Have you ever tried to Google “things to do in Slippery Rock, Pa.?”
The results, as we would expect, are pretty meager.
Yahoo Travel, the first website that pops up, only lists hotels and inns in the area.
The second however, something called Uptake.com, actually has 12 suggestions.
The website lists a few golf courses, the Old Stone House, Dairy Queen and a humorous suggestion titled “Stumbling out of Keister Apartments,” which we’re sure many of you have experienced, as did the writer of that post.
But when it comes right down to it, what is there for college students to do here? Sure, the university does a good job of planning events for us to go to. There’s almost always a speaker, movie or concert that we can attend. But what about those nights when you have nothing to do?
For those of us that aren’t 21 or older, the Brewery and Ginger Hill aren’t options.
So what’s left? In the actual town of Slippery Rock, there’s not much, if anything at all.
If you’re lucky enough to have a car, you can get out of this town.
You could drive up to Grove City and go to the Outlets to shop, maybe have dinner at Primanti’s or Elephant and Castle.
You could drive down to Butler and see a movie at Regal Cinemas or play mini-golf at Erasers, weather permitting.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you can even drive down to Cranberry or Pittsburgh.
But for all of that, you need a car. Or a friend with a car.
So the question becomes, what is there to do within walking distance?
You could walk over to the ARC and get in a little workout, provided you aren’t intimidated by the large quantity of New Year’s Resolution go-getters.
You could trot over to the SGA Bookstore and spend more money on Slippery Rock University souvenirs.
Thankfully, when the Robert M. Smith Student Center opens, we’ll have a few more options.
The building comes complete with a Starbucks coffee shop where students can go to hang out and feed their caffeine addictions, a Quaker Steak and Lube where you can go stuff your face with wings, and even a movie theater.
That should certainly be a salvation. Right now, if we don’t want to go all the way to Butler, we have to drive to the Guthrie Theater in Grove City or the Clearview Mall Cinemas, neither of which has a very wide movie selection.
With all of this complaining, the question becomes what do students want to see in the small town of Slippery Rock?
When we put that question on our Facebook and Twitter pages (if you don’t like and follow us already, you should), we got several great suggestions that we’d like to endorse.
One of our favorite suggestions was a late-night diner.
Wouldn’t that be nice? Somewhere to sit and hang out with your friends late at night without the noise that comes with a bar.
Some other suggestions from students and faculty were a bakery, laser tag, coffee shop and more restaurants.
So, Slippery Rock Borough Council, there are some things for you to think about.
In the mean time, we can all relish in the thought that perhaps without anything to do in town, we’re more inclined to do homework. Ha.
