Hilton Garden has a good restaurant, but I dont even look in that direction because they razed Aunt Sonyas to make a Walgreens and a parking lot. Now that was a place to get the biggest fluffiest pancakes and waffles. And those balls of butter in the paper cup
Remember those? *sigh* Im still mad about it.
There is also a TGIFridays/Bennigans ( I forgot which) down Neil to the south of there. If you go south on State street which is the light after the Neil and Kirby light going west. You got Hooters and Steak and Shake. I think theres a Hardees over there, too.
You could always go to the iHotel and Conference Center on St Marys road and have a meal at Houlihans. They tore out part of the old beef farm for that, but the beef facility we have now is state of the art., so Im not cryin.
Let me know if you want some suggestions that are more campus (north) ward, and I can oblige with some old campus favorites. I think the majority of them will be hard to find, because of the one way streets and different rules during different times of the day. Just let me know, and I'll give some more.
Hey, you people still on campus chime in here!
Wow. Sorry for the novel, here.
