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(02/15/13 12:00am)
As I sit trying to think of something to write about for this column, I can't focus. I've been incredibly distracted all day, unable to concentrate on even the miniscule amount of homework I have, and I know exactly why. It's because of the Broken Hearts Party at Club Fever, Michiana's hottest nightclub and my favorite place in South Bend. My friends and I are Fever people. Each week we look forward to dressing up, pregaming way too hard and running around Feve's three glorious floors. The place has everything you could ask for in a bar. It's large enough that it never gets crowded, with the exceptions of syllabus and finals week. It has the basement for socializing, the main floor for dancing and the side bars for doing shot-skis. And for the truly adventurous spirits, it has the cage. All of Fever's perks result in Thursday being my favorite night of the week. Unlike a large portion of the senior class, I am not particularly a Finny's person. I do enjoy Wednesdays there, but I'd still rather stay in on a Wednesday in order to mentally and physically prepare for the next night rather than risk being too tired or hungover to make it to Feve. And after Thursday, the weekend often feels like it's winding down regardless of the fact it hasn't actually began. I really don't understand why everyone doesn't have a similar love affair with Fever. Thank God I was abroad last spring when everyone started going to Brothers on Thursdays instead, but every once in a while someone still asks if I'm going to the Eddy Street bar instead of Feve. I usually can't help the look that comes on my face when this happens, a hideous mixture of disgust and disbelief. As one of my roommates put it, "If you like going to Brothers over Fever, you're not someone I ever want to hang out with." The great part about Fever is that it's the only night of the week we do something different. Every other bar in South Bend is pretty similar; I always wonder why we choose certain bars over others since they're all sort of the same. Feve stands out in the crowd. It's the only place where it's acceptable to not remember seeing half your friends. Where you can DFMO with multiple people in one night. Where you can dance in a cage without becoming a stripper. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'm certainly not about to pass that up. So if you're wondering where I am right now, I'm willing to bet I could be found in my bed, nursing a hangover and lamenting over the fact I need to wait seven more days before returning to Feve.
(10/08/12 12:00am)
Growing up on Long Island, there was never any doubt in my mind that New York City was the greatest city in the country. It has everything an individual could possibly expect from a city - from amazing restaurants and shopping areas to diehard sport traditions, and, of course, ridiculously high prices. I remember visiting Boston and Philadelphia in middle school and feeling superior to all the residents because my city was larger and more cosmopolitan than their cities. To be honest, I never really even spent that much time in New York City, even though I only live about thirty minutes away from Manhattan. I'm more of an outdoors person and crowds overwhelm me, so New York's tightly packed buildings and busy streets are not exactly up my alley. But once I came to Notre Dame, I acted as if New York City was my second home. I enjoyed telling people I was from New York because I automatically assumed that unless they were from Paris or Sydney, my hometown was probably more entertaining than theirs. Even with the wealth of Notre Dame students from the Chicago area, it never occurred to me that Chicago might rival New York. Maybe San Francisco or Washington, D.C., but never a random city in the middle of the Midwest. But over the past few years, I've visited Chicago several times, and each time I leave liking the city more and more. Yes, it's smaller than New York, but that only makes it easier to navigate. Prices, while still high, are much lower than New York's, and Chicago natives are almost as infatuated with their athletic teams as Notre Dame students are with our football team. The city is cleaner overall, and Lake Michigan offers a nicer view than New York Harbor. I always assumed that if I lived in a city after graduation it would be New York, but as I think about post-Notre Dame life more frequently, I think I might rather spend a few years as a young professional in Chicago. This past weekend only cemented those feelings. Chicago and its inhabitants welcomed Notre Dame students and fans alike with open arms, and I can't think of a better weekend I've had in several months. The bars were lively, the food was tasty and the Notre Dame network was huge and comforting. Even though I'll always be a New Yorker at heart, I'm starting to think a Chicago state of mind might be just what I need to start my life after Notre Dame.Contact Mel Flanagan at mflanag3@nd.edu The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
(09/07/12 12:00am)
It's the Friday before the first home football game, a day full of pep rallies, Irish music and general debauchery. And I'm going to Chicago. At about 7 p.m. this evening, I will enter Wrigley Field for a concert by one of the most epic musicians in history, Bruce Springsteen. Am I bummed about missing the first football Friday? Nope. I can't think of a better way to start football season and senior year than with some life lessons from Bruce. When my high school valedictorian, a fellow Notre Dame senior, quoted Bruce in his commencement address, I realized the true power of Bruce's lyrics: their lessons, their relatability, their insights. With a repertoire of over 200 songs, Bruce has a song for every moment, for every situation, for everyone. Many songs are for us, Notre Dame seniors, as we delve further into our last year under the Golden Dome. So, fellow seniors, here are a few words of wisdom from the legend himself, as applied to our final year at Notre Dame. 1. "If there's a light up ahead well brother I don't know / But I got this fever burnin' in my soul / So let's take the good time as they go / And I'll meet you further on up the road." In "Further On (Up the Road)", Bruce tells us to enjoy every minute we have left here. Even though we might not know what lies ahead of us, we're all pretty psyched that it's senior year. So let's have a blast and let life take us where it will. 2. "I'm working on a dream / Though sometimes it feels so far away, I'm working on a dream / And how it will be mine someday." Contrary to what we may have hoped, senior year is not easy. We're juggling the usual classes and extracurricular activities with the added stress of job searching, all while trying to maintain a social life. In "Working on a Dream", Bruce acknowledges our struggles. He reminds us that if we keep putting in the effort, we'll have that diploma in our hands before we know it. 3. "Now you can't break the ties that bind / You can't forsake the ties that bind." After graduation, we're all going to separate. We'll stay close with our best friends and stay friendly with some others, but most people will seem to have fallen off the face of the earth. In "The Ties That Bind", Bruce lets us know that no matter where we go in life, regardless of whether or not we will see each other again, we'll always be connected. To each other, and to Notre Dame. So cheers to senior year, to the first home football game and to Bruce. Let's live it up because, after all, this is our one last chance to make it real.