First Impressions

At this very moment I am sitting in Caribou Coffee on W. Market St. in Akron, OH. It's a bit overcast but 78 outside, so a great change from the close to 100 degree weather (before humidity!) in Baton Rouge.

In addition to the weather, everything else so far has been really nice, even the drive from Cleveland Hopkins International to Akron was pleasant. I am staying with a couple who live in West Akron, and they have been more than hospitable and have made my trip so much easier. Yesterday after we ate they took me on a driving tour around West Akron to downtown and campus. There wasn't too much activity, but it was a Monday night and it's summer. They pointed out a couple of hangouts and restaurants, including this coffee shop, and there are certainly enough places to keep me occupied. The drive down Market St. in an area called Highland Park looks much like Green Hills in Nashville, with its hilly landcsape and eclectic storefronts. Another feature worth pointing out is that there's a public, rock radio station, 91.3 The Summit, here in Akron. It's a member-supported station, so no commercials, which plays a good blend of rock/pop/alternative stuff. I've been listening to it in addition to WKSU, the NPR affiliate.

Today, I drove myself to campus to take a tour of the law school. It's one of the older buildings on campus, but that's only because many of the others are so new, so it's by no means run down. The lobby is nice and plush, and the student lounge has plenty of space and even offices for each of the student organization presidents. I may have to run for, or start one (Akron Law School Progressive Student Alliance ftw!), one of these positions just so I can have my own office in the building. The library was a typical law library, very dense with books, but lots of space for reading and several group study rooms which can be checked out in advance. Even all the tables had power strips on them so that four laptop-equipped students could share a table and not have to fight over outlets. I guess noticing something like that truly confirms how geeky I am. The classrooms are all very spacious (read: not 2nd story Himes classrooms), and I was very satisfied that this would be the building where I will be spending the majority of my time in the next three years.

The rest of campus is exceptionally nice. It's very different from LSU's in that it is adjacent to, and thus blends in with, downtown Akron. It's well designed in that most of the car traffic goes around the perimeter of campus with lots and garages all around, whereas most of the foot traffic occupies the interior of campus, with the student union pretty much in dead center. As I mentioned, many of the other buildings are very new. Several department buildings, including the honors center, are very new red brick and glass buildings and when viewed in tandem along the nice landscaping make for a very picturesque setting. The union was just finished in Dec 2002, and it boats a variety of services, pretty much identical to LSU. The most impressive building on campus is the dual tower (12 and 9 stories each) Goodyear Polymer Science building. It of course sits right next to the law building to bring everything into stark contrast.

Later today I will meet with a guy named Scott who is looking for a roommate to share his half of a duplex just a few blocks up the street from where I am. He graduated from UA Law in 2005 and is currently practicing; he had a court date today. He already has full living room furnishings and appliances (including washer/dryer) so this would be pretty ideal if it works out. The price is nice too, $300/mo. + 1/2 utilities.

So, everything so far is working out well, and hopefully will continue to do so. I'll update tomorrow or Thursday to share the rest of the trip.