Everything I Ate on my Homecoming Road Trip Part 1

“Back on the bricks. Back in the mix,” was the theme for this year’s Ohio University Homecoming. Boy, oh boy, was I ready to hit the bricks with my fellow Bobcats. I spent four years at the most amazing college in the world. I made everlasting friendships and over indulged in Athens’ cuisine.

I graduated two years ago and hadn’t been to Athens since Homecoming 2016. I couldn’t wait to return, as my friends and I counted down the days. While I was too busy counting, I completely overlooked booking a flight in advance. If you know me, you know I am incredibly cheap. Instead of spending over $400 on a flight, I took Friday off work and drove eight hours to my hOUme land.

The journey took me across western Virginia, through West Virginia, right into Athens, Ohio. Since I was already passing by Charlottesville, I wanted to make a stop at a restaurant I hadn’t been to in over five years, Bodo’s Bagels.

Back in my upper school days, I participated in Model UN. One of my favorite conferences was at the University of Virginia—that’s where I got my first taste of Bodo’s.

Bodo’s Bagels is nothing flashy. What they lack in pizzazz, they more than make up for in taste. I went with my go to: bacon, egg and cheese on an everything bagel. You can never go wrong with BEC.

After mean mugging a couple who did a “chat and cut” in line, I sat down to eat my bagel. The fluffy egg, topped with cheddar cheese, melted in my mouth. Since Bodo’s doesn’t toast their bagels, you avoid 10 times the crumbs, making it easier to focus on each bite of the freshly-made bagel.

It took me about five minutes to woof down my bagel. I contemplated getting a second for the road, but the line was already out the door.

My bagel kept me full until I was about an hour and a half away from my destination. I resisted the urge to stop for fast food because I knew something better was waiting in Athens.

As I made my way around the roundabout and saw Peden Stadium, I started to tear up. I was hOUme.

I quickly called my friend Katie and we both agreed that we should meet at Lucky’s Sports Tavern for cheese sticks. On Friday’s, Lucky’s sells their unique “Cheese Stix” for just 50 cents. If you come for this deal, do not expect basic mozzarella sticks.

Lucky’s cheese stix have a soft and doughy outside. As soon as you take a bite, warm, melty cheese comes oozing out. Since I was pretty hungry, I ordered three then ate one of Katie’s. Complete with an Irish car bomb, I was ready for my Athens experience.

Around midnight, my friend Elyse and I fled the bars to go explore. As we walked down Court Street, we saw students eating Courtside pizza. We were both shocked because when we were students, Courtside didn’t sell pizza by the slice late at night. We ran to to get a slice.

On Wednesday night’s as a student, I used to eat my weight in 50-75 cent pizza. Since it wasn’t Wednesday, we had to pay full price ($2), but it was worth it for a slice—or two—of cheesy goodness.

As the bars began to close, I knew I needed something else to adequately fall asleep full, fat and happy—as my mother likes to say. Elyse and I followed the rest of the late-night crowd to Wings Over, a staple in many college towns.

The idea of a boneless wing always seemed wrong to me, until I tried the DC-3. The boneless wings at Wings Over aren’t flat and lifeless, like some chicken tenders. Nor are they sauced nuggets like at Buffalo Wild Wings. Each bite of the crispy, hand-battered chicken is perfectly sauced. My favorite sauce is the sweet Honey BBQ. When we got back to the hotel room, I dunked my wings in ranch until I feel asleep. Click here for part two.