By: Justin, Ryan, and Fuzz

Awful Arthur's

Although Blacksburg, Virginia offers many dining options to its college student consumers, not many are as fun or delicious as Awful Arthur’s located on 213 Draper Road. Awful Arthur’s is a seafood chain which has other locations outside of Blacksburg, but the Blacksburg locale is especially convenient for Virginia Tech students. It’s a very nice place, but don’t come here if your style is lace and fingerbowls. Awful Arthur’s promises a good time.
Not only does Awful Arthur’s offer fresh, delicious seafood, but also includes comfortable seating, pool tables, live entertainment, and karaoke. The ambiance is a carefree and fun one. Huge fish tanks throughout the restaurant make you feel like you’re on vacation. The menu is also clever and fun. You may want to sample an “Awful Burger” or even the “Awful Platter” if you’re feeling extra awful.
I enjoyed the Bayou Salmon with Cajun spices and included fresh steamed vegetables and hush puppies. The food was fresh and the spices were not too strong or weak. Others with whom I was dining also said they enjoyed their meals and when asked about it later, one person commented that she liked the atmosphere.
Although Awful Arthur’s can be a place to eat and party, don’t be afraid to bring your family. It’s really a place for everyone. Although not cheap, the entire menu is reasonably priced and the seafood is very fresh. All in all, it’s a good deal.
Service at Awful Arthur’s was good. I, personally, like a waiter or waitress who will talk and joke with you. I like someone to make you feel relaxed and be your buddy. I can’t say that the service at Awful Arthur’s was like this, but it was certainly satisfactory. I wasn’t wowed by the service of our waitress, but was not at all disappointed.
So, you may be thinking, why can’t I just eat at Red Lobster or some other seafood chain. You may think that it’s essentially the same thing. Wrong! Awful Arthur’s offers an experience that you just have to see for yourself. The Blacksburg location only adds to the spirit and fun of Awful Arthurs; something that other places lack. Awful Arthur’s is unique because it has it all. It can be a hangout to chill with your friends and share a few drinks, or it can be a nice place to have a family meal.
Awful Arthur’s is a great place for any number of celebrations. The atmosphere is perfect for a birthday dinner or even a graduation dinner. The best part is really the versatility of the place. It can be whatever you want it to be. Personally, I went there with my parents and roommate for parent’s weekend, so it was a nice sit-down type of meal for us where we could be comfortably seated and relaxed. At the same time, though, there were many students there having dinner together and having a great time. I definitely recommend Awful Arthur’s for any type of event or celebration. If you’re looking for fun, relaxation, and delicious food, then Awful Arthur’s is the place to be.

Sushi Factory

By Peter Nguyen

Virginia Tech is ranked #1 in food service, but it lacks in one crucial area of cuisine: Asian food. At the beginning of the semester, I found myself constantly craving for decent rice. On my first trip to the Math Emporium, I passed by Sushi Factory for the first and I promised myself to eat at that place when I had money.

Walking into the small restaurant, I was greeted by the nice cashier lady and the sushi chef standing behind the counter. The restaurant only had four small tables with only two seats each. The menu, which could be found either outside the entrance or next to the cash register, was a sheet of paper folded in half and listed it’s thirty some options. The interior was very nicely decorated and gave an Asian feel to it. The walls were painted red and black, which matched with the lanterns that hung above the sushi bar. There were a few posters of famous Asian paintings. The bathroom was extremely clean and also well decorated. There was a stand in the corner with bathroom tissues and also a cute poster of instructions on how to wash your hand correctly. The music was complemented with the Asian theme as the songs that were played were in Japanese.

Looking at the menu, I was very surprised at the prices for it was relatively cheap. Normally sushi can go as high as a few dollars a piece of sushi, but at Sushi Factory the prices ranged from $3.00 to $6.00 for 6 pieces.

I ordered six pieces of the eel roll and 6 pieces of the V.I.P roll. I waited sitting on the table while sipping the delicious free tea. The wait for the sushi was only about five minutes long which afterwards I picked up the bag with the food inside a Styrofoam rectangular box, napkins, a pair of wooden chopsticks, a plastic saucer and three bags of soy sauce. The box was neatly decorated as well. There was a decorative piece of plastic colored green and shaped to represent grass. There were pieces of ginger and a chunk of wasabi in the corner.

As a fan of eel, I would have to say that the eel roll at the Sushi Factory was relatively good. The eel was traditionally wrapped on the inside with bits of cucumber and the rice was doused with eel sauce. The combination of the sweetness of the sauce and the saltiness of the eel was perfectly blended and required minimal soy sauce to complement the rice.

The V.I.P roll was a Sushi Factory specialty that contained rice, seaweed, spicy tuna, eel, cream cheese and avocado. The spiciness of the piece was immediately registered onto my tongue, but was followed by the smoothness of the cream cheese and the saltiness of the eel. Overall it was a bit too much at once, but had an interesting combination of flavors.

The Sushi Factory is perfect for the typical college student. He or she can stop by before going to the Math Emporium to treat himself or herself to a small, healthy, and relatively cheap meal. However, as the restaurant interior is limited in size, I would suggest this place as a pick up and eat at home kind of meal.

College Town Restaurant

Have you ever gone to a college town to find the perfect restaurant? Look no further, Macado’s is the place to be. This restaurant is located across from the University Mall and the Math Emporium, so if you’re having a bad day because you had to face the Math Emporium; go to Macado’s for lunch. With its unsystematic décor, to welcoming waiters, and good food, Macado’s is never a disappointment.

Macado’s menu is unlike any other restaurant because it is a long list of any kind of sandwich and other snack type foods. On their menu, there are so many sandwiches to choose from; any sandwich you can think of is on the menu. I tried the Coney Island, which was ham, bacon, and melted cheese with mayonnaise on rye, fries, and a pickle. My meal was very good and it was the perfect temperature. The Coney Island with the fries and pickle was a lot of food for me, but it was good because I had leftover food for the next day.

The service at Macado’s was very good. The waiter was very informed about the different foods when questions were asked. He was very patient when my friends and I needed more time to look at the long menu when we were deciding what to eat. He was very quick with bringing out the food and drinks. The waiter was quick with a response to bringing out more drinks and the check. He was very helpful and made Macado’s a friendly place to eat.

Macado’s is a college town restaurant. The decorations range from life-size dolls of Superman, Batman, to pictures of themed nights that took place, and framed tee-shirts with different things on them. Customers eating at Macado’s would never get bored because there were many different things to look at while you were eating or talking. They even had a big screen TV where they had a basketball game playing on it. Macado’s was decorated in random items people could think of, but it was enjoyable to look at. In the restaurant, other customers were also fascinated by the décor of Macado’s because it was very unique. Macado’s was very welcoming and clean which is appealing because it makes customers enjoy their dining experience and make them want to go back there to eat.

After dining at Macado’s, I would rate it very high compared to other restaurants because of the uncharacteristic décor, welcoming service, and great food. If someone is looking for a good sandwich place, Macado’s is the place to go because they served any kind of sandwich you can think of. It might not be the best place for birthday’s because it is not a fancy restaurant. It is a casual dining place where people can go out to eat with friends. A reservation might be necessary for Macado’s because it is a very busy restaurant filled with families and college students going out to eat. Macado’s is a wonderful place to eat because it is filled with good workers, excellent food, and a comforting place to dine.

