I have the ice skating rink to thank for inspiring my post-graduation move to Arizona. Not far from campus, the Bloomington ice rink furnished a wonderful Saturday evening outlet for nervous energy prior to winding down at Nick’s. Several of us piled into cars on crisp winter nights and headed out to the rink to skate endless loops around the oval, to spin, jump, fall, lean on one another, bruise our knees and elbows, and let our hearts thump and noses run before closing time.
The ice rink had a roof but was open on the sides, so the cold outside air easily filtered into the interior. One single-digit-temperature night, as we approached the rink, we noticed that it was unusually dark. A sign on the entrance read, "Ice rink closed due to the cold." It was that night at Nick’s (a longer visit than usual) that I had my moment of Zen and plotted my escape to warmer climes.
Brooke Hensley-Marschand StokdykBA ’02, MS ’05Williamston, Mich.
My favorite IU place is Marching Hundred Hall out at the 10th & the Bypass complex. I was a member of IU’s Marching Hundred from 1998 to 2001. The place is old, dusty, smells kind of funny, and the acoustics are terrible, but I had some of the best experiences of my life in Hundred Hall. I did a lot of growing up behind those doors. I created many memories there, including one that changed my life: meeting my husband. There are many places on campus that are far more beautiful than Hundred Hall, but none is more meaningful to me!
Sarah MeyerBA ’05Indianapolis
My favorite IU place is technically not on the Bloomington campus, but it was a major part of my IU career. I was a four-year member of the women’s rowing team, so Lake Lemon takes the cake as my favorite place. In my four years at IU, I saw countless sunrises on the lake, spent many rainy mornings that made me look forward to a hot cup of coffee at the Union when I got back to campus, felt the competitive spirit come alive along with the pride of home-course advantage during regattas there, and enjoyed the beach at Riddle Point when the weather started to get hot in April and May. All of these experiences with the rest of the team made for some of my best college memories and the greatest friendships I could imagine!
Michael R. RockMBA ’05Atlanta
Yogi’s: Pre-gaming before home basketball games, grabbing lunch between classes, having a few drinks on the weekends, catching NFL and MLB games on TV, late night food specials, early happy hours, best "wingies" in town, best Upland on tap, and best buffalo fries around.
John JesterBA ’73Sarasota, Fla.
Nick’s English Hut
Bill JohansonBS ’66, MS ’70Muskegon, Mich.
For my crowd, our favorite Bloomington spot (1964-67) was The Stardust Lounge (now The Bluebird) on Walnut Street. It was a place where we could meet friends (and sometimes professors and/or grad assistants) to wind down at the end of some pretty stressful days in class. Prime hangout times were Wednesday and Thursday nights, and Friday TGIF afternoons. Prime date times were, of course, Friday and Saturday nights. A beer pitcher cost $1.50, mixed drinks were $1. A favorite band during that tumultuous 1960s period was The Fugitives, but who could ever forget The Dusters, The Herd, The Electras, or The Presidents from Indianapolis as well as a slew of celebrity bands brought in by Dust owners, the Medwid brothers from Chicago? Yep, a great place. And just down the street to the north was The Regulator, another hangout favored by the more intellectual types. Ah, the memories . . .
Loren MartinBA ’65, PhD ’69Big Cabin, Okla.
The Gables was such a comfort during both my undergraduate and my graduate days at IU Bloomington. Nick and his brothers made all of us feel so welcome and so much like family that it was impossible to feel homesick for very long. They knew us all by name and they provided weekly meal tickets to help us out with the cost of food. We often met our professors there during mealtime and it was truly a wonderful place to share memories.
Karen DavenportBA ’87Tucson, Ariz.
There were many great places but one of my favorite memories was watching movies in the back of Bear’s Place.
Kelly WhitemanBA ’84Indianapolis
Actually, Bear’s Place was my personal favorite, but I don’t suppose that qualifies for your poll. So, I vote for the IMU. It had so many great places to hang out, whether you wanted to study, visit, or even occasionally snooze between classes.
Various off-campus sites
Back to List of Favorite Places