Ames summers: Awesome or totally lame?

Logan Gaedke

Pedestrians and traffic are rerouted at the intersection of Ontario Street and Stange Road on Monday afternoon. 13th Street, becoming Ontario Street, is reduced from four-lane to two-lane divided traffic with the westbound lanes closed for construction. The stoplight at the corner has been converted to a four-way stop for traffic.

Daily Staff
March 31, 2011

Five reasons why Ames in the summer is awesome:

  1. There are no people. Just let that sink in a minute. No lines at the Hub or the MU. No trouble parking anywhere. Going shopping, to the bars or out to eat is a breeze.
  2. If you’re a political junkie, there’s a lot going on. For some reason, people in power like to make big decisions about college towns when most of the student population leaves. Last summer, Lane4 held several public input sessions for thier now-controversial Campustown proposal, and in August 2011 there will be the Ames Straw Poll. 
  3. Hopefully the reason you’re sticking around is because you’ve landed an awesome job. But if you’re still looking, there are definitely opportunities available — most of the competition has left. Try checking with your professors for ideas.
  4. The weather is beautiful. If most of your experience with our award-winning campus happens between August and May, you’re missing out.
  5. There are lots of great opportunities to explore the great outdoors in Ames — bike trails, golf courses and the Furman Aquatic Center, to name a few.
And five reasons why Ames in the summer is totally lame.
  1. There are no people. Let that sink in some more.
  2. Construction, construction, construction, construction and more construction. The city tries to fit all the road work in before students return in the fall.
  3. If you’re not 21, good luck finding anything to do. There are some things going on, but you have to look to find them.
  4. If you do manage to find something to do on the weekends, good luck getting there — CyRide’s moonlight express route doesn’t run in the summer.
  5. You might be tempted to overload your schedule. Getting some classes out of the way while working sounds good in theory, but finishing an entire course in four weeks can be a lot of pressure if you’ve got other things going on. Take it easy, and remember summer should be enjoyed.