Why Worcester State University makes sense.

Worcester State University or WSU is located in Worcester, the heart of central Massachusetts. This location allows Worcester State University students many options in academic and social life. Being that Worcester is a college town, there are many other colleges and universities that WSU have associations with. One of the more important is a communal library system. A WSU student id will give you all the library privileges enjoyed in WSU's library at any other collegiate library in town. This is an invaluable resource from any student looking to have the best research materials available to them.

The Universities library is also undergoing modernization that will benefit WSU students. This coincidences with developments ongoing and planned at University. Within the next few years a state of the art gym and more dorms will be built. This on top of the recently completed parking garage has made the school more accessible for it's students.

The green advancements for the university have also been apparent. The solar panels on the roof of the library have made an impact on the universities energy use. Recently there was a small but informative environmental presentation. It was announced that in while in season an effort is made to get as much of the fruits and vegetables served at the dining hall from local farms.

The staff at WSU seems to make a solid effort in helping students achieve success. Recently the communications department help an internship fair with several local business. Through one of these interviews I was able to ensure a marketing internship at a local non-profit company in 2013. I feel that this one internship, which the university greatly helped me locate, will prove to be greatly beneficial in the future.

As a commuter I have spent the majority of my time in Worcester at the University, but I have also managed to venture off the campus and experience what the city has to offer. Within in walking distance there is almost every variety of store and restaurant one would need on a regular basis. If you were to venture a little further off campus into the city theres everything one would expect a large city to offer. Everything from chains to authentic local restaurants is offered. There are several concert venues to choose from and a bar that suits almost every taste.

While there is a local regional airport, the drive of less than 45 minutes on the easy accessible mass pike makes a trip to Logan airport in Boston no trouble at all. Worcester is also less than a hour away from the beauty of western mass, again hoping on the mass-pike would take you there in no time.

Worcester is truly a city that is changing and evolving for the better and Worcester State University seems to be staying with the changing times as well.

Central Massachusetts is at a time of change. It has been sometime since the factories that employed many central mass residents have closed or moved. Western mass has remained viable due to a massive grassroots movements of local sustainable businesses. I really believe central mass is following suit. If the community continues to invest in its self like Worcester State University has been, there can only be success for Worcester.

Overall Opnions of Worcester

We've looked into many aspects and areas of Worcester over my last few posts. We've discussed how and why I got to Worcester, where to go out for food and drinks as well as the best places to see a concert. As I'm always changing my opinions and ideals of what a good establishment truly is, I feel that I may have missed a few interesting locations along the way.

So to catch up on what I've missed in previous blogs lets get into a few bars that I have either discovered or remembered since my last posts. The beer news paper Yankee Brew News has recently done an entire multi-page article on Worcester's emerging micro-brew scene. they touched upon the majority of what I mentioned but also included Beatniks. Now I've only been here once but it seemed to be a quality place with a somewhat interesting food menu and beer list. While the style and menu was appealing to me, the overall vibe was a little to onto the overly pretentious and somewhat annoying "hipster" scene. there is alaso the new establishment called Sweet, this is a interesting restaurant specializing in the pairing of gourmet desserts and upscale mixed drinks and craft beers.

There is also the Flying Rhino, a somewhat pricey but quality restaurant with a more than acceptable selection of mivro0brew beers available. While the Flying Rhino is a cool place, the slightly over priced nature of the menu and the potential for this establishment to get very busy and fill up earl in the evening ,makes the restaurant a location best saved for afternoon trips.

Of course there a a few other bars with a halfway decent offerings and without question there are other high quality restaurants in town. But these locations are in my opinion out of reach for the average college students financial limits and thus being placed in the category of special occasions, if at all. This is why I have mentioned Armsby Abbey so prominently in my blogs. Armsby Abbey is the perfect example of an upscale and slight fancy establishment, but what you are paying for isn't the prestige or name, but the sustainable and locally sourced food and drinks being offered. It is a restaurant you can go to for a quick drink or a high quality sit-down meal, have an amazing night and still do something positive for the community and environment.

I feel that at it's most righteous core, this is what Massachusetts is really all about. We , despite or occasional urban aspirations are a state that is rural in tradition and actuality. To accept this and take a step away from the Bud Light and hamburger scene is to awaken yourself to a positive movement focusing on outstanding quality, sustainability, locally sourced ingredients and in the end business plans that directly benefit our community.

