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The chow line
HOT PICK: TAQUERIA DEL SOL
Taqueria del Sol is the Atlanta staple for fresh, cheap Tex-Mex. There are three locations where thrifty patrons can find something to satisfy the taco tooth: on the Westside (1200-B Howell Mill Road, 404-352-5811); in Decatur (359 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-377-7668); and on Cheshire Bridge (2165 Cheshire Bridge Road, 404-321-1118).
Who can resist $1.99 shrimp-corn chowder, $2.99 enchiladas or the famous $1.99 flour-tortilla soft tacos? At a whopping $8.99, the chef's Lowcountry chicken is the menu's priciest item, but after a Southern-fried chicken breast served atop ancho-mashed potatoes with Lowcountry gravy and sriracha sauce, you might be able to skip a few meals to save up. Expect slightly surly service, but while you're being herded like cattle, remember: It's just an effort to keep the long line moving.
It is, in fact, possible to become tired of Wendy's after having everything on the 99-cent menu ... twice ... in 48 hours. Luckily, Atlanta is home to a wealth of options for cheap chow.
In college, there is something to be said for proximity. Although beggars can't be choosers, they often have to be walkers. Students on foot from Agnes Scott should check out 5th Earl's (309 E. College Ave., 404-377-5477) cold or hot panini-style sandwiches for only $6.25. In between classes at Georgia State, grab a 12-inch pizza from Slice (259 Peters St., 404-588-1820) for $10.95 or a slice for $2.25. Kool Korners (349 14th St., 404-892-4424) near Georgia Tech offers Cuban sandwiches with the traditional ham, roast pork and Swiss cheese pressed together flat for around $5. Hungry Emory students flock to Los Loros (1248 Clairmont Road, 404-633-3103) for strong margaritas and piles of Mexican food priced less than $10.
For the more adventurous, Buford Highway is Atlanta's Vegas Strip when it comes to cheap, ethnic establishments. Hit the dim sum jackpot at Canton House Chinese Restaurant (4825 Buford Highway, 770-936-9030), where colorful plates of steamed dumplings all cost less than $10. Affordable pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) houses line Buford Highway, but the $2 sandwiches at Lee's Bakery (4005 Buford Highway, Suite C, 404-728-1008), stuffed with meat and pickled veggies on freshly baked French bread for an amazing $2, offer a different taste of Vietnam. 88 Tofu House (5490 Buford Highway, Doraville, 770-457-8811) serves bubbling tofu soups 24 hours a day for $6.99.
Empty calories may fill the belly, but believe it or not, a good, square meal is still within your reach. Eats (600 Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-888-9149) serves pasta plates and meat with veggies for less than $10. Cure a wave of homesickness at Son's Place (100 Hurt St., 404-581-0530) with soul food made from scratch starting at $6.95. For comfort without the lard, head to Green Sprout (1529 Piedmont Ave., Suite D, 404-874-7373) where vegetarian Chinese entrees cost about $8 and soups, $1.95.
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Top 5
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By Andisheh Nouraee
The Atlanta translator dictionary
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By Andisheh Nouraee
Most dramatic
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By Renee Strevens
Ride of your life
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By Laura McMillan
The cheap-but-chic shopping guide
HOT PICK: RAG-O-RAMA A cheap, trendy and organized (finally) take on the traditional thrift store, Rag-O-Rama is the kind of shop you leave bragging about what you spent. It has everything from $2 earrings to $28 men's suits. Orange tags signal items discounted 50 percent, dropping some men's dress shirts to $4 and some T-shirts to $3. Both men's and...
By Tammy Vinson
Safety first
"Theft is the most common crime on just about every college campus. Almost every kid has a laptop, everyone has a cell phone and an iPod and a digital camera, so it's easy to leave that stuff out and walk away. Before you come to school, write down the serial numbers of your electronic devices so if they're ever lost...
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Top 5
COLLEGE NIGHT AT THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART Once a year, Atlanta's premier art museum stays open late for college students to mix and mingle artsy-fartsy-style. It's a great chance to meet kids from other Atlanta colleges because it's always super packed. So keep your calendars open; this school year, college night will occur Feb. 9. In the meantime, co-eds...
By Casey McIntyre
Most outgoing
Morehouse's Phi Beta Sigma brothers grab the crowd's attention as they stomp out the rhythm of brotherhood, twirling canes at their sides and tapping them on the pavement in unison. The canes signify manhood and status, while the steps mark centuries of African tribal traditions. Bryan Nails and his fraternity take pride in stepping, but they also do it to...
By Renee Strevens
The great Greek debate: Noah vs. Noah
So I hear you want to be in my fraternity, punk. Well I suggest you read this list of frat-life pros and cons first to decide if it's something you really want to do. Because there's nothing worse than you regretting your decision two weeks into pledging, crying to your mother about what we made you do, and getting us...
By Noah Gardenswartz
It's a date
HOT PICK: LES FLEUR DE LIS CAFÉ Les Fleur de Lis Café oozes eclectic Parisian style. The tiny bistro is tucked into a corner of the Healy Building in downtown's Fairlie-Poplar district. It has authentic French fare, including amazing almond croissants, and a charmingly cluttered interior. Embrace the French's leisurely approach to dining, and the two of you might just...