-Sara DeHart

The Southern Oven

The Southern Oven

The restaurant I visited is called the Southern Oven. It opened just two months ago, the same week as parents weekend, and it welcomes any guest seeking to experience great food and a homey atmosphere. It is located on 221 Progress St. behind the Wachovia Bank here in Blacksburg. Any student who wants to eat hearty and eat right, should definitely make the walk to Southern Oven.
The moment we entered the restaurant, we could tell there was a home-style theme. The tables were all wooden and placed in just the right spaces so that everyone could see the huge sixty inch TVs that were set up in almost every room. The walls were covered in beautiful sketches and paintings of old farm houses. The Southern Oven draws a group together and makes you feel like family. We were guided to our table and our waiter was already there waiting for us. He was extremely friendly and explained that the goal of the restaurant was to make you feel at home while eating great food. After the brief introduction, we ordered our meal. The meal is designed differently at Southern Oven because the restaurant is all you can eat but is served family-style, meaning that as a group, you choose an assortment of main and side dishes and they are brought out on platters and in large serving bowls. This style could be potentially problematic because, as a group, there must be some consensus about what to order. Our group of six, however, had little trouble and agreed upon the fried chicken and roast beef for our meats and mashed potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, and macaroni and cheese as our sides. Additionally, the meal was set up in was set up in a four course fashion.
The first course was an appetizer of chicken noodle soup. This was not any ordinary chicken noodle soup. It came out to us steaming and filled the air with its aroma. This soup was home-style; thick, tender, delicious chunks of chicken, carrots, celery, and noodles that were all cooked just right, causing flavor to burst from every bite. The soup was complimented nicely by the first of many baskets of fresh cornbread muffins.
The next part of the meal was salad and, as salads go, I would rate it an eight out of ten. It consisted of the normal vegetables, ice-burg lettuce, carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and olives. All the vegetables were fresh and it was brought out only after everyone had finished their soup. The waiter was extremely adamant in making sure we had everything we needed.
After our salads, we moved on to the main part of the meal. They were brought out one by one in generous portions. The mashed potatoes and corn were still steaming when they reached the table. The macaroni and cheese was a creamy yellow with a crusted parmesan top. The beans and corn were average and didn’t come with any butter on top. Although somewhat unimpressive in presentation, it was nice to see good vegetables at the table just like mom would want.
The meats came shortly after and looked delicious. The roast beef and fried chicken consumed the room with their mouthwatering aroma. We wasted no time dividing out servings, passing the dishes, and digging in. The mashed potatoes were some of the best I have ever had. They had a dense consistency with a buttery taste. The macaroni was creamy but also had the crunch of the crusted parmesan. The beans and corn were surprisingly flavorful in contrast to the bland presentation. Then came the meats. The first batch of fried chicken was amazing. The batter was not too greasy and the chicken inside was tender and juicy. The all-you-can-eat style, inevitably led to us ordering a second batch. While the first batch was great, the second was a little bit too greasy, which displayed potential inconsistency in the cooking. The roast beef was the pinnacle of perfection. Both batches had all the right flavors and were juicy and tender.
When we had finished our fill of the main dishes we moved on to dessert. This consisted of a peach cobbler that was no less than a ten out of ten. The warm cobbler was topped with chilled whipped cream.
The waiter had done his job flawlessly and made sure we had everything we needed. Drinks and the check arrived promptly when asked for. We left Southern Oven with a new appreciation for home-style cooking and the content feeling of a full belly.

The Pick-Up Artist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOs1Hr_icmQ

Dan Riess, Sara Dehart, Kathleen Dwyer

Virginia Tech: Campus Safety Awareness

By Jon Follmer, Chris Hoang, Daniel Kim & Griffin McDonald

Missing Virginia Tech Jersey

http://youtube.com/watch?v=DS8o0LDFlEQ

The Cellar

Despite its name, The Cellar is not dank nor is it below ground to any degree. Located just down the street from Squires The Cellar is conveniently located for Virginia Tech students.

The Cellar predominantly serves Italian food, and speaking as someone who loves Italian food and eats is quite often back home, they make it very well. They also serve subs, which I have yet to try, but I’m willing to bet I will before the end of the school year. I had the chicken parmesan as my meal, and it was very good. The chicken is coated with a layer of parmesan, and placed in the center of a pile of pasta. The pasta was covered with a very tasty marinara sauce and combined with the chicken and parmesan was heavenly. I was given quite a bit of food for the price, I’m a big guy and I wasn’t able to finish everything on my plate. The leftovers were able to make an entire separate meal on their own. In my previous visits to The Cellar I had ordered their pizza, which I will also highly recommend.

The service was very good, I went to the restaurant with two friends and we all had our drinks refilled constantly. The waitress did not seem fazed by the request for separate checks, which I have often found gets you a dirty look from staff at restaurants. My friends and I all agreed the service was excellent.

The inside of The Cellar is dimly lit with ceiling fan lights, creating an nice shadow effect on the walls that I enjoyed and thought was very nice for creating an atmosphere. However, my two friends said that it slightly bothered them, so it may be personal preference. The walls are covered with various items, such as newspaper articles about the restaurant and things like old wooden beams. There was one article next to the table I sat at that explained the history of the restaurant, which I found very interesting. The Cellar is over 80 years old, being founded by an Italian couple that had just immigrated to the US in the 1920’s. There was also a band playing in one corner, and when I say band I mean it loosely, as it mainly looked liked some guys having a good time. They played pretty decently, and I and my friends loved it, as it greatly added to the experience. I forgot to ask if this was an every night occurrence, but I did find out that anyone can sign up and play with the band on Tuesdays.

All in all, I thought The Cellar looked like a fun place to eat, especially if you have a group of friends. I don’t know how much fun it would be there to eat alone, but I have rarely found a place that I believe caters so well to groups of friends. I give The Cellar a nine out of ten.

Chinese Kitchen

Daniel Kim

For my restaurant review I went to a restaurant called “Chinese Kitchen”. I love Chinese food so my couple friends and I decided to go there. Chinese Kitchen is located in N. Main Street, Blacksburg. The location is very easily accessible to Virginia Tech Students. The distance by car is almost 5 to 10 minutes. As I walked into the restaurant, the place wasn’t as big, it was a small family owned restaurant.

The dishes I tried were Beef Lo Mein (Chinese noodles with chunks of beef and vegetables), Fried Rice, Sweet & Sour Pork, General Tso Chicken and Wonton Soup. The Beef Lo Mein was my favorite dish because it had the biggest portion. Also it tasted very delicious. The flavor of the Sweet & Sour Pork was very different. The pork was very tender and with the addition of the sweet and sour sauce made it all the better. For General Tso chicken, it was very sweet and spicy at the same time. I love spicy food so this was good choice for me. the presentation of the food isn’t as fancy as some other luxurious restaurants, but the quantity of the food was a lot. The food definitely arrived hot and steamy. The portions were way bigger than enough, so be prepared to go when your hungry.

The service was very nice and sweet. The waiter is actually the person that takes all the orders and stands behind the counter. So you would go to the counter and order your food and then go sit down. The waiter will bring the food to you, so there were no complications with the service. For the beverage, you would have to go get your own water, because it was “self-service”, other than that the service itself was very fast and crisp. After you finish your meal you go up to the counter and pay for your meal.

The restaurant was clean; I found no problems dealing with dirtiness from the restaurant. There weren’t any decorations except for two giant frames that are pictures of some buildings in Hong Kong. There weren’t many customers in the restaurants because many people order “take-out”. So only a couple people were there when I went. The music wasn’t loud, and the whole atmosphere was very comfortable. It was a good place to just enjoy your meal quietly without much distraction.

Chinese Kitchen was definitely better than what I heard from other people. The food was great with big portions and the price was cheap. Most of the dishes ranged in the prices from $3.00-$10.00, it was a good deal. I wouldn’t celebrate my birthday there though, because of the limited space the restaurant has.

The Experiment of Trying Something New

Every college student needs a good meal before heading off to Lane Stadium on game day. The place to go would easily be PK’s. Located on Main Street, just across from Alumni Mall, it is an easy walk from campus. Even if it was not within walking distance, it would still be worth taking the trip.

Usually, going to a restaurant with a large group of people is a nightmare. However, this excursion to PK’s was a pleasant experience. Within a few minutes of arriving, they had a table ready to accommodate our large group of eight.

The first thing I noticed as I walked through the front door was the gratuitous numbers of televisions. I later found out that they have twenty-two televisions which includes two big screen televisions. There was always a television in view no matter where I was seated in the dining area. This means that anyone can see a sports game that is on one of the many televisions.

When ordering, I thought of my brother’s suggestion of getting the California Pizza. This is not something I would usually eat because of the fact that I do not like artichoke or spinach. He had highly recommended the California pizza to me so I took his suggestion. Surprisingly, the pizza was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone’s food came to us as if it had just come out of the oven. Usually I expect pizza to be greasy like the common fast food restaurants like Pizza Hut. This was not the case at PK’s. I noticed that this pizza was not greasy when I didn’t need a napkin to wipe the grease off my face. This was amazing to me because my parents usually bug me about using a napkin when I eat pizza.

Sometimes, when faced with a large group of college students, a waitress will be less attentive because they expect the tip to be low anyways. To my surprise, our waitress was attentive and on the top of her game. She would regularly come to our table to ask how everything was and if we needed anything. The cups on the table never became empty. At the first sign of anyone’s drink becoming low, she would quickly, and even a few times stealthily, refill our drinks.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the service and quality of the food at PK’s. The friendly Virginia Tech atmosphere was definitely pleasant and comforting, our waitress was polite and always quick to serve us, and the food was absolutely delicious. I would like to go back to PK’s soon and I recommend that everyone else give PK’s a try. You will enjoy your visit and want to go again soon.

-Justin Shevock

The Sweet Taste of Revenge

Recently a few friends and I wanted to watch the ACC championship while eating a nice lunch. Buffalo Wild Wings was jam packed so we chose the restaurant right beside it, Boston Beanery. Now I know it seemed sacrilegious to be eating in a restaurant that had the same name as our opponent in Jacksonville but nevertheless we ate there.

