A Taste of Tyler: Culinary Masterpieces of East Texas Unite!

Who would have thought that the once humble City of Tyler (Home of the University of Texas At Tyler!) would become one of the most well-known hubs of culinary treasures in Texas? For all of you foodies out there, whether you're a starving college gourmet or a food aficionado from the Tyler community, or you're even a visitor from the surrounding area, this annual event is one that will whet your appetite and hopefully satisfy your dizziest foodie daydreams.

Do you see all of these people? And this was the smaller room! 

Raising Cane's Coming to Tyler

If you have ever dined at a Raising Cane’s restaurant, you will immediately understand why this announcement deserves a blog post.

A famous chicken finger restaurant is heading to Tyler in the near future.  Raising Cane’s is to open at the corner of Broadway and Loop 323, just in front of the First Christian Church of Tyler.  They have already begun the landscaping work to prepare for the grand opening (cutting down trees, landscaping, etc.).  The city has not released a grand opening date for the restaurant, but the anticipation is still causing a large amount of excitement for the community.

If you have not been lucky enough to partake in some of the delicious chicken products from Raising Cane’s, you are seriously missing out.  Famous for their chicken fingers and their dipping sauce, the restaurant holds its origins in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1996, and has since expanded to many states in the South and Midwest United States. 

This is the first of several restaurants rumored to open in the coming months, including Steak and Shake on University Boulevard, across from the UT Tyler campus, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and Razzoo’s Cajun Restaurant.   All of these are very good restaurants, but the one that has me the most excited is Raising Cane’s.

Fun fact about Raising Cane’s: While NBA superstar Dwight Howard was in discussion with the Dallas Mavericks in regards to joining the team, Dallas-Ft. Worth area Raising Cane’s ran a campaign to convince Howard to sign on with the team.  If he were to do so, the chain would give him free chicken fingers for life, an offer that would cost nearly $530,000 for the restaurant.  I am not sure how he was able to pass that offer up.

For more information about the restaurant, as well as new locations in the future, check out their website.  Get excited people, because their chicken is seriously delicious. 

Shopping centers for UT Tyler students! Grab that plastic!

                You’re waiting patiently in line, machines beeping, associates speaking, and then it’s your turn. You turn over your future belongings and then you slide your card. There’s no other thrill like sliding a card and having bought something.

                People play tennis, others play soccer, but some play the sport of shopping. Yes it’s a sport. You compete against other buyers when there’s a sale, you make sure you get the advantage of the best price for your size; you hustle towards something you like hoping someone won’t take it from you.

                Shopping has a mental component. You constantly battle internally against what you need and what you want. Oh these shorts are what I need, but that shirt would look really great! But oh you have a million shirts already, but you don’t have that specific one. You fight the urge to spend what you don’t have.

                But it’s all alright, because shopping enables us to escape the stresses of the world as we try on different things. A great look can make you feel more confident and put a smile on your face. It can also impress that special someone.

                So I will tell you some great places you can go to in Tyler with the best deals.

                Yes we do have the Broadway Square Mall, but some of the stores are a little out of our budget. Except for some stores like The Body Shop and Wet Seal for girls, and American Eagle and G by Guess for guys.

                There are shopping centers around town that have great deals for marked down prices. Two of my favorites are Marshall’s and Ross. They have any brand you would like, well except for the high fashion brands. But that’s alright because not all of us can afford to spend that much.

                Marshalls is full of great brands like Polo by Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Guess, Chaps, and many more. They have shoes at great prices; they have shirts, pants, dresses, hair products, and even home décor. It’s a great pass time. But one of my favorite things about it is that they offer layaway, meaning you can put some items on hold and make payments on them. Convenient? I think so!

                Ross is just the same as Marshall’s, but without the layaway. If you can’t find something in one store you can go to another.

                There are other stores that really offer great quality of clothes, such as Macy’s, Khol’s, Target, and there’s even boutiques that offer unique items that you won’t find anywhere else in town.

                So take out that plastic, spend wisely, and feel great!

               

                 

East Texas All-Star Showcase

As some of you may already be aware, Tyler is home to a plethora of local music ready at any time to enter your ears and expand your mind. However, even less of you are aware of the East Texas All-Star Showcase happening on September 7^th in Downtown Tyler’s Square. This is the 3^rd annual event, and it plans to showcase the best of the best in East Texas music. This year will mark the first appearance of local garage rock band Channel 8.

Even fewer people who are aware of the showcase are aware of my second band, Channel 8. I actually split my musical time between The Problem Preachers and a garage rock band. Channel 8 is a two-piece collaboration consisting of me on guitar and vocals, along with Casey Coomer of Man & Knife. Those of you who frequent The Coffin Shop most likely have met Casey. Along with Adam Russell, Casey is half the inner workings of The Coffin Shop.

Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q: The Best BBQ in Tyler, and Possibly All of Texas

     

Stanley's Famous Bar-B-Q

     I hear this statement far too often on campus at UT Tyler: “I have never eaten at Stanley’s.”  Every time some poor soul says this to me I get excited, because I know a great opportunity awaits them.  If you have never eaten at Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, let alone heard of it, drop everything and read the rest of this blog post.  You are about to be enlightened.

     

     My first experience at Stanley’s was in Mid-August of 2011, the day I moved to Tyler.  My debate coach told me all of his new students are required to eat at Stanley’s at least once while they attend UT Tyler, but after taking a bite of their ridiculously amazing barbecue, I knew that it would be a restaurant I would return to more than once.

The Giant Frito Pie.
Good luck finishing it in one sitting.

     

     Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q has been around for over 50 years in Tyler, but in the year 2000

Tyler Yoga In the Park

As college students, we tend to have a pretty stressful time in college. With studying, jobs, friends, and everything else in between, it's we can get pretty wound up! I know I do! It is also really hard sometime to find time for ourselves. Not necessarily hanging out with friends and going out somewhere, but actual time to take a step back from the fast pace world and RELAX in a very calm and peaceful environment. Yes, as in YOGA relaxing :) 

Most people know yoga as doing those really crazy, bendy, seems impossible kind of poses. And before I actually went to classes, both traditional and power yoga (more fast pace and cardio), this is what I thought it all was. When I took my power yoga class for a fitness class here at UT Tyler, we wrote a paper about the benefits of yoga. And yes, if you Google, you will find out that it has SO many benefits such as, it helps with flexibility, strength and posture, but also helps with  asthma, arthritis, blood pressure, insomnia, and depression. Go ahead and research yourself about the benefits!

If you don’t have time to go to weekly classes that are offered in HPC or at your gym! Or, look into the group they are forming in Tyler!

Tyler Yoga In the Park’s first run will be April 21st at noon in the Bergfeld park. It would be just a gathering of people wanting to get some sunshine and exercise now and again! With a yoga enthusiast who will lead an easygoing 1 hour yoga session for all levels :) 

They are starting a group that does casual yoga in the park for about an hour on Sunday afternoons during good weather about once a month. 

Please join them! It is totally free! There are no commitment or anything like that so this is all voluntary and all up to you.

I think it’s an awesome idea! So come out when you feel like your Zen, serenity and your inner chi could use some boostingJ