Monday, May 20, 2013

Meet Megan O'Neil, a 2013 Hixson Peer Mentor!


Hello! My name is Megan O’Neil and I’m a Peer Mentor this year! I’m a 2010 Hixson from Cedar County majoring in Marketing and can’t wait to kick off my senior year at Iowa State with 100 new Hixson students! I’m very excited to be a part of the program and meet you in the fall!

I thought I’d take a moment and give you some suggestions for places to eat that are uniquely “Ames”.  The dinning centers have a lot of great food but sometimes it’s important to switch it up a little! These would be great places to check out when you are here for orientation! 

Jeff’s Pizza (2402 Lincoln Way)
If you are looking for some of the best pizza in Ames, go to Jeff’s! They have daily deals that you can look up on their website and they are also on their phone message when you are calling in an order. Its okay to order something different than these deals but usually it’s the most cost effective way to eat there. I would definitely suggest getting some of their smotherella sticks; they are the best cheese sticks you can find in Ames!

Hickory Park (1404 S Duff Ave)
An Ames classic! Really great BBQ place and an experience within itself! They have a huge selection, even if you aren’t the biggest BBQ fan. The building is impressive and they can hold 500 people at a time which is pretty cool! If you are going during orientation or on the weekends, expect a short wait but I promise you it’s worth it!

The Café (2616 Northridge Parkway)
This place is one of my favorites! Its north of campus and they have the most amazing food. My favorite part is that their kitchen is open to see into when you are waiting to be seated. It’s a little bit different than what you see at any chain restaurants and the atmosphere is great to go and have a sit down brunch with a few friends!

Wise Guys Burgers (120 Welch)
This is a new place in Ames but its definitely worth going to see. The whole place is Mobster themed and the food is really good. It’s a classic burger joint but they have other options too. It’s located right near campus in Campustown so just a quick walk from anywhere you’re living! It’s a little soon to tell what the best item on the menu is but if you go there, we’ll definitely have to swap suggestions!

Oddfellow’s (823 Wheeler Street)
I know, two burger places on one list? But this one has its own flare. The only thing is that if you have any heart conditions, I wouldn’t go here; its greasy and meat heavy but so delicious! They have a ton of specialty burgers and although they are a little more expensive, the burgers are normally enough food to last three or four meals!

Lorrey’s Coffee (2320 Lincoln Way)
My last suggestion to get you off on the right foot on food in Ames is a coffee shop. Why? Because if coffee isn’t your best friend already, it will soon be once you are in college and I’d hate to leave you without a suggestion on where you can start your love affair with this drink. This is a cute little shop right across from campus and they have excellent coffee and espresso drinks, delicious sandwiches and great tables to sit at and study on afternoons off!

Hopefully this list will help you get started getting to know all of the excellent things Ames has to offer! If you need any more suggestions or want to let me know about any places you’ve found in Ames, feel free to email me at mgoneil@iastate.edu or tweet at me @mgoneil!

Have a great summer and I can’t wait to meet all the 2013 Hixsons in the fall! 

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