Entering Boston Beanery the first thing noticed is the scenery. As it is the Christmas season, wreaths decorated the very clean interior. The server noticed my friends and I had Tech paraphernalia on and made sure we were seated near one of many TV’s. Not soon after being seated the waitress came to take our drink and appetizer orders. The atmosphere around us came across very positive. The other customers were not obnoxious but when Tech did something good on TV, the entire restaurant erupted with cheers and applause.

The waitress brought everything at the perfect time. When a drink became empty, she swooped down to snatch it and quickly refill. The food also arrived relatively fast. I started with a lobster bisque soup. The soup came at the perfect temperature, not too hot but not semi warm. The chef made the bisque with cooking sherry giving it an excellent taste you rarely have except in fancy restaurants. All three of my friends and I had a burger of some type for lunch. Mine was a barbeque chicken burger while someone else had the prime rib burger and the others had pub burgers; a Boston Beanery specialty. All the burgers came with fries and a pickle spear but you better bring your bib because these bad boys are messy.

When we were done our bills came when needed and the waitress thanked us for coming. The restaurant was better than others like it and a good deal. I would compare Boston Beanery to an Applebee’s or TGI Friday’s. Including the soup my meal came under 15 bucks which is good on the pockets of any college student. Also, the building is spacious and large groups are welcome but it would be a good idea to reserve seats in that situation; otherwise just walk right in.

So if every you are in need of reminiscing about our triumph over BC, take a walk to the Beanery. It is closer than Massachusetts just near the architecture studio and well worth the walk.
-Scott Webster

The best fish taco’s you’ve ever had!

What does a Virginia Tech student do when they have a craving for seafood and Mexican cuisine? It’s not every day that you hear about a fish taco restaurant on the east coast, but finding one that’s exceptional makes the experience quite a treat. Cabo Fish Taco is a restaurant one won’t soon forget with intriguing Baja-inspired, flavor-packed dishes and an interesting atmosphere.

The food at Cabo Fish Taco was well above Par and some of the best food I’ve had during my time here in Blacksburg. On my trip I ordered the classic Cabo Fish Taco with a side of the Jalapeño Mashers, it was everything I could have hoped for in a fish taco dish. Everything on the plate was cooked to perfection and tasted better than most Baja/Mexican dishes that I’ve had, and I’ve had quite a few in my day. The dish was presented in a majestic manner, everything in proper sized proportions, arriving freshly prepared. I left Cabo Fish Taco with my stomach full, but my hunger for Fish Taco’s had just began raging.

The staff at Cabo Fish Taco was more than friendly. My server was always punctual in asking us if we needed anything, but not asking too often and running over every few minutes. She quickly delivered our drinks, the food and the check when they were asked for and she seemed very informed about the dishes. I had no clue what side to order until she suggested the jalapeño mashers, a mashed potato dish with jalapeños and cheese, stating that it was her personal favorite.

I was initially surprised when I walked into Cabo, thinking it would be a hole in the wall restaurant that was little more than an eyesore but found quite the contrary. Cabo was modeled to look like an old cantina and had a very fun atmosphere with Reggae songs playing off in the distance and interesting seating arrangements. The restaurant was surprisingly clean for being modeled off of a dirty building and had a good variety of people not only eating in the restaurant but working in it as well. Cabo Fish Taco’s bar seems to be a big element in the restaurant, but I cannot write about it as I am not of legal drinking age and could not have ordered any alcoholic beverages.

Cabo Fish Taco couldn’t be located in a more convenient spot for Virginia Tech students to walk to and enjoy. Cabo is located on Main Street across the street from Subway and the Tech Bookstore, which is straight down Washington Street and on the left from campus. The seating inside is ideal for any number of people as there is a variety of seating arrangements, but the restaurant seems less than ideal for a birthday party unless the group going was over 21. The only drawback I felt that Cabo had was that you cannot make reservations, but that seems a small price to pay for everything that the restaurant has to offer. Cabo Fish Taco is the ideal place to eat in Blacksburg for any occasion and is without a doubt one of the best restaurants in town.

-Dan

Souvalki’s: Blacksburg’s Best Greek Food

Are you tired of eating at D2 and West End Market? Are you looking to eat something other than delivery pizza when the dining halls are closed? Head on over to Souvalki’s, Blacksburg’s best Greek restaurant in town.

Located at 201 College Avenue, Souvalki’s is just off of Main Street, and is a short walk campus. If you are headed from campus, walk towards the main entrance of Newman Library, and continue walking past Squires Student Center. At the corner of Otey Street and College Avenue, get on the right sidewalk of College Avenue and walk for another 2 minutes. Souvalki’s will be right past Jimmy John’s.

Depending on what time you go to Souvalki’s, your service may vary. On the wall behind the cash register, a poster hangs, saying “No complaining about the service – there is none.” However, coming both times in the mid-afternoon, I found this statement to be untrue. Upon entering, we were immediately greeted and asked if were ready to order. We were not, and given the availability of open tables, we were able to look over the menu for a few minutes. We then had a waitress come and take our orders, something that apparently does not happen during busy times.

If you plan on coming during the main lunch and dinner ‘rushes,’ plan to order at the cash register. There are only about eight tables, each seating two people, so plan ahead if you would like a table. However, there is also a bar, with about 10 stools for seating.

Within ordering, the food came out in five minutes, a definite plus for Souvalki’s. Not only was it fast, but it was delicious – and very hot. Souvalki’s offers a variety of Greek food, such as Greek salads, gyros and other pita wraps, and best of all, Baklava.

I had a combo, which is short for a combination of both a gyro and souvalki. It had pork tenderloin and other meats and spices, along with tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and cucumber sauce wrapped inside a pita. Not being the ‘exotic’ food lover that I am, I was surprised to like the combo.

With food this good, I was expecting a high price, but I was wrong. My total for the wrap and fountain soda was only $5.29, a steal for all college students. In fact, the most expensive thing on their menu is a sixteen inch Philly Cheese Steak sub, costing $7.25. A note to newbie’s: upon receiving your food, you also receive your bill, which you pay at the cash register (not waiting around for the waitress to come back like I did the first time).

Overall, Souvalki’s is a place not to miss while living in Blacksburg. With good, cheap food, what more could a college kid want?

Tossing the Rules Away at Logan’s

Tired of your same old boring restaurants where proper etiquette ruins your night? Why not venture off to a place where you can chuck your peanut shells right on the floor? If you travel to Roanoke and eat at Logan’s Roadhouse, a restaurant located on the outskirts of Roanoke’s Valley View Mall, you can ‘toss’ all the rules away while eating.

A roadhouse is an inn or restaurant on a city’s limits serving food or liquor, and dancing. While dancing is acceptable, because of limited space, the neon jukebox of red, orange and yellow will only provide adequate beats for dinner.

Two foot steps into this place and you will recognizes why Logan’s Roadhouse is a must stop. Logan’s is a place providing big wooden barrels filled to the rim with peanuts, no limit on peanut consumption, and shells all over the floor. This almost makes you feel young again, just tossing the shells on the floor for someone else to clean up. Everyone remembers throwing crumbs on the ground in the toddler years; why not relive the glory days?

After getting passed the landmines of peanut shells, you are seated and you can’t help but smell the warm buttered rolls passing you by. Filling yourself up on peanuts while waiting in line only leads to an endless supply of rolls, dripping with butter, baked fresh every fifteen minutes. Unfortunately after you are already full, you’re compelled to make a decision about your meal .

At this typical roadhouse, ribs, hamburgers, and steaks are merely the tip of the iceberg. The meats are moist and flavorful, the vegetables are crisp and full of seasoning, and the sides do not fail to please the mouth. Whether you’re a salad eater to a carnivore, Logan’s has it all.

Service is an ‘A+,’ unless it’s a typical weekend. The two busiest days of the restaurant week, Friday and Saturday, wreak havoc on this popular place. Unless you like waiting in a line for over an hour, calling ahead for a reservation is essential on a weekend.

However, the servers don’t let a busy night slow them down. Refills on bread and drinks come just as quickly as you finish them. The amount of bread and peanuts unfortunately is a cover-up for the service of the food. No matter how many cooks they have preparing food, a delay is almost certain.
Slow food service is the price that is paid for high quality food. “Grilling to perfection” is a motto Logan’s takes seriously. The wait for food is long but your taste buds won’t regret a minute of it after you bite into your meal. If you don’t mind waiting an extra fifteen minutes to twenty minutes to get your scrumptious food, Logan’s is the place for you.

A quick trip down interstate 81 to Roanoke and you can be living like a kid again. Throwing the rules on the floor along with your peanut shells, takes you back to the glory days of being young. If you are planning this trip on a Friday or Saturday be sure to call (540)-265-7055 to request a reservation just to be safe. Logan’s Roadhouse is the perfect place to relax, listen to country music, and stuff your stomach until you explode.

Gillies Provides A New Flavor Of Blacksburg

Having slept through breakfast for years I finally gave the meal a chance. A few friends joined me to eat at Gillies, a vegetarian restaurant in downtown Blacksburg rumored to have delicious breakfasts. We thankfully walked to Gillies because parking along College Avenue is definitely anything but favorable or easy. Luckily, it's within walking distance of campus.
Once we entered the restaurant, we realized our meals would be anything but ordinary. Gillies is decorated in a hippie-Bohemian mixed style. The ambiance was calming and relaxed with similar music that blended into the background so it wasn't too intruding. The atmosphere remained laid back, and apparently the cleaning service did too. Gillies, at a glance, seems fairly well kept, but crumbs on the table and floor did not go unnoticed by me or my friends.
We were seated quickly due to everyone tailgating for the game that day; the place was somewhat deserted. Our waitress accommodated us happily, but it seemed no one gave her a dress code. The servers dressed in slightly grungy, very dirty clothing. There were stains all over the waitress's and cashier's aprons which made the workers appear very unclean. Our server was very helpful and pleasant, but she took her time when delivering our drinks and food. Also, she placed our bill on the table soon after we began eating which made us feel rushed to finish.
Luckily, the food made up for the mediocre service and ambiance. I ordered French toast, a simple, common meal. I figured you can't go wrong with French toast, and I'm happy to say Gillies did provide me with fluffy, moist French toast. The toast came with whipped cream and strawberries on top, but the customer has other options in that area. However, the waitress didn't bring out any syrup for the toast, and she didn't check on us so I ate the dish slightly unsatisfied. The French toast did come out very warm and fresh. I definitely enjoyed the meal; it was full of flavor and the strawberries were some of the best I've ever tasted.
I queried my company asking what they thought of their meals. They all had ordered a plethora of dishes all with unusual names. Only one friend seemed to have a problem with his meal, but this was only for the fact that he didn't realize the restaurant was vegetarian, and he had wanted meat. Everyone else seemed to thoroughly enjoy their meals commenting on the unique flavors and combinations of the various dishes.
Overall, I would recommend Gillies to someone who wants some hearty, vegetarian meals and doesn't mind mediocre service. The restaurant is definitely in a great location for walkers and is very intriguing to customers walking by on the street. With reasonable prices, Gillies has definitely become a well-rounded, pleasing restaurant.

Applebee's Review

I would give the Applebee’s in Christiansburg a 7.5 out of 10 for an overall good experience. It was about a 10 minute drive from campus, making it easily accessible to students here at Virginia Tech. I went to Applebee’s with my roommate Keith and his girlfriend Laurie. We arrived before the dinner rush and were seated immediately at a table in the bar area rather than a booth because the size of our party.

Applebee’s was very clean, but I think that was due to the fact we arrived there before the dinner rush. The dining area is decorated with pictures and items from all eras and locations across the nation. Some items include sports pictures, old sports equipment, and pictures of famous people. I don’t think there was any open wall space. All of the decorations made great conversation pieces and definitely made the restaurant more appealing. The menu is very easy to read and it includes concise descriptions of the food with many mouthwatering pictures, and neatly organized text. I ordered the Southwest Chicken Fajita Wrap, but was disappointed because by the time my dish was put on the table it had already cooled off. All of the food my party ordered must have taken longer to prepare, which probably left my food sitting under one of those warming lights or on a kitchen counter somewhere. In my opinion, the cook should have accounted for the time differences in his preparations and made my dish after everyone else’s was in the oven.

I was a little disappointed by that, but our waitress was extremely nice and attentive. She got us several refills and brought Keith and Laurie’s appetizers out very quickly. Then, the main dishes came. My Southwest Chicken Fajita Wrap tasted fine, but it would have been much better warm. The flavor was great because the chicken was grilled so tenderly and the chipotle dressing mixed in the wrap compliment the chicken perfectly. I also wished the wrap had been a bit bigger because it did not leave me full when I was done eating. The rest of my party ordered deserts, but since I was not in the mood for dessert I just sat and waited for them to finish. It took almost 10 minutes for the waitress to bring out their brownie sundaes. The reason she gave us was that they had to bake the brownies fresh because they had no more ready to go in the back.

It’s a great family restaurant and is perfect for parties because they have a few large booths in the corners of the restaurant. My dinner was a decent value for the price I paid, but I would have been willing to pay a little more if the wrap was larger and had more filling inside. I have been to several other Applebee’s and they are all decorated with the same memorabilia and use the same menus. I have ordered different dishes each time and they have all been good. I would recommend he Applebee’s restaurant chain to anyone here on campus and when I get some extra money I would go back and try another one of their “All American” dishes.

By: Jonathan Follmer

Restaurant Review: Backstreet’s Pizza and Restaurant

When you leave Backstreet’s Pizza and Restaurant do not forget to ask your waiter for a “to go” box. This is because at Backstreet’s Pizza they are not only concerned with quality, but also quantity. It all started when my friends and I came for our first visit to Virginia Tech. We were starving after a four hour drive from home to visit the campus, and my friends and I decided to try the first restaurant that caught our eyes; Backstreet’s Pizza. The restaurant is located at the corner of Washington Street and Main Street, making it very accessible to Virginia Tech students, only about five minutes walk from campus. As you walk in the door, the first thing you notice is Backstreet’s authentic Italian atmosphere, even down to the classical Italian music playing in the background. You also notice, and immediately appreciate, the cleanliness of the restaurant, as the hostess sits you in your booth. The service is friendly and knowledgeable. Even though we did only order a pizza, the waitress knew what went into all of the dishes, and how they were served. The pizzas arrived in no time at all and we immediately knew that we had made a wise decision. The pizzas were obviously freshly made, as it was difficult to even cut a slice off and not surrender your cheese to the next piece. The waitress frequently checked back refilling our drinks and making sure everything was alright. After we had finished all that we could of the pizza, she brought us our bill, and put the pizza in a “to go” box for us, yet another thing that sets Backstreet’s apart from the other local Italian restaurants. I have been back to visit Backstreet’s many times and have never had to wait for a table. For this reason, there is no need to make reservations if you plan on dining in. Backstreet’s would also be a perfect place to bring a large group because they have multiple rooms for hosting large parties. If you are ever in the mood for great Italian dishes I recommend you try Backstreet’s Pizza and Restaurant.

Five Guys Burgers and....Peanuts?

My parents were here a few weekends back. Because my hometown is Annapolis, Maryland, I haven’t been home yet this semester. They decided to visit on the first weekend of October. So two of my brothers (I have three) and my two parents drove the five hours (plus another two due to traffic in Washington) to visit for a few days. Their visit proved to be enjoyable, especially since they offered to take my roommate and me out to eat.

I am sure that you can sympathize. Most of us are poor, college students. We might make a little money here and there, but that ends up going toward our college fund or our car repairs. So the opportunity to eat off campus rarely presents itself simply because we don’t feel like spending our money to eat off campus when dad could be paying for you to eat in Owens.

If however, you do decide to venture off campus, I highly recommend “Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries.” This chain restaurant is located right across the street from the University Mall, at 880 University City Blvd. The restaurant is tucked away in a small strip mall, but my younger brother was able to note the location immediately. You should not have any trouble.

If at first you are not impressed, that is okay. When you walk in, you are greeted by cement floors, a typical counter, and the smell of burgers. Usually, the smell is all that I need to tell a quality establishment, but for your sake I will continue. Do not be dismayed by the peanut shells that seem to be ever present on the floor: that is why they have a cement floor. An open box of fresh peanuts extends a warm welcome and bids you try them while you wait for your food.

The menu simplifies reality: how would you like your burger? Hot dogs are also available, but who is going to order a hotdog at a place called “Five Guys Burgers and Fries?” You can get a burger with cheese or with bacon, or without meat. (Impossible? Obviously not.)

The next question is then: how would you like your fries? “My fries?” you might ask, “Are these fries any different from normal?” You can order regular fries, but you can also order Cajun flavored fries. These fries are deliciously seasoned with the perfect amount of Cajun seasoning. As if that was not enough, they have also decided to make Malt vinegar available for flavoring your fries further. This equals the ultimate winner in my book. I am a sucker for vinegar and fries. (Really, it’s not disgusting. Try it sometime.)

In conclusion, our meal was quite enjoyable. The food was ready in less than ten minutes, and the price was about $5-6 per person including fries. Soda is also available, but who drinks soda when you can drink free water? (Perhaps my dad still holds to some college principles of spending.) If you can force yourself past the unadorned floors and inviting peanuts, you will enjoy your meal better than any other burger joint in Blacksburg. You think not? Well, tell me where else I can get vinegar on my fries, because I sure can’t at West End.

Restaurant Review

Restaurant Review
Who doesn’t like fresh baked cookies? And who doesn’t like to create your own cookie combination? The answer is nobody. This is the logic behind Crumb & Get It Cookie Co. located in downtown Blacksburg. Owners Chris and Kelly McMurray took the idea of giving customers choices in ingredients and mixed it with their love for cookies. The process is simple, customers start by choosing their dough and mix-in’s, and follow with cooking them after they are ordered. This not only gives the customers a choice in their cookie, but also a fresh baked cookie.
Customers choose from doughs such as sugar shortbread, oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate. Followed by their choice of mix-in’s that include milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, andes mint chips, caramel chips, walnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, m&m’s, peanut butter m&m’s, heath bar pieces, hershey kisses, snickers pieces, crushed oreo’s, peanut butter cup pieces, butterfinger pieces, raisins, craisins, sprinkles, marshmallows, and coconut.
Cookies generally take about fifteen minutes to bake, and come with milk or other drink options when a customer orders the entrees. Entrees start at three cookies, but many other portions are available. Customers can get portions that range from three cookies to multiples of fifty cookies for party trays. Customers are allowed to choose one mix-in, but they can add more for $0.50 per extra mix-in. Customers can also get their cookies topped with icing for the same price.
Some “cookie creation faves” are listed on the menu. These concoctions include “candy dandy” which incorporates sugar cookie dough with m&m’s mixed in, “PB bombs” which is peanut butter dough with peanut butter cups mixed in the dough, and “chooey gooey chocolate” which starts with chocolate dough and has dark chocolate chips as well. These are just a few of the many favorites listed.
The dining room at Crumb & Get It Cookie Co. is a relaxing environment playing quiet music, and is filled with the sweet smell of the fresh baked cookies. The dining room is equipped with bars that allow single customers to dine, but also contains tables large enough for nearly twenty customers to sit together. Each table is also equipped with a stack of cards called “table topic cards” that contain questions that are thought provoking and easily start conversation. Some examples of questions are, “Would you be likely to survive alone in the wilderness?” and “Who do you think is the most important person alive today?” The dining room was well cleaned, and provided the customer a clean and friendly environment to enjoy their dish in.
The restaurant is located in Kent square on main street in the same complex as Starbucks coffee. It is not in the most easily seen location, but there are signs which will direct customers to the establishment. The restaurant is around the back side of the complex on the lowest floor. Even though it is not visible from main street, Crumb & Get It Cookie Co. is well worth the extra walk around the building to get to. I would recommend the restaurant to anyone who enjoys fresh baked cookies with friends or alone. It served the best cookies I have ever had the joy of tasting.

Down Home Cooking

The wonderful down-home food at the Homeplace in Catawba is well worth the thirty minute drive from Blacksburg. After you eat here you will be addicted to its charm, southern hospitality, and of course the food.

Nestled in the Catawba valley, the restaurant used to be a family home that was built in the late 1800’s by the Morgan family. When the Catawba Sanatorium, a hospital originally opened for TB patients, opened the family started renting out some of the nine bedrooms and serving meals to local teachers and patient’s families.

After some additions to seat more people, it was converted into the restaurant it is today in the 1980’s by Harold Wingate who still runs the place with the help of his son. The house sits on top of a small hill overlooking a pound and farm. The views from the restaurant are breath taking, especially in the fall when the leaves on the surrounding mountains are changing colors.
Homeplace also sits along the Appalachian Trail. Because of its location on the trail, you will often see hikers in the restaurant. However, the restaurant reserves the right not to serve someone due to their personal hygiene.

Be prepared for the possibility of a long wait, especially on Sundays during the church rush. If you think there may be a long wait, you can call ahead and get your name put on the waiting list. But a long wait might not be as bad as you think. You can pass the time sitting on the wraparound porch or if it’s cold outside you can stay warm by the fireplace.
The Homeplace can seat about two hundred patrons at a time. Usually they serve around 2,500 a week.

Now for the best part, the food. You only have two options when you eat there, ham or roast beef, or you can get both. You might think a restaurant with only two options is strange, but after you eat at the Homeplace you will understand. You also get fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, baked apples, pinto beans, and biscuits. The meal is served family-style with unlimited refills. Also included in the price, $13 dollars for adults, is your drink and cobbler.

Many people do not know it, but you can also get food to go from the Homeplace. All you have to do is call ahead and let them know what you want to pick up. The price of takeout is considerably cheaper than eating in the restaurant.

The Homeplace is a great place for Virginia Tech students to eat if they are homesick. The atmosphere will quickly remind you of eating at home with your family. I am sure that once you eat there, you will be hooked and will make frequent trips to the Catawba Valley.

It's Dinner and a Show--One Night, One Place

Kabuki’s Japanese Steak House in Christiansburg, Virginia is more than just a restaurant, it is a show. This steak house is designed for a night out on the town with family or friends giving all who enter an opportunity to experience a new way to eat. This unique restaurant is perfectly designed for groups with up to ten people celebrating anything from an anniversary to the fact that it is Friday night.

I dined at Kabuki’s on a Saturday night after a Virginia Tech football game. The restaurant was busy, but luckily and we had reservations and we did not have to wait.

At Kabuki’s, your party is seated around a large grill, where you soon find out that is where all your food is prepared, made exactly how you want it to be fixed. The waiter first got drink orders then took down the entrée order—what meat or combination you would like for dinner. I chose the filet mignon and teriyaki chicken combination. Promptly, they bring out the first course, a chicken broth soup. The soup is visually appealing because it is presented in a little bowl with an abnormal spoon, making it fun to eat.

A minute or two after the soup comes out, they proceed to bring out the salad that comes with the meal. This also is served in a small bowl, trying not to fill you up too much before the real meal comes. I got the sesame house dressing as my dressing, and I highly recommend this dressing—it is not too sweet, but still sweet with a hint of sesame.

After you finish with your soup and salad, the show begins. The chef comes out with a tray of ingredients and fills small dishes with different sauces to dip the vegetables and meats in. The chef then proceeds to do a show with his utensils. Our chef dropped his utensils a couple times and was not as interactive as some I saw, but his entertaining skills were still very impressive.

He began the grilling by making a smiley face with oil to cook the vegetables and rice. The rice cooks throughout most of the meal, being infused with flavor and warmth. Along with the vegetables, the chef cooked shrimp, which everyone received a small portion of, even if you did not order shrimp with your meal. The vegetables were finished cooking, and were served hot off the grill to our plates.

While we were eating our vegetables and rice, the chef had kept a couple pieces of shrimp aside, letting them cool off. I was curious about those few pieces of shrimp and what he was going to do with those. My curiosity was soon satisfied. Using his utensils, he tossed the food to the hungry observers, who attempted to catch the flying shrimp in their mouths. Only two out of the ten people at the table caught the shrimp, but it was very amusing and helped the guest-chef interaction.

Next came the main part of the meal—the meat. After the meat finished cooking the show was over. The chef wiped up the grill and departed from his work station to entertain another group.
The filet mignon and the chicken were both very tender and burst with indescribable flavor. This was by far the best part of the meal. Unfortunately, if you have eaten all your vegetables and rice served to you, you may be satiated by the time the meat comes, but it is so delicious that you would be crazy not to eat it.

Throughout the meal, the waiter was very attentive to our needs, refilling drinks when necessary, and making sure we did not need anything else. Also, as the courses progresses, the old dishes were cleared quickly and neatly.

Kabuki’s is a very nice restaurant to go to if you want a show with your dinner. The interior of the restaurant is visually appealing. The ceiling has stars painted on it and there is Japanese memorabilia that decorate the foyer. The atmosphere of the restaurant was an experience within itself.

For Virginia Tech students, the restaurant is only about ten minutes away from campus, but you will need a vehicle to get there. Also, Hokie Passports are accepted there, but it is a little expensive due to copious amounts of food you are given, but the little trip and the big bill is well worth it!

Volleyball Athlete Leaves a Mark

“Bump!” An experienced player plays the volleyball off his forearms and passes the ball to a teammate.

“Set!” The next player in line attempts to get under the ball to shoot the ball as straight into the air as possible to set up for the killer blow.

“Spike!” The final touch completes the sequence of hits. This hit is meant to impart as much downward force as possible. If successful, a spike is incredibly difficult to return and frequently results in a point for the team that spiked the ball.

Such was the life of Justin Shevock. Although accomplished in many areas of life, Justin’s passion lies with the sport of volleyball.

Justin was born on May 7, 1989 in Virginia Beach, VA to Debbie and George Shevock. His older brother, Bryan, acted as a role model to Justin despite a significant age difference of almost 6 years. The Shevock family has lived in the same house all of Justin’s life. He particularly remembers a playground right outside his backyard. Though the neighborhood was medium sized, Justin has fond memories of having fun all over the neighborhood.

Justin describes his parents as almost opposites. “My mom was more strict, like an overseer. She was always asking, ‘Is your homework done?’ and insisted on seeing it,” he said. He also describes his dad as, “…much more laid back. He was more relaxed than my mom.” This provided a unique balance, which Justin describes positively. He says he enjoyed his mom always watching him and ensuring he did everything he was supposed to do while his dad was not apathetic but approached life more casually.

When he was still a kid, Justin remembers the favorite hangout place being either his friend J.C.’s place or his house. “If we weren’t at my house, we were at J.C.’s house. If we weren’t at J.C.’s house, we were at my house,” Justin recalls. Some favorite forms of entertainment include building Kennex and playing video games.

Justin had all the game systems. He remembers playing, “…an original Nintendo, a Sega, and later a Nintendo 64.” And who can own a Nintendo 64 without playing Super Smash Brothers? He related to me, “of course we played Super Smash.” And who can blame him?

When pressed for a favorite childhood memory, Justin remembered his first experience snow skiing. He said he wasn’t that great, but he vividly remembers, “…my aunt holding me between her legs as we skied.” To this day his family still has a habit of skiing every winter, though Justin now snowboards.

When he wasn’t entertaining himself, Justin was attending Providence Elementary School. He later attended Kempsville Middle school and then Kempsville High School. He had been involved with sports since he was young, playing soccer, baseball, and basketball. Volleyball came later in High School.

He started playing volleyball with his parents. His parents played in a volleyball club and Justin would regularly warm up with them before their game. As he got older and older, his skills became more and more developed.

When the time came to transition to high school, Justin’s parents pushed him to join the high school team. After he made the team, he played the middle-back position. Though he did not have any specially set position until his junior year, he specifically recalls a game during his sophomore year. He said, “I remember that game like it was yesterday. It was close to the end of the game, and the score was also close. I went in to play and subsequently had 3 perfect passes.” His team went on to win the game.

The next year a new position in volleyball had been implemented. This was the position of a “Libero” or a defensive specialist. Wikipedia describes the Libero as such: “Liberos are defensive players, who are responsible for receiving the attack or serve and are usually the players on the court with the quickest reaction time and best passing skills. Libero means 'free' as they have the ability to substitute for any other player on the court during each play. Liberos wear a different color jersey than their teammates.”

Junior year Justin started playing this position. Because the Libero can substitute for any defensive person at any time, this enabled him to participate in almost every play. He excelled in this position, and also became an excellent setter. The setter “sets” the ball as described before so another player can spike it.

Justin’s volleyball career included many honorable mentions. These included him being appointed to “1^st Team All Beach” by the division coaches and “1^st Team All Tidewater” by the local newspaper, the Virginia Pilot. These mentions would be similar to being chosen for an “All-star” team.

Looking back on his high school experience, Justin said that he looked up to his volleyball coach and described him as “…a fair coach.” Another of Justin’s childhood friends, Anthony Le, said “Justin’s role model was his coach.”

When he wasn’t playing volleyball, Justin still found things to do. Anthony said, “We were good kids…We just hung out and did stupid stuff. We would laugh at things others wouldn't understand. Justin, myself, and our other best friends would go to the beach a lot.” Justin said that they would regularly go to the beach because his house was ten minutes away from the water. They also made more than a few trips to Williamsburg to enjoy Busch Gardens or Water Country USA.

Though passionate about volleyball, Justin’s academics did not fall by the wayside. He applied early admission Virginia Tech. His brother attends Virginia Tech as a graduate student. He did well in high school, in part perhaps because of his mother.

Socially, Justin describes himself as “someone who has a few close friends.” Instead of seeking to make as many friends as possible, he finds a few close personal friends. Anthony says, “a tightknit bond is the best way to describe how Justin goes about socially. He enjoys meeting new people, and those he runs into, he tends to get to know them pretty well.”

If you were to meet Justin, you would see a guy who is about 6 feet tall, athletic, and has dirty blond hair. You might quickly find out about his volleyball interests. But if you really got to know Justin Shevock, you would soon realize he loves his friends, his family, and his school. Since he is interested in a mechanical engineering degree, the college life will not be the easiest; but Justin will excel, while still finding time to play volleyball.

God's Wonders Awe Knicely

As the autumn weather approaches and the mountains that surround Blacksburg, Virginia are becoming even more radiant, Tim Knicely becomes excited for the shorter days, cooler weather, and wearing his much loved North Face jacket.

Autumn is Knicely’s favorite season since he wants to eventually live in the mountains and look for shooting stars at night—enjoying all of God’s wonders. Along with the wonderful weather, Knicely can take a stroll down “memory lane” remembering the times when he played the alto sax in the band at Hidden Valley High School during football games.

Tim Knicely is enjoying the gorgeous nature that God created in his favorite North Face jacket.

Timothy Joseph Knicely, born December 10, 1988, lived in Harrisonburg for the first three years of his life and then moved to where he currently resides, Roanoke, Virginia. “Roanoke is a big area but it did not seem to influence me much when I was growing up,” Knicely states. Although the size of Roanoke did not influence him, Tim knew that he wanted to attend a big college as opposed to a smaller one because “it would be easier to make friends.” Knicely adds, “There had to be a football team.”

Knicely has a connection with football because he played in eighth grade, but he quit since he was not willing to put forth the effort and time that was required in order to be successful, according to Tim. He switched to track and field and soon discovered that there were aspects about football that he missed. “I missed a team sport. Track and field was an individual sport and I didn’t get the team bonding.” Maybe Tim misses it partly because the season it is in—fall.

Although team bonding is important to Tim, he said he also misses “just being able to hit someone in practice.” But Knicely soon found that track was his best sport. Todd Lewis, Knicely’s track coach and teacher, explains that Knicely soon evolved into a great runner. “Tim was a person of high morals and character…He always worked hard, and as a result, he was very successful.” This was true for both on the track and in the classroom.

Knicely’s persistence with track practice lead to one of his greatest accomplishments. Tim was participating in the long jump at a competition between the AA schools. He placed seventh in all AA schools and he was “the first white guy to place in the long jump.” This was a great accomplishment for him. Coach Lewis states that Knicely succeeded in track because of “his work ethic, willingness to listen, and his good jumping ability,” all of which is important when participating in track.

Not only was Tim “willing to listen,” he was also a leader. He influenced fellow classmates and team members, even as a junior, by listening to the coach. Knicely’s mother, Karen Kennedy, agrees with Lewis that Tim was very influential, but also believes that he has been influenced by his friends. “He has been influenced in both good and bad ways. I think he has used both situations as a tool to learn and grow from the situations,” Karen explains.

Although Knicely was successful in track, the most influential part of his life was church. Tim remembers going to three different churches over the past fifteen years. For the past five years, he has been attending Calvary Chapel of Roanoke, a nondenominational church. “I play in the band at church for the little kids, but our band only consists of guitars,” Knicely states. Having a church to attend regularly has helped him avoid peer pressure along with helping him “grow in his faith in God.”

Karen Kennedy believes that Tim’s belief in God has grown over the past five years. She cannot say that it has definitely grown because his “relationship with Jesus is personal and only God knows Tim’s heart.” But she can see the “fruits” of his faith. The main “fruits” that Knicely has been producing is the desire to connect with his fellow believers, read more of God’s word, and to serve Jesus.

One way Tim plans on studying the Lord’s word in more depth is going on a trip to Israel in the spring of 2008. This trip is “to have studies exactly where the stories of the Bible were taking place and to see first-hand what is still present today and to understand the situations of when the Bible was written.” This trip will be very beneficial for Tim to further expand his knowledge of the Bible and God’s wonders—not only the wonders of the mountains here, but the land in Israel.

Although Knicely plans on further expanding his trust, he admits that in the past, “the hardest thing has been attending a public school and still trying to live a Christian life.” Karen realized this as well. “I think he struggled with many of our decisions but could see we were trying to steer him in the best direction,” Karen states. Knicely’s parents tried not being “overly” strict, but at the same time, strict enough to where he knew his boundaries.

Although his parents were not too stern, there were many things that his fellow Christian friends were allowed to do that he could not because of his parent’s rules. Karen said that she is not exactly sure “how he handled a lot of this because he did not talk much about it…a typical teenaged guy.”

The great involvement in church was always apparent to Knicely’s friends and they knew that God was a big part of his life. One of his good friends, and his current roommate, William Hopkins, states that “church has influenced Tim the most in life.” Although Knicely and Hopkins have stopped going to the same church, it has not become a barrier in their friendship.

With church being the center of his life, Karen states that he has always had the “desire to ‘keep peace’ and will use his ‘people skills’ and sense of humor to reduce or remove tension.” William Hopkins agrees that his greatest characteristic is his sense of humor. But one of Tim’s characteristics that Karen admires most is his ability to be “laid back” at all times.

Tim is putting his “people skills” and his “laid-back” characteristics in use by meeting a new friend.

As God’s wonders are even more visible to Knicely as the years have progressed, he is still amazed by the wonders of the land that God has created. He wants to not only travel to Israel, but also to New Zealand and Switzerland to admire God’s creations in other countries. No matter where he goes, if he only has the ability to take one object with him, Tim says he would take his Bible.

Inside The Life of Sean Sandgren

With a life full of both vast changes and steady traditions, it’s no wonder that Sean Sandgren is not, as a great musician once said, ”just another brick in the wall.” With all of the moving, sports, and family, Sean Sandgren, a freshman student at Virginia Tech is bound to be more than cliché or ordinary.

When I first began my interview process with Sean, I came across my first stereotype about him. I knew he lived in Philadelphia, PA, so I asked, “born and raised in Philly right?”
His response was, “not even close!” I was confused, but Sean explained how he and his family had moved four different times before arriving in Philadelphia.

Sean was born to Debbie and Glenn Sandgren on October 8, 1988 in Detroit, MI. Sean lived in the inner-city, on 10 mile road. Two blocks from the 8 mile road that is found in Eminem’s movie 8 Mile. Since Sean only lived in Detroit until he was four-years-old, the city life had little impact on the man he is today.

After leaving Detroit, Sean’s family headed for Clarkson, MI. Clarkson is about fifty miles north of Detroit, as well as a little west. When Sean’s Parents made this move, they found jobs that were above par. Sean’s mom worked as Director of Institutional sales and marketing at Comerica Bank; and Sean’s dad worked as an Automotive Industry Manager for GE Plastics. Sean’s parents would be required to work long hours for these jobs, leaving Sean at home with a nanny. Sean describes his nannies as, “foreign”, and “second mothers with foreign habits.” Sean said that his nannies would sometimes beat him when he was acting up. When I asked him about this he said, “nothing bad, just like your parents would when you were a kid.”

After Clarkson came Cincinnati, OH. Sean lived with his family in Cinicinatti for eighteen months, followed by a move to Columbus, OH. Sean lived in Ohio from age six to age ten. Sean’s environment suddenly changed from city life to a rural setting.

In this rural environment, Sean picked up hobbies that the city did not permit. Some examples are motorcycles, paintball, hunting, and other outdoor activities. Sean would go hunting for rabbits or squirrels on a daily basis, as well as hanging out with friends.

Sean once tried to clear a tree in order to build a tree-house. He decided he would burn the limbs that needed clearing for the hangout. This harmless story of a kid at play took a turn for the worse when the fire grew to an uncontrollable blaze. Sean had used too much gasoline, and could not put the fire out. When I asked Sean where how he came up with the idea, he said, “ a book I read called, My Side of The Mountain”.

When Sean was ten, He and his family moved to Philadelphia, PA. Sean was old enough to see the change in lifestyles, and describes Philly as, “a much faster paced life, we were always doing something, whether it was paintball or just taking a drive.” Sean had friends in Philly that he would hang out with on a daily basis. Sean kept his circle of friends close, and describes why by saying, “ mostly to protect myself, so that when I had to move again it wouldn’t be so hard to leave.”

Throughout his life, Sean was a sports fan, and loved competition. These characteristics go hand-in-hand with his independence, to make a person with a strong will and great determination. Football has been Sean’s sport of choice. Still, Sean loves wrestling, motocross, paintball, as well as snowboarding.

Football has taught Sean a lot of life lessons as well as athletics. He learned lessons in things such as teamwork, leadership, respect, dealing with loss, and even determination. Football also allowed Sean to make good friends, which was helpful because it is hard to make friends when you move a lot. Football and other sports have been a foundation for Sean throughout his life of ever changing scenery. Sean’s family has always supported him in his athletics. Sean said, “Football really brought us closer together, my family loved to watch me play.”

Football, although being a static characteristic of Sean’s, found a way to bring vast changes to Sean’s life. When Sean was a junior in high school, Football was a way of life. Little did he know, he would miss much of the season. While playing in a game against Plymouth Whitmarsh High School, Sean was in the linebacker position for Wissahickson High School. During one play, Sean was being blocked by a player from the opposing team, when he was hit in the back by another opponent’s helmet. Sean went to the ground in excruciating pain. He knew then something was wrong..

After being taken to the hospital, Sean discovered he had fractured his L3 and L5 vertebra. These are the lower-middle of the spine. Sean was forced to wear a removable cast. The purpose of the cast was to limit his turning and bending. With this serious injury, Sean could not do many of the things that played large roles in his life such as football, wrestling, and paintball: since he could not move his back in order for it to heal. Sean was forced to pick up new hobbies such as, “photography, painting, and hanging with friends” as sean describes it.
Along with Sean’s back injury, football has been responsible for many other injuries. Such as the handful of concussions. Sean had suffered fourteen concussions by the time that he finished playing football at age 18. Along with all of the concussions, Sean also suffered from many broken bones.

Along with football, Sean loves to wrestle. He wrestled in high school, as well as his little brother. Sean describes his brother’s wrestling by saying, “He loved it. He was better than I was, and it brought us closer. He loved to teach me.” Wrestling was a way for Sean and his brother to connect as they grew up. Sean’s brother was almost two years younger than Sean, and looked up to him. Wrestling was a way for them to connect with each other.

Another hobby of Sean’s is working on cars. Cars were the source of connection between Sean and his father. They would use the time spent under the hood to catch up and talk about things as Sean and his father did something they were both passionate about.

Sean’s family has some concrete traditions that remain a static characteristic of the Sandgrens. One such tradition in the Sandgren house comes on christmas. Every year, Sean’s family makes resalmon, which is rice pudding with almonds and cherry sauce. The Sandgrens put one whole almond in the mix, and whoever gets the whole nut gets the box of chocolate turtles. Sean says, “ Its something we only do on christmas.” Sean’s family uses these traditions to keep the whole family connected. They have always believed in having a tightly-knit family structure, and this still holds true in Sean’s life today. Family has always held a special place in Sean’s heart because they have always been there, in every new surrounding.

The Limitless Life of Jon Vollmer

Late one night Keith, Jon’s roommate and Keith’s girlfriend were working on an engineering problem. It was getting late so Keith’s girlfriend slept in his loft across from Jon’s. Keith came back at 4:30AM and instead of waking her up decided to sleep on the floor.

Jon woke up a few hours later wide-eyed thinking, “Keith’s a woman!” This is one of many stories, but perhaps the most appropriate one for this profile. Putting the occasional insults aside, Jon and Keith seem to be good friends. After Keith insulted Jon’s intelligence Keith said, “On a good day he would reciprocate.”

Jon was born in Baltimore on October 30, 1989. He is German, Polish, Hungarian, Danish, Scottish, and Turkish. His family is from Sykesville, Maryland. He grew up on a 75-acre property, that’s as big as 57 football fields. He went to elementary school twenty-five minutes away. His favorite memory from elementary school was lighting the torch at their mock Olympics.

Jon is a self-proclaimed thrill seeker. He loves amusement parks, especially the thrill rides. He goes to Six Flags at least once every summer, most twice. Jon doesn’t like to be limited to dry land though, he also enjoys going to Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, which is essentially the water version of Six Flags. He went to Mount View Middle School while living in Maryland.

Unlike elementary school he didn’t have to walk very far to go to his high school, Glenelg High School, spelled the same way backwards and forwards. This school is right next door to his house. Considering he lives on 75 acres it was still far.

Jon’s Dad is in the construction business, his Mom is a teacher. Since he was three or four years old his Dad would take him to ride dirt bikes. It grew on him and he really likes it. He has three bikes an MR50, XR100, and a CR250, which are all Hondas. Jon also enjoys riding in his snow mobile skidoo-touring sled, which holds three people. He lives a very active lifestyle. Walking back to our dorms one day he commented about how he was going to run 5 miles that day around the drill field. This wasn’t his first time doing any serious running he was just starting up again. He has been on the track team since the spring of his sophomore year. He did shot put and discus.

