D i m e n s i o n M a g a z i n e
 
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Table of Contents

Tales from a Downtown Pub Crawl

Where to Buy Used Stuff

Paths of Most Resistance

Road to Excitement

Sir Blaire of Rothes

Six Shooters

Notes from the Underground

Gospel Music?

A Queen for a Day

Madison Street

Discin'

E.C. History

Editor's note

  Drive - The Road to Excitement
By: Melissa Richter

Summer vacation is supposed to be the time to relax and have fun, but often there are times when the same old rituals begin to feel more like work than play ... Dimension has developed a list of four short road trips that offer students the chance to let loose and still have enough money to fill up the gas tank on their way home.

Road Trip 1
Mystic Lake Casino
Location: Prior Lake, Minnesota
Phone Number: (612) 445-9000
Driving Time: 1-1/2 hours

Blackjack Tables: 128
Slot & Video Machines: 2,100
Bingo Seats: 1,200

Mystic Lake is the largest casino in Minnesota and easily can be recognized by the array of lights that surround hundreds of feet above the main building. The casino not only offers gambling, but it also promotes big name performers such as Willie Nelson and George Jones. For college students, this might be a great way to kick back, play some games, and maybe even win enough money to miss work for a couple of weeks. Overall, it offers students a chance to get out of the sun for a while and test their luck.

Road Trip 2
Noah's Ark
Location: Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Phone: (608) 254-6351
Driving Time: 2 hours

Waterslides: 33
Wavepools and Endless Rivers: 4
Restaurants: 12

Noah's Ark has over seventy acres of water activities and an eighteen-hole miniature golf course. For a price of $23.99, students can purchase an all-day pass, which includes all water rides, bumper boats, miniature golf, and wavepools. Noah's Ark is famous for its heart-stopping waterslides such as The Plunge, Jungle Rapids, and Black Thunder. This trip offers the adventurous type of student the chance to have a little fun in the sun while taking some risks.

Road Trip 3
Summerfest
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Phone: (414) 273-FEST
riving Time: 3-1/2 hours

Musical Stages: 12
Marcus Amphitheater seats: 24,000
Restaurants: 53

Summerfest, better known as "The Big Gig," offers some of the best national entertainment featuring many musical genres including rock, alternative, country, jazz, pop, and R&B. This year the fest will take place from June 24 to July 4. Over the past thirty years, Summerfest patrons have witnessed the development of many musical legends. Some of the most well-known acts that have performed at this festival include The Doors, Whitney Houston, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, John Mellencamp, and Jimmy Buffett. The festival's Comedy Stage has enabled audiences to laugh through the years at comedians such as Billy Crystal, Pauly Shore, and Drew Carey. For $9.00 a day, students get the chance to see many different performers as well as get crazy in the midst of 100,000 people daily. Also, they can take the opportunity to throw back a few drinks, take a bite of some great cuisine, and dance the night away on a nearby picnic table.

Road Trip 4
Shedd Aquarium
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Phone: (312) 939-2438
Driving Time: 5-1/2 hours

Aquatic Animals: 8,000
Species of reptiles, fish, amphibians: 650
Newest Feature: 90,000 gallon Caribbean Reef

The Shedd Aquarium is situated on the shores of Lake Michigan and attracts almost two million visitors each year. It has been open since 1930 and has allowed visitors to experience the underwater world that many of us never have seen before. The aquarium offers many daily activities such as dolphin/whale presentations, otter/penguin narration, animal encounters which allow you to actually touch the animals, and the oceanarium tour. For $11.00, students who want to try something different can have the chance to see, touch, and listen to animals in their natural environments.

Live on the edge and try something new. These four road trips can give you the opportunity to get a little adventurous and maybe even come back with a few off-the-wall stories to tell. So grab your keys, round up some friends, and hit the open road. Enjoy what the world has to offer!