Well come on in a sit a spell. Ya’ll gonna git a rare opportunity to learn somethin’ useful.

You will be able to hear the straight poop about De-town and Northern from someone who has lived in the area all of his natural life, me.

As you can tell by the byline that my name is Nick and, yes, I am Swedish. That doesn’t really have to do with anything except that there are a lot of Swedes and Swedbergs in the area. This fact isn’t important for this column though.

What matters is that you are new to NIU and need a guide to the tri-city (DeKalb, Sycamore and Cortland) area. Welcome to your Townie’s Guide to the Lesser Metropolitan Area.

Eat

This is my favorite subject to talk about. If the type is smudged, it’s probably because I am drooling on the paper.

Despite the apparent lack of any good restaurants, there are a few chic dining spots in the area.

If your tastes run on the expensive side, there are options for you. Restaurants like Johnny’s Charhouse, 1950 DeKalb Avenue No. A, and La Za Za Trattoria, 2496 DeKalb Avenue, are some of the more expensive and classier joints.

However, if you are the typical college student – like me – you are poor. We have the standard fare of fast food restaurants and greasy spoons available for your dining pleasure. There also are the standard pizza places, like Papa John’s, Dominos and Pizza Hut.

Some of the more unique pizzerias in DeKalb include Pagliai’s and Pizza Villa, with its famous spinning clown doll. That thing still gives me the creeps every time I see it.

For all of you insomniacs and late-night partiers, DeKalb has two options for a sit-down restaurant meal. The Junction, 816 W. Lincoln Highway, offers the standard greasy spoon fare, but closes for a couple hours each night.

Around The Clock, 1039 W. Hillcrest Drive, on the other hand, is open 24 hours a day, no reservation required.

On the subject of restaurants, a buddy of mine raised an interesting question one day. He wondered whether I was a Lukolos or a Tom & Jerry’s man. Both are similar restaurants that serve delicious carbo-loaded food.

Since I’m from around here, I prefer Tom & Jerry’s and its famous gyros. Lukolos is not without its charms, though.

Drink

A staple of many college students’ nightlife is the bars, and NIU is no exception. Each bar has a different personality.

Molly’s Eatery and Drinkery, 1022 W. Lincoln Highway, is the quintessential meat market. Everyone I talk to says that is the place where all the pretty ladies go. And where the ladies are, so follow the men.

Fatty’s, located downtown, is a bit more laid back but gets just as crowded as any bar on Tuesdays. Fatty’s offers 40 cent drafts where others offer 50 cent drafts on Tuesdays.

Having recently turned 21, I only have begun going to the bars. They are fun every once in a while, but the prices are so expensive, you could easily drop a mint.

Be Merry

The key to having a good time, whether at the bars or anywhere else, is the people you surround yourself with.

Parties are fun, if you invite the right people. I have had the fortunate experience of partying with different sorts of people.

The first are my friends from back in high school. These friends, along with others from my hometown, prefer the laid-back good time. They like to play guitars and sing songs. They’d like nothing better than sit around a bonfire and drink beer till the wee hours of the night.

The other are the people I have met here at college. They are from all sorts of different places: the suburbs, down south, the big city, etc. The majority of them are from the bigger cities to the east and prefer the big parties with loud house music.

Some people I have met don’t like to do either. They prefer to go to the movies or just hang out with their friends in their residence hall rooms and apartments.

I enjoy doing all of those options with people. The thing that you will figure out is what you prefer to do. You then will find people who have similar tastes. Now is the time to find out what you like and what you are like.