By Adina Fleming
Youth movement
For local college students, activism provides an outlet to express views on everything from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to environmental issues, and a way to bond with people who share similar beliefs. N. Ryan Haney, who graduated from Kennesaw State University last spring, formerly led the KSU Campus Greens, a group with ties to the Georgia Green Party....
By Mosi Reeves
The sporty shopping guide
HOT PICK: CITY SPORTSWhether you're looking for swimming goggles, beer-pong paddles, Rollerblade wheels or boxing gloves, you'll find it at City Sports. Of course, City Sports has baseballs, weights and water bottles, too. The extensive sportswear collection includes such specialty items as hiking socks, microfiber clothing and sweat-reducing apparel. The prices are similar to those at other sports stores, but...
By Tammy Vinson
Finding your happy place
"Get on the same page as your roommate. This will eliminate many areas of stress. Figure out times that are study time, socialization time, your sleeping habits and class times. There needs to be a balance. Time management is another big thing that will decrease stress. I'm a big believer of grabbing 'At-a-Glance' monthly calendars. At the very beginning of...
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Top 5
Whether you fancy some hot-and-sweaty booty shaking or an unpretentious pub with free-flowing taps, there's a spot in the Atlanta nightlife scene for you. Here's a quick hit list of places you gotta check out. PEACHTREE TAVERN This Buckhead complex also houses Moondogs and Hole in the Wall, and is the weekend hot spot for frat boys and sorority chicks....
By Casey McIntyre
Most likely to be seen
For a guy who was trying to stay away from the music industry, Garret "World Famous G-MACK" Webster did a poor job of it. "The music industry is a business first, and anybody can be a casualty if you're not bringing in the dollars," he says. "And you can't always expect to be treated fairly." But a run-in with Mayhem,...
By Debbie Michaud
School of rock
You've just formed your first band. Your guitarist plays gutsier rhythm than Interpol's Paul Banks. Your bassist is a quick learner who already has the studied melodiousness of Electrelane's Ros Murray. Your drummer is as polyrhythmic as Battles' John Stanier. And you've got all the songwriting skills, ringing guitar lines and vocal charisma of Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock. Maybe, then,...
By Mosi Reeves
Snack attack
HOT PICK: THE MAJESTIC DINER Under Inky the bouncer's watchful gaze at the Majestic, a mixed crowd crams into the 24-hour diner on Ponce in the wee hours of the night. Standard Southern-style fare from breakfast food and burgers to shrimp baskets and pork chops fills the menu. Here, the greasy food is less the attraction than is the scene....
By Adina Fleming
It's time to party
"I love being slutty. It's lots of fun," the 22-year-old chick who looks like she dyed her hair with strawberry Kool-Aid says as she holds up her T-shirt and jumps up and down, jiggling her braless boobs at the bar. Though barely a B-cup, it's obvious Iris is a handful. Indeed, her milk shake brings all the boys to the...
By Rodney Carmichael
The club-hoppin' shoppin' guide
HOT PICK: 1.FIVE.0 1.five.0's name didn't come out of nowhere; everything in the store costs less than $150. The shop lives up to its motto as a "hip, lifestyle fusion boutique," with racks of colorful dresses and tops for women alongside guys' jeans and printed tees. Average prices range from $20 for tops and $50 to $70 for dresses. If...
By Tammy Vinson
Drunken daze
"Me and two of my closest friends split three bottles of champagne that were leftovers from my sister's wedding one month earlier. One bottle apiece. We had bought some tallboys, also, to help us ride the night out. We downed the champagne and started guzzling cans of Coors when two more friends arrived with an enormous, special-edition bottle of peach...
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Work it
TURNER BROADCASTING Get your feet wet in the entertainment business by applying for the Turner Trainee Team program, an 11-month paid position with benefits that allows recent grads to try their hand at the company's divisions, including Cartoon Network, TBS and TNT. ALSTON & BIRD Not sure if you're ready for law school yet? Get a taste as a paralegal...
By Alyssa Abkowitz
Most likely to succeed
Laurel Graefe isn't just showing off. After graduating second in her class and magna cum laude from Agnes Scott College with a degree in economics last May, Graefe wanted to snag a job she knew would make a real difference, not just a gig to pay the bills. "I'm really interested in U.S./Latin America relations and public policy, and I...
By Casey McIntyre
The afterlife
Figuring out what to do after college graduation is absolutely terrifying. No one wants to face reality: that the denouement of life when you really didn't have a care in the world has arrived and the angst of not knowing what the future holds rapidly sets in. Perhaps it's your grand expectations, lack of grand expectations, pressure from parents or...
By Alyssa Abkowitz
Reverse senioritis
A good friend of mine recently began her dream job working at the glamorous TimeWarner building in Manhattan. "So this is it," she told me on the phone after her first day. "This is what I'll be doing for the rest of my life." It's not that she wasn't thrilled to be living in the Big City (although what she...
By Casey McIntyre
All in good taste
HOT PICK: RATHBUN'S RESTAURANTS As you set out to set up your own empire, look to executive chef Kevin Rathbun's sizable corner of Atlanta not only for nourishment, but also for business inspiration. Krog Street is home to all three of Rathbun's restaurants: Rathbun's, Kevin Rathbun Steak and Krog Bar. The original Rathbun's will make any uptown girl swoon if...
By Laura McMillan
The dressed-to-kill shopping guide
HOT PICK: HOT TICKET Finding reasonably priced formal wear in Atlanta ain't easