This summer, whenever I thought about coming back to school, I would picture Champaign. Green Street, the Champaign bars and Memorial Stadium were all a dream and only three short months away. When I realized I would no longer be living in Forbes Hall but instead relocating to Urbana, my dreams of another blissful year in Champaign were doomed.

My sorority house, Delta Gamma, is located right off the Quad and is barely in Urbana, but I wasn’t having it. Around campus, there seems to be the stereotype that Urbana is the ‘hipster’ side of town or that there’s nothing in Urbana. Throughout my freshman year, I rarely ventured to the Urbana side of campus simply because I didn’t think it had much to offer.

However, I obviously gave Urbana a chance and I’m glad I did. I thought for sure that not being near the hustle and bustle of Green Street would put a damper on knowing what was going on.

Instead, being away from Green has its advantages. I don’t have to deal with the noise, especially when people are obnoxiously coming home from the bars late at night.

Living in Urbana also gives me the advantage of being close to CRCE.

Personally, I don’t always look my best when I go to work out, and CRCE always seems to have less people. It’s a time saver both ways; I don’t have to spend time getting ready for the gym and I don’t have to wait for machines because it’s less packed.

McKinley Health Center is also located in Urbana, which is an advantage whether you have strep throat or just need a prescription filled. For me, getting to McKinley my freshman year was always a pain because it’s so far from the six-pack as well as most of the other public housing.

Now to get to my appointment, I’m just able to walk down the street when I’m not feeling well.

Even though it no longer applies to me, the legal bar age is different in Urbana than it is in Champaign.

Freshmen are able to get into bars, such as Canopy Club, when they’re 18 without having to worry about getting in trouble.

For freshmen that have a late birthdays, this is a perfect alternative.

After living in Urbana for the past month and a half, I’m pretty sold. However, I still think that Urbana is the Robin to Champaign’s Batman, but that’s just because of the way that the two towns are set up.

Most of the campus activities are focused in Champaign, which makes it harder for students to experience Urbana.

But, if given the opportunity, I would recommend giving Urbana a try for the sake of something slightly different.

_Taylor Ellis is a sophomore in DGS._