Having an active lifestyle also can come with risks. Jon has had his share of injuries in the past. Jon injured himself in indoor track in the spring. He spiral fractured his leg. The bone did not regenerate itself and 2 years ago he had to have prosthetic bone put in. The surgery went well, but he went into respiratory distress from an allergic reaction to the pain killer. This put him in a full leg cast for three months. When the doctors were examining his spiral fracture they actually found a benign tumor on his left tibia bone. Once while snowboarding Jon broke his wrist. Staying on the subject of accidents, he was involved in one major car accident where a truck ended up being totaled.

Jon’s favorite hiking spot is in Hagerstown; it’s called black rock. His Dad showed it to him when he was ten years old. He continued to go there when his church had camp meetings there. Jon’s best friend is Jim Miller. Jon’s mom introduced the two over a decade ago. They were building houses newly next door. Which was half a mile away. They were building back to front and his was one of the first houses to be put in.

Jim actually got accepted into Virginia Tech, but decided to go to Clemson instead. Jane and Lindsay are from Salisbury and Jon has known them since he first started spring track. Jen has a sister named Shelby who Jon had become good friends with. Jon met Mike Ross this past year he described it as one of those friendships that just clicked right from the get-go. Mike goes to Howard community college; he may transfer to Tech later.

Jon’s grandparents and cousins on his Mom’s side live in New Jersey. He usually sees them four times a year; sometimes his grandparents would visit him. Their whole family would go on one or two vacations a year. This past summer they went to Disney World. Past years they went to Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. Every Christmas, as a family tradition they go see a Broadway show and eat at a steak house in New York. On his Dad’s side his grandmother lives closer to him than on his Mom’s side. Due to conflicting schedules they never see one another too often.

Jon’s Dad grew up in Ellens Mills, Maryland, and his mom in Staten Island, New York. His mom grew up in a strict household, her Mom was nicknamed Sergeant. Jon’s parents have been married for twenty years. Jon used to live with them in a small ranch house on the 10 acres of the property until the ninth grade when they moved into a stone house also on the farm. His grandpa had built the house, but unfortunately passed away before it was completed. This happened when Jon was thirteen. Jon’s favorite family trip was when they went to the Bahamas and rode jet skis.

Jon’s job in high school was to fix computers. If a computer broke he was the first person to know about it. He was frequently pulled out of class to fix computers. He sometimes got paid, but never had a consistent paycheck. There were 1000 computers at his school, which kept him extremely busy; he was the Lead Student Technician. Jon got accepted into Maryland, Michigan State, and NC State. He decided to go to VT because he liked the location and the atmosphere.

Chris Clark the New Superman

Chris Clark is a man on a mission, never resting or staying in one place for too long. He has been here at Virginia Tech for five weeks and nearly had to relocate. The Bursar Headquarters launched an attack on Chris and dropped him as a student for one day during the third week of school. The reason of the attack was identified as a hold on his Hokie Account that Chris had overlooked. It gave Chris a good scare, but he quickly rectified the situation, not wanting to lose credit for this semester.

Chris is half Filipino and half African American. He was born in Fredericksburg, VA on November 8, 1989 making him a “young-in;” meaning he is still 17. Chris was the largest baby in the hospital when he was born weighing in at a whopping 10lbs 11oz. His Dad is currently a Marine and his Mom is a homemaker. Chris’s brother goes to the University of Michigan and is studying to become a civil engineer. His sister is still in middle school in North Carolina. Chris also has a cousin from the Philippines that is currently living with his family.

His family originated here in Virginia, but moved to Irvine, California before Chris started school. He began his schooling at Los Naranos Elementary School located in California. This became the location of his first life lessons. “One time we had a fire drill and I was actually scared because I thought there was a real fire. It was very frightening and I nearly fell out of my chair when the alarm went off, but before I started screaming my teacher told me it was just a drill ”(Clark).

Another time Chris received a lesson about remembrance. He couldn't participate in a Jog-Athon with his classmates because he didn't bring his permission slip to school that day. He was the only student who forgot and had to stay in the classroom with his teacher. Chris says he probably cried and sat in the corner of the room when that happened. In addition, he could write using cursive by the time he was seven, but his second grade teacher made him stop because it looked like a bunch of scribbles to her.

Then, he moved to Rockville, Maryland where he spent his third grade year. In Maryland Chris lived in a townhouse right next to Montgomery Community College. During third grade, he sat across from a girl who claimed that he was practically in love with her and attending this class became a hassle for Chris. She really confused him because he did not understand what she was talking about nor had he ever thought about girls as more than friends. That year Chris took a field-trip to Amish country Pennsylvania to compliment what he was learning in his history class. He enjoyed the break from school, but did not really understand why this group of people would not use society’s new technologies.

Next, he moved onto Ft. Belvoir army base where he spent his fourth and fifth grade years. They had just built his new school on the military base several months ago. In fourth grade he was fixated with always having his homework done and receiving a check mark for the day. Chris remembers being embarrassed and scared several days when he didn't have all of his homework done and ready for class. In addition to his grades, playing the violin became his favorite hobby that school year. Fourth grade was a busy year for him especially since he started the year being the “new kid” once again.

In fourth and fifth Chris was a safety patrol officer, so he got to wear that very important badge and orange sash. His job was to direct the students to their seats on the bus. However, everyone was bigger than Chris, so he wasn't taken seriously. In the fifth grade his class went on a field trip to a museum near by the base. He remembers feeling so sick that he almost passed out while touring the museum.

Chris’s best friend at this school lived near him in the housing complex on the base. His name was Tait Nelson Thompson and his initials were TNT. He thought Tait’s parents did purposely because of Tait’s military background. On Chris’s tenth birthday, they went to the mall to ride bumper cars and laser tag. Chris was confused at first how the bumper cars worked, making him a target for everyone. He also had trouble with how the laser tag gun functioned and lost all of his matches by huge margin. Chris regrets not keeping in contact with Tait; however, he was gone from Ft. Belvoir in a flash and remembers only a few stories from his time on the base.


Chris moved to San Diego, California temporarily before the start of sixth grade. San Diego became his favorite place to live and he would like to go back there after college. Chris spent sixth and seventh grade in Virginia. While in sixth grade his family took a trip to Lego-Land. He remembers riding on a mini-coaster at the park and thinking he was going to die because it was going too fast for him. Chris picked up the hobby of skateboarding while hanging out with his friends in California. He made some very close friends while he was on the west coast and wishes that he stayed in contact with all of them after he left.

Chris spent eighth to tenth grade in Okinawa, Japan. Each time he moved he had to leave all of his new friends from the previous location. It was very sad for Chris, but he knew he would meet new people upon arrival at his next home. Moving to Japan became his family’s largest transition they had ever made. He remembers when he stepped off the airplane how humid it was outside on the island. “It was very hard to breathe at first, but I got used to it after a few days though” says Clark. He lived on a military base and went to an American school just like when he was back at Ft. Belvoir. “On military bases everything is uniform and nothing ever changes, which can be a good or a bad thing depending on the situation”(Clark).

He learned more Spanish than Japanese while on the island. An interesting memory from Okinawa was he saw a protest performed by the people of Okinawa over the U.S. military having such a strong presence on their island. They would stand in front of the military base and chant for hours in Japanese. Chris could not understand them, so the protests were just an annoyance.

Chris’s family next moved to Cary, North Carolina near Raleigh. He would spend half of his junior year there until he relocated to Havelock, North Carolina. He graduated high school there in Havelock and began preparing to attend Virginia Tech in the fall.

His biggest fear is dying because several places he has lived in the past seventeen years were considered hostile environments. Chris was also a video game fanatic before he came to college. His new hobby in college has become working at KFC and on school wok. Chris has never played any sports except for the time he tried out for the track team in the tenth grade. He quit after the first day because of the time requirements to be on the team.

Chris’s biggest role model is Martin Luther King Jr. He has a lot of respect for Dr. King and what he did to make his beliefs known. Chris has never been to church or pursued religion, but he does believe in God. Chris came to VT because it was the best school he got into and its engineering program is ranked very highly in the nation. His major is University Studies, but he will be switching to Mechanical Engineering in the future. “Chris is self motivated, creative, organized, and adaptable person when it comes to succeeding in new surroundings,” says Chris’s Mom.

Chris has flown all over the United States and to Okinawa assimilating himself to each new situation at hand. This includes his most recent undertaking, the “College Crusader” aka Virginia Tech. Hopefully for Chris, his dorm Barringer will be his permanent location for the next 4 years, if he can manage to keep off of the Bursar Headquarters radar. Don Don Don…