I have a dream
I step through the Sample Gates and look down Kirkwood. I cross Indiana Avenue and don't see a car in sight. Even all the parking spaces are empty, but the streets are full of Hoosiers. \nI step onto the moving sidewalk, which transports me down Kirkwood. I can hear music playing in the background, but it's not the thumping bass from someone's car or music coming from the bars. It's coming from the speakers that line Kirkwood that play only the music I like.\nAs I'm tapping my foot, I look to my left and see Ladyman's Cafe is still in business. I ponder this for a second, but take it in stride as the sun shines down on this cloudless day. As I pass Ladyman's, I look across the street and see people jumping on a giant two-story-high moonwalk. I watch as someone slips down the slide attached to it and lands in a pool. I think about crossing the street to join, but I see something in the distance. I wish the sidewalk would move faster. Then it does. \nAs I get closer I realize it's an 18-hole golf course. I become frustrated as I realize I didn't bring my clubs. I think about what I should do, and I almost trip. I look down and see a bag of Callaway golf clubs. My friends are already playing. I join them.\nBy the time we're done, it's getting dark. We coast back down Kirkwood to look for something to do. We walk into a bar that none of us have seen before, but it feels familiar. We walk up to the stage where a live band is playing. I realize the guy playing guitar is Trey Anastasio. I thought Phish broke up. \nAs Phish finishes its last 45-minute jam, I feel a sharp pain in my head. I open my eyes and realize I just fell out of bed and hit my side table on the way down.
Dreamy additions
Kirkwood Avenue is known as Bloomington's hot spot for nightlife and music entertainment. After recently undergoing numerous changes, such as the addition of Noodles & Company, Pita Pit, Trulli Flatbread and apartments, students are still dreaming of making Kirkwood the ideal place.\nAlmost every night, IU students venture down the main strip, and during the day, Kirkwood brings students, tourists and residents together to visit the locally owned stores or grab a bite to eat. Many students, including sophomore Colleen Ambrose, think Kirkwood is ideal the way it is. Others, such as sophomore Alex Pelsor, would change the street, which can be seen through the Sample Gates, and construct their own dream Kirkwood.\n"It would be cool to have some kind of museum about IU's history," Pelsor said.\nMultiple students said they would like to have more stores and places on Kirkwood that are university oriented. While there are stores on Kirkwood that are owned by the University, none really devote themselves to IU's tradition or history. Senior Ji Won agreed that he would like to see more things related to IU on Kirkwood as well.\nWon said he likes Kirkwood because of the number of people who frequent the street. He said that while other streets, such as Walnut Street, have bars and stores, they are not as heavily traveled as Kirkwood. His dream Kirkwood would have more bars and an even more active nightlife.\nTo further increase the livelihood of Kirkwood at night, freshman Marty Ryan said he would like to see more vendors selling food on the street. He said he likes how someone stands outside Kilroy's Bar & Grill selling food, but thinks there should be more vendors along Kirkwood. In Pelsor's dream Kirkwood, there would also be a place where people under 21 could go at night.\n"Maybe there could be a place where bands play and they could let people under 21 in," he said.\nWhile the nightlife is the main draw of Kirkwood for many students, others such as sophomore Eric Van Gucht would like to see Kirkwood become more family- and community-oriented. He said other than the WonderLab and the Monroe County Public Library, Kirkwood doesn't have many places for children or families to spend time. In addition to family-friendly places, Van Gucht said his dream Kirkwood would have an ice-cream store, now that Jiffy Treat left.\nGraduate student Ryan Hallows said Kirkwood needs more local stores. He said he doesn't want to see any more brand-name stores on Kirkwood. An art gallery or something similar would be on his dream Kirkwood.\n"Things that bring people together are what downtown needs," Hallows said.\nSenior Nicholas Peters also wants Kirkwood to become more community-oriented. He said that right now all you can do on Kirkwood is eat and spend your money. His dream Kirkwood would have far less car traffic. It would also have more opportunities for people to be creative and share their art with the community. \n"It would be cool to have a warehouse-type of thing that is community-accessible, that has multimedia, arts and studio space where people can make music and have space for the community," he said.\nHowever, many students already have their dream Kirkwood. Freshman Jared Goldberg said Kirkwood is one of the things that appealed to him about IU. He said he likes the number of restaurants and stores. Ambrose and freshman Ciara Casey agreed that Kirkwood is perfect the way it is.\n"I love Kirkwood," Ambrose said.