This is what Worcester county should be most accepting of. We will never get the factories back that once made so much of Worcester county and Western Mass good places to live and raise a family. We will never have the technological infrastructure and funding that Boston and metro-west have. So I propose the path to long term success, new jobs and quality food is through what Western Mass has been doing for the last 25 years. Create more restaurants, bars, grocery stores, music stores, clothing stores and any other type of small business with emphasis of utilizing our local resources, seasonal foods and sustainable practices. This in the long term keeps prices down, is more healthy for us and the environment and maybe most importantly keeps jobs local and puts more money directly back into Massachusetts' towns and cities.

These postitive changes, if properly enacted, can only help Worcester State Universities image and student population. Anything that can help the image of the community the college is located in only helps to create a a more positive image for the college

My Personal Path to Worcester: Music Edition

Now that you guys have had your fill of tasty brews it's time to hit up the towns night life. Of course you could hit up one of Worcester's nightclubs or dance bars but why would you want to do something boring like that. Try something new, see some live music and this is something that Worcester does well.
   You could always go tone of the many pubs that offer live music in the form of solo singer/guitarists or maybe a cover band. But I feel that the most interesting route to go is checking out one of Worcester's many larger music venues.
   the largest and most obvious is the DCU center, this hosts national acts and more mainstream artist. Other than seeing some big name band you might be into, I wouldn't recommend this location due to the pricing, strict security and lack of originality.

Next is the Hanover theater. This is located on Main Street and is honestly a really nice place to see a show. Typical artists include retro-rock acts like Peter Frampton, blues legends, jazz singers and spoken word performances.
          Now that were past the "pretty and nice" locations, lets get into what I feel is the "real" music scene in Worcester. The Lucky Dog located right down the street from the dive bar on Green Street, is a place for up and coming punk, hardcore, heavy metal and other rock bands to perform. Some nights are themed with cover bands performing or only offering bands of a certain genre but typically a night at the Lucky Dog promises to be diverse and entertaining. This is a bar that offers a half-way decent selection of brews, but again there are plenty of mainstream bars around this venue as well as the Dive Bar located about 100 yards right down the street.

Finally there is the Palladium, my personal favorite venue in town. The Palladium located on Main Street, once a opera house was transformed into a concert venue. There is a balcony with seating but the majority of the venue is located on the first floor. There is a large bar in the back with some club-style booths located in front. There are several large steps down to the floor with several areas to stand before finally arriving on the general admission floor. This is where at least half the patrons tend to be and there can be some pretty intense mosh pits from time to time.
Now some may find the slightly falling apart and grimy appearance of the Palladium to be a bit off putting. But I feel that this only adds to the Palladiums character and maybe even charm. The majority of the bands who perform here are national metal, hardcore, punk and hip-hop acts but there is a good variety of local festivals and bands playing throughout the year.

I love the Palladium because I feel that a concert venue like this is a dying breed. Most places to see a show, especially a rock show has seats and intense security. Bu the Palladium allows you to watch the band from wherever you want, and get into the music as much as you want without having to worry about getting kicked out. Now there is no place for extreme violence, as hurting people is the once sure way to get dragged out by your face and kicked out. Over all the crowd is a solid bunch of people looking to have a good time, for example if you go down there's always a hand held out to help you up. Over all Worcester is a rock n roll and heavy metal town, there is always a show to see and something exciting to do. If your looking for something slightly off the beaten path this is a town you can really dig deep into and explore.

My Personal Path To Worcester: Pub Edition

Worcester is an interesting town, there are many positive and negative elements. Different parts of town have a diverse selection of colleges, businesses, bars and restaurants.  This can be a tough town, there are definitely some areas to avoid. But amongst the urban decay there are a number prestigious colleges and universities.  Naturally with the population of Worcester couped with the amount of college students present there is a prominent nightlife scene filled with bars, restaurants, clubs and music venues.

Hard working college students  need the occasional break from their studies to let off some steam. The highly diverse selection of various nightlife locations is one of Worcester’s most positive and promising aspects.The large variety includes all the mainstream offerings one can expect from a modern city,.
There are great local establishments like the Boynton on 17 Highland Street, arguably the most popular college pub in town.
 

There are upper-end dining options such as the one eleven chop house and other trendy Shrewsburry street establishments. Of course there are a plethora of clubs and bar catering to the younger crowd. Then there are Worcester’s more underground offerings, and these are whats really worth seeking out.
Let’s look at the beer bars, my personal favorite type of establishments in town.
The Boynton is a mainstream bar option will a large variety of draft beer. All though the selection tends to be more in the Sam Adams range of things, it is still nice to see over 20 beers on draft. The menu while extensive is typical pub. the pizzas have to be the most popular, and rightfully so. The interior was massively renovated about ten years ago and while it is pleasant, I feel moving away from the former appearance takes away from the bars character. The old bar was filled with old wood and had a ancient New England pub vibe, the new image is very modern. There is nothing wrong with contemporary decor, but I love a good bar with personality and the Boyton no longer has it.

There is another mainstream option of brew city located on Shrewsburry street. While brew city possess a impressive number if draft and bottle beers, many of which are locals, it is somewhat “the wall of mediocrity” if you will. Much of Sam Adams, Wachusett and other micro-brew beers of a more mainstream, even a lower quality. The food while standard pub fare is well done, the menu is truly huge and most items I’ve sampled have been prepared well. While a quality location and not quite your typical sports bar, Brew City is a little to mainstream for my liking.

There is also Peppercorn’s Grille and tavern located on 455 Park Avenue  while I’ve only been here once  it seemed to be a good place. Peppercorn's main claim to fame is most definitely the fact that they are the main bar for Worcester's only brewery, Wormtown. While Wormtown can be found in several bars around the state, they do not have a pub on location. So Peppercorn's has become the place to go to try Wormtowns various and extremely fresh craft brewed beers.

There is The Dive Bar, located on Green Street. They’re not lying about the “Dive” in The Dive Bar. The exterior is slightly shady and there’s even an abandoned building or two next to this great bar, but once you step inside you’ll find a warm interesting environment. The nautical theme inside puts a nice double entendre spin on the “Dive” in The Dive Bar. There is ancient diving gear, sharks, harpoons and even an old stem ship helm. Out back is a well maintained beer garden that is popular in the summer months.

The beer selection is 1st rate. On a typical day you’ll find around 20 beers on draft and about the same in bottles. The selection of brews is mostly craft New England offering, but Colorado, west coast and east coast beers are usually well represented here.

This takes us to the gold standard of beer bars in town. The Dive Bar’s parent company Armsby Abby. Armsby Abby is located right down town on North Main Street. Like the Dive Bar it is a little hard to find, but unlike the dive bar it’s 100% class all the time.
 

Armsby Abby accomplishes several food and drink goals very well. The draft list is always filled with some of the finest brews in the world and the bottle list is on the forefront of the Belgian beer scene. The menu is interesting in that about half the menu is devoted to various varieties of local cheeses, the second half contains gourmet takes on an ever changing selection of local, sustainable dishes.

Truly Worcester is a place to visit to experience some unique choices in craft beer.
 

Next time we’ll discuss the options you have when your full of beer and want to see some live music in one of Worcester’s music venues.

My personal path to Worcester

Experience influences our opinions, changes them and us over time. I started college fall

2004 at Mount Wachusett Community College with out a great deal of direction, other than the idea that an education was an achievable way to better myself and advance in life.

I tried out a few majors and ended up graduating spring 2006 with an associate degree in general studies, with the intention of transferring to Endicott college. Endicott like all my college decisions at this time was based on how I felt about the school, not actually if it was the right fit for me or my direction.

I wasn’t accepted fall of 06' and I took classes at Worcester State instead for that semester. At the time Worcester wasn’t my choice school as I wanted the beautiful by the sea atmosphere of Endicott, but I honestly enjoyed my classes and the professors instructing them. I transferred to Endicott spring of 07' and learned that things aren’t always what they seemed. The teaching style did not fit and my major of psychology was no longer inspiring to me.

I transferred to Stockbridge agriculture school at Umass Amherst for fall 2007. Several members of my family are in the turf grass business and I wanted to explore my options and connections in those fields, while I had an incredible experience doing landscaping and field maintance for the New England Patriots in summer of 08', the program and industry in general proved to be a poor fit for me.

I took this break in my education to try different jobs I had interest in. I have a passion for cars and ended up selling Hondas for six months. I also bartended in a craft beer bar. These jobs were invaluable learning experiences. The communication skills I learn definelty influenced my decision to become a communication major.

Almost three years passed before I returned full time to college, but in this time I always found myself returning to Worcester. Id come for concerts at the Palladium, would enjoy great food and drinks at the variety of micro-brew beer bars in town. This is one of Worcester’s best features, the variety of dining options,. Worcester’s bars and clubs are as good as any other major cities.

Like I said I keep coming back to Worcester. In January of 2012 I became a full time student at Worcester State University again. I’ve been to several different schools in Massachusetts and Worcester State stands out as a university that has knowledgeable approachable teachers, an easily navigated campus, affordable tuition and a convenient location. Overall Worcester seems to be the right fit for me as I keep discovering new things about the college and city.