Beyond The Wawa
When you go to a small suburban school, it’s easy to feel like there isn’t much to do. Glenside is a small town with several charming restaurants, shops, and plazas. Though, if I’m being honest, I didn’t find much interest in this small town until recently. All I really paid attention to was the Wawa we have 10 minutes away.
As my time here at Arcadia is ending, I can’t help but feel as if there’s an invisible clock ticking away in the back of my mind. I love it here, and I just know I’m going to miss it once I graduate. To try and mitigate this feeling of dread and uncertainty, I’ve chosen to put my energy towards enjoying the rest of my time here. So much so that I’ve decided to take part in a personal expedition to explore Glenside as thoroughly as I can before graduation.
This new journey of mine is helping me cope with the feelings of anxiety that I have around graduation, and while I’m excited to see what comes next, it’s crazy to think this 4-year chapter in my life is on its last page! As a blogger, I’ve written extensively about my feelings about college, change, and growing up. Now, I want to put my effort towards creating good experiences in the present! What would happen if 10 years from now someone asked me about my time living in Glenside, and all I can recall is the Wawa! I’ll be a monkey’s uncle before that happens.
So, a couple of weeks back, I took the 22 SEPTA bus all the way down to the Wawa. There, I got off and continued on foot. I googled, “restaurants near me” and a place called El Limon popped up. I immediately started walking in that direction. There, I found a cute and colorful Mexican restaurant that has the best tostadas I’ve ever tasted. I went back 5 more times within 2 weeks.
On my way back from El Limon, I walked past an ice cream shop called CJ’s Sweet Palace. I was so intrigued that I walked in, and I was not disappointed. CJ’s is a sweet treat shop that sells anything from ice cream to water ice to cookies. One of my favorite things about this shop is the “Leave Your Mark” board, which is a big sheet of paper put up on the wall with fun questions! Then customers can put their answers to the questions on the board with paint markers that are readily available for you. I think it’s a great way to build community, and I always write something when there’s a new question on the wall!
While these two places were only the start of my exploration journey, my next two locations are The Glenside Pub which seems to be a burger and ale joint, and Jasmine Asian Bistro which looks to be a local Asian restaurant. Hopefully, more to come! However, take the advice from a senior, don’t wait til your last year to explore your college town. You never know what could be right next door.
