New Students from New Orleans

Greetings and welcome to the Un-Zone, the site where I post random things that float inside my head at any given time. Most of the times, I think what I'm thinking isn't what most people are thinking at any given time. I guess I'm just like that.

Several law school students from Tulane and Loyola have arrived here at the University of Kansas School of Law. Lawrence is nothing like New Orleans. Then again, most cities aren't like New Orleans. Even in Lawrence, which is more liberal in its tendencies than most places in the state of Kansas, doesn't have the same lassiez les bon temps rouler spirit than New Orleans is well known for. The closest city in spirit to New Orleans could be Las Vegas, but it's of a different type. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it.
I'm guessing that the new students will not be automatically reading this blog any time soon, but I found the following to be a fun exercise at least. A sort of guide to get them acquainted with the place I currently call home. Then again, they might be Kansans who decided to go to law school in New Orleans and they really don't need this.

An Unofficial Guide to Lawrence

NICKNAME
Lawrence is called Larryville by the locals. It's quite Midwestern in its nature. Nothing like "The Big Easy." Then again, it could be worse.

WEATHER
It gets extremely hot and humid in Lawrence during the summer. So does New Orleans. We don't suffer from hurricanes, but we do have tornadoes, hail, and torrential rains. Sometimes the occasional flood. If you don't like cold weather, Kansas is not an ideal place during the winter. It can get cold. You might get a foot of snow, several inches of ice, sleet, freezing rain, and God knows what else tossed in. And they probably won't cancel school any time soon. It's extremely rare for KU to cancel school due to winter weather.

FOOD
Nothing like the New Orleans food culture. However, one can find a wide variety of food pickings. You've got more refined dining, Latin American, Greek, and other ethnic places in Lawrence. Or you could go with the standard college fare of pizza and fast food. If that's not enough, you could go to Kansas City and explore what places are there.

DRINK
What would law school be without alcohol? Lawrence doesn't have Bourbon Street, the French Quarter, or a legendary establishment like Pat O'Brian. But one can find many places to get drunk at.
I don't drink alcohol. I don't have a nightlife. So I had to rely on information gleaned from those who do, which is many people at law school. One could always go to a TGIT place listed on the numerous flyers posted in the law school. These places include The Yacht Club, Free State, Henry's, Quinton's, and a host of other bars and nightclubs. Most are conveniently located near downtown Lawrence. Here, you can find places to drink, places to eat, and places to buy stuff like books, clothes, and most of life's essentials.

NIGHTLIFE
Again, I don't have a nightlife or a social life for that matter. There are many locales in Lawrence where one can drop it like its hot, shake their tail feather, and get the groove on the dancefloor. Be sure to ask one of the many friendly law school students where they like to party on the weekend. The traditional KU law school weekend starts on Thursday night, as most students rarely have more than one class on Friday. Or you could go to KC and visit Westport.

STUFF TO DO ON CAMPUS
Despite what people might say, there are many things to do at KU. One could visit the Spenser Museum of Art which holds one of the finest university art collections. I've been there many times. There are numerous on campus events happening on any given day. On a nice day without classes, one could have a picnic by Potter Lake. I haven't done that yet as I haven't found anyone to do this activity with. There's bowling at the Jaybowl located at the Kansas Union. Or one could see a performance at the Lied Center. During the winter, if it snows and you are in Lawrence, one can go sledding down a hill on campus. Ask locals for the best spots or one can follow residence hall dwellers carrying dining hall trays on a snowy day.
And basketball. This is KU, home of the Jayhawks. Basketball, like football at Notre Dame, approaches the level of organized religion. From the month of November to April, basketball is king in Lawrence. To get a better perspective, James Naismith the inventor of basketball was the first KU basketball coach. He's buried in Lawrence. Allen Field House, where home games are playes, is named after Forrest "Phog" Allen. It is a legendary court like the Pavillion at UCLA or grudgingly, Cameron at Duke. Despite what people say about Kryzewski-ville at Duke, nothing beats Allen Field House. It's got history AND tradition. If you get the opportunity to do so, see one game at Allen and you'll understand the mystique and aura of the place. Wave the wheat, sing the alma mater, and do the "Rock Chalk" chant, the greatest college cheer ever. And after the game, you can go out to a bar and get drunk with hundreds, if not thousands of other Jayhawk fans.

I hope that this has been informative in some way. Even if it hasn't proven to be that, I hope this has been entertaining in some way. If it was neither, well, I hope you have a better understanding of Lawrence, this place I call home. Lawrence is a great place to live in. The people are friendly, open, and all around nice. Well, at least the people I know. Welcome to Lawrence and KU. I hope your stay, whether for a semester, a year, or even longer, is a pleasant one.

That's all for now.