UT Tyler Student's Court Date Adventure!

Helpful Tips Included.

This is a little story about my adventure with the court system in the city of Tyler. It’s magical, really. And it all started with a warning for speeding.

Have you ever been told to do something and for some reason you just didn’t get around to it? Maybe your mom told you to clean you room three years ago, but you found yourself too enthralled with being a slob to do what she asked. Or maybe you told your boss that OF COURSE you would get that filing done this Friday, but then someone brought cake to work and everyone got chatty (including you) and oh look, it isn’t finished and it’s time to leave. You walk sneakily off and vow to get it done first thing on Monday.

Yea. Don’t do that with the court system. Especially in Smith County. 

A factual account of corruption in the ETX Justice system.
Full text in the link. Have fun :) Via WikiLeaks

As a couple of you may know, I just recently got owned by the Tyler Municipal Court. It began innocently enough, when I received a warning for speeding and was told by the officer to get my license changed to reflect my new address. I did not do that last bit. Four months later I received snail mail telling me that I had missed my own court date and owed the city of Tyler $690.00. I thought I would be able to get out of the fines, and now I have my very first payment plan. I feel like a real life adult now. No really.

My face when I found out I would not be getting out of my fines
EW. Via PrettyVices

10 THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COURT BEFORE 

YOU FOOL AROUND AND OWE THE CITY YOUR FIRST BORN.

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! 

Feeling Greek?

                The thing about small cities is that they aren't small enough to the point where Bealls is the mall and the mini supermarket is the Wal-Mart. That being said, Tyler, Texas lacks some excitement, but it still has enough amenities to not be considered a small town. Even though there is no three story malls, there is something you can count on being in Tyler; Restaurants. Tyler has a lot of restaurants with new establishments already being built. What does this mean? You have options.

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. 

The Tyler Beauty and the Beast Bike Tour

Recently I was told about the Tyler Bicycle Club, a group of cycling enthusiasts and other supporters of the cycling community in Tyler and other parts of East Texas.  Membership for the club includes novice cyclists who are encouraged to take part in the joys of the activity, as well as experienced cyclists who wish to continue improving in the activity that they love. 

The Tyler Bicycle Club is a growing organization, and they are looking for new cycling enthusiasts from the area!  The group partakes in group rides, cycling tours, and many other activities meant to reach out to the community.  If you are interested in the organization, check out their website for more information!

Perhaps the most famous cycling event that the club sponsors is the Beauty and the Beast Bike Tour, a 67-mile bike tour through the hills of East Texas.  Cyclists get to see the beauty of East Texas throughout the bike ride, and then, they tackle The Beast, a 7/10ths of a mile ride from Nixon to Highway 69.  The video below discusses how brutal this part of the race is…it is a doozy.

Joseph Canter and Addison Day produced the following video about the Beauty and the Beast Bike Tour, a fantastic yearly event that both supports the community, and allows cyclists to come together and take part in a long ride, something that they all enjoy.  Check out the website for the Beauty in the Beast Bike Tour for more information! 

Things in the City of Tyler: Tyler Public Library

Yes, we have a library on campus, in case you still have yet to figure that out.  However, there are students on campus that have not ventured out to the Tyler Public Library. I currently work at the public library, so let me introduce you. If you live within the Tyler city limits, (i.e. you have moved here recently or pay Tyler property taxes*) all the resources are free. Ready for a walk-through?