Haleigh Patch
Equinox Staff
As a new semester starts, so does the constant stress of school work, along with adapting to new professors and schedules. When its finally the weekend, there’s socializing and partying to get your mind off of academics and enjoying time with your friends. It’s also when most people enjoy what Keene has to offer off campus.
Let’s start with downtown Keene, where you see students constantly walking up and down Main Street. There’s bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants and bars, just to name a few. Also, most of the restaurants and bars have the kind of deals no college student could resist. Cobblestone Ale House has delicious food and drinks that are affordable. They have 50 cent wings along with daily drink and food specials. You will find a lot of students there enjoying the fun atmosphere without having to spend a ton of money. Ramunto’s offers ‘Late Night Slices’ every Thursday through Saturday night from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. I mean, who could say no to a two dollar slice of pizza after a night of drinking?
Craving Mexican food while ballin’ on a budget? Margaritas offers a ‘College Night’ deal with half off entrees, five dollar margaritas, and three dollar Bud Lights and Tecate every Wednesday. They also have ‘All you can Eat Tacos’ every Tuesday for $9.99 and late night specials every day of the week.
Most places in Keene not located on Main Street have great deals and promotions for students as well. The Dunkin Donuts on West Street gives students 10 percent off if you display your school ID at the counter. Keene Cinemas movie theater on Key Road gives KSC students a dollar off when purchasing tickets. You could even get together with a group of friends and go to Yankee Lanes bowling alley for college night on Wednesdays for $1.09 per person, per game and another $1.09 for shoe rental. They have a bar with cheap drinks and deliver the food you order right to your lane.
There are plenty of other restaurants in Keene students enjoy. There’s your basic chain restaurants like Applebee’s, LongHorn Steakhouse and Chilis. For the people who love sushi, Koto Japanese Steakhouse is a hibachi and sushi bar that has half off sushi every Sunday through Thursday all day.
You will find students taking advantage of the more “outdoorsy” activities as well. There are hiking trails such as Ashuelot River park which has a river and bike path along with the trails. Surry Mountain Lake Park offers hiking trails and a beach to swim at. There are other places to swim such as Otter Brook Beach right off Route 9 and the Gilsum Gorge off of Surry Road where you will find many students and families jumping off rocks into a natural pool of water.
For how small the city of Keene is, there is still the perk of having so many places to go and hang out with friends without even needing a car. Most are walking distance and create deals to accommodate broke college students and to draw them in, why not take advantage of it?
Haleigh Patch can be contacted at hpatch@kscequinox.com
