Things Morgantown Needs
I’ve never been the long-term resident of a big city, so by my standards, Morgantown isn’t a half-bad place to live. There are some great restaurants and plenty to do outdoors. There is also a rich collegiate identity that permeates everything about the town, which adds to Morgantown’s character.
But, after living here for two-and-a-half years, there are a few things that this town is lacking.
Let’s talk taxis. Most of my bar hopping days are behind me, but every now and then I like to go watch a game and have a few beers. Like any responsible law student, how I get to and fro safely and legally is important. I’m aware of the Mountain Line (aka “the Drunk Bus”), but it can often be as elusive as an albino unicorn in a snowstorm. In addition, those buses are packed like sardines on Friday and Saturday nights. Having more taxis would lessen the congestion on the Mountain Line buses as well as give students another option for getting around town safely and legally.
Raising Canes. If you’ve never had the delicacy of Cane’s, boy you’re missing out. The drive-thru attendant has the joy of saying “chicken chicken what combo you pickin’” to every patron, and the menu is limited to just four options. However, Cane’s secret sauce sets it apart from any other chicken chain. It’s tangy, mildly spicy, and I could eat it by the gallon. There are locations scattered throughout the eastern United States, especially in college towns, and it just makes sense that Cane’s make the move to WVU. Fun Fact: if you’ve ever heard of the show “Secret Millionaire,” founder and CEO Todd Graves participated in the show, where he went undercover in Louisiana for eight days.
Shopping. For you ladies, my girlfriend, a law student at the University of Kentucky, was insistent that she write a section on shopping. “We all love it, some days we need it, and traveling to Morgantown the few times I have, it’s hard to say that retail stores are as readily available as they should be. Don’t get me wrong, there are some really cute boutiques and men’s stores downtown, but I think we can all agree that there’s nothing like a little retail therapy at the mall. Aside from Forever 21, the shopping at Morgantown Mall is seriously lacking. For a city its size, it is unacceptable that Morgantown has a mall that size with hardly anything in it. And Morgantown is so much more than just a college town. While I value the Forever 21s and American Eagles of the retail world, we’re at that age where professional clothing comes first. I’m in law school at the University of Kentucky, and I have the convenience of shopping at J. Crew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Loft, and Macy’s at Fayette Mall, just to name a few. It doesn’t make sense to me that Morgantown has so few options for young female professionals. I would love to see Morgantown Mall bring in some of these bigger name retail stores without taking away from the downtown businesses. But for now, at least there’s Washington, PA.” – Laci Browning
