The Observer, March 21, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 21
Northside and Southside offer different flavors
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On Case's one-mile long campus, where you live can affect how you live.
Case's campus housing is officially split into three major sections – the North Residential Village, the Village at 115, and the South Residential Village. Unofficially, the SRV is further split into "bottom of the hill" and "top of the hill" dorm living.
Most of the campus-area entertainment and dining attractions are located nearer to north side, including the Triangle eateries and the University Circle museums. Bottom-of-the-hill residents have the convenience of Little Italy nearby, but those on the top of the hill have a trek no matter what.
There are two major dining halls at Case. The north side of campus is home to the first major dining hall, Leutner Resident Dining Café. The second major dining hall, Fribley Marché, is located on Southside at the bottom of the hill. In the quad, Case has established several alternative options for obtaining food, including Grab-It, Einstein Bagels, Tomlinson Dining Hall, and the SAGES Café in Crawford. Options provided by Case, however, are generally not open past 9 p.m. Many college students seek dining options during late-night studying or after a long night partying with friends.
Most off-campus fast-food dining options are located on the north side of campus or on Euclid Avenue. Many of these attractions are roughly a five- to 10-minute walk for Northside residents and a 15- to 20-minute walk for Southside residents living on the bottom of the hill. Students living on the top of the hill face an extra five minutes due to the dreaded elephant stairs.
Dining options on the north side of campus include the Spartan Diner, Wackadoo's Grub and Brew (now the Jolly Scholar), The Spot, That Place, and Sergios. There are also a few options on Southside at the bottom of the hill, including Tea House Noodles and University Hospital. The cafeteria in University Hospital attracts students who appreciate items such as vegetarian sushi. The strip on Euclid Avenue attracts the most off-campus dining business and includes dining options such as Quiznos, Qdoba, Rascal House, Falafel Café, and Mi Pueblo. A bit further down is the renowned Little Italy. There are several options in Little Italy including restaurants like Michelangelo's, Trattoria, and La Dolce Vita.
There are also several options for off-campus dining located a bit further down on Coventry, including Tommy's, Jimmy John's, Pacific East, and Guy's Pizza. Some of these options have established a strong presence on the Case campus through delivery.
Students at the top of the hill do not have any dining options available to them within a five-minute distance. Sometimes warming up ramen noodles is more enticing than walking down to Fribley when it's cold outside.
Many of these dining options located near the Northside of the Case Western community, however, have begun offering new incentives to encourage students to dine with them. Fast food chains like Quiznos now offer delivery. Restaurants such as La Dolce Vita have a weekly Ladies' Night or nightly specials.
In terms of entertainment, Northside residents are once again able to select from a variety of options including Mi Pueblo, Uptowne Bar and Grille, and late night gatherings at the Spartan Diner. Although options at Coventry have become an integral part of Case's entertainment options, popular venues such as City and East, Panini's, Johnny Malloy's, and McNulty's are limited to students 21 and older. As such, many are forced to rare events that take place at the top of the hill at Carlton Commons. Getting together with friends for a simple gathering is much more difficult since students are dispersed across the campus. "Freshman year was nice since everyone in our class lived on the same side of campus. This year I feel as though I only see my friends from Southside in class or randomly on the quad. It is a lot harder to get together because of the distance," said sophomore Himali Bhatt.
Regardless of the lack of dining and entertainment options and irregular Greenie stops, students at the top of the hill have become accustomed to their surroundings. In fact, most students when given the option to move elsewhere on campus would actually rather stay put. "I like top of the hill because the tennis courts are up here, as well as Carlton Commons. Thus, it is convenient for working out or even just to play pool with some friends. I love when UPB puts on events in Carlton because I actually go since I do not really have to travel too far," said sophomore Marta Venturato.
Despite the extra time required in the morning when walking to class or the extra effort needed to walk up the elephant stairs after a long day, the living arrangements are much nicer at the top of hill. Sophomore Kiran Nandigam said, "It is the trade off – the style of living versus the location. The elephant stairs tend to get annoying, but you adapt to them quickly and I like the rooming arrangement and style of the suites much better at the top of the hill."
Furthermore, the lack of off-campus dining options is often ignored by top of the hill residents. "We may not have a fast food option right next door, but we have Dave's Supermarket. It is a cheaper, healthier style of living," said sophomore Tony Hilal.
In the end, the extra five to 10 minutes required to reach any part of campus is quickly overlooked for some. After all, it is just down the steps.
