Volume One Magazine Archives

V1 Dashboard: Sign Up | Sign In

Current Issue

cover

Read Issue #159

Opinions

Entertainment

Culture

Special Sections

Magazine Archives

 

All Issues » Issue #125 » Opening Letters

April 30, 2009 Issue

You've Never Been There?!

are my entertainment choices out of habit, laziness, or generational differences?

words by Rob Reid
illustration by Ian Kloster

    I  got an all-too-familiar reaction recently when I mentioned that I had yet to patronize The Nucleus Café. “You’ve never been to the Nucleus Café?!?” Yeah, yeah. Over the years, I’ve gotten similar remarks accompanied with stupefied looks along the lines of “you’ve never been to the Gemini Drive-In?!?...The Viennese Ball?!?...Tower Ridge?!?...Hobbs Arena?!?...Action City?!?…The Pickle?!?” No, and I haven’t been to the Mabel Tainter Theater nor the Heyde Center, never went to Country Jam nor Rock Fest nor the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, never fished nor boated on the Chippewa or Eau Claire rivers, and I never climbed to the top of the mound overlooking Elk Mound. I’ve taken advantage of hundreds of other things this region has to offer in my 23 years as an Eau Clarian, but not everything – yet.

    Back to The Nucleus. The key word in my opening statement is “yet.” I have “yet” to visit The Nucleus. I’ve heard their breakfast is wonderful. What can I say? I’m a creature of habit. When I go out to breakfast, I head to Perkins. (I can already hear one saying “Perkins? They’re so corporate.”) I personally think they have the best pancakes in town as well as the best morning wait staff.

    I also occasionally head for some breakfast joints where bib overalls are a fairly common sight. I suppose I’m connecting with my roots a generation removed; a nod to my grandparents. I’ve slipped into a safe groove. Some might say a rut, but I want to know my hard-earned cash is going to produce pleasurable results. With the poor economy, I’m not taking as many risks as I used to. I want to go in knowing what the seating arrangements are, and that I will indeed have a seat (we have our Sunday morning Perkins timing down to the quarter hour that we know we will have to wait for a booth to open up). You know the faces and sometimes they know you. (Cue the Cheers theme song.)

    Am I stuck in a rut? When we habitually go to the same places over and over when there are so many choices from which to choose, is this a bad thing?

Page 1   Page 2  

 

I Like This

Share/Save/Bookmark

Comments (0)

Post a Comment

 

Create an account or login to skip entering your name and email.

Allowed HTML tags: b,i,a[href],strong

Notify me of new comments via e-mail

 

Prove you are human. Type the numbers. Click the image for a new one if you cannot read it. Create an account or login and you will not have to do this.

 
Stories / Most Liked
Back Against the Mall

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010

Back Against the Mall

Comments (1)

Not So Secret Society

Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010

Not So Secret Society

Comments (1)

Writing On Your Own

Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010

Writing On Your Own

Comments (0)

Short and Sweet

Thursday, Aug. 26, 2010

Short and Sweet

Comments (0)

 
You / Reader Comments

I read this story while working at the kiosk I own and operate in the mall,...

Hilary
09/02/10

from article: Back Against the Mall

"Imma let you finish Justin..."

pookums
09/01/10

from article: Bon Iver and Kanye West Now Besties

Nice letter. I think we need to reconsider the lawn. At least at the scal...

coconut
08/27/10

from article: Reader Letters | Aug. 26, 2010

In a way I have heard his before. Freemasonry is not going anywhere an in s...

Bill A.
08/27/10

from article: Not So Secret Society

I love these!

dreenes
08/25/10

from article: Summer Snow

As a lifelong vikings fan, I can tell you that we have a leg up on our pack...

Jizoe
08/23/10

from article: Are Minnesota Teams Cursed?

Actually, Dave, in many Icelandic (ie., cold and dark) cities, they remove ...

juice
08/20/10

from article: Reinventing Barstow Street

Well, Patio Umbrella to you, too, Mr. Spams-a-lot!

MikePaulus
08/19/10

from article: Senior Art Students Fill Foster Gallery

 
 
V1 Insiders

Insider Giveaway:
Treasure hunting at Eclectica

Win a $50 Gift Certificate from Eclectica on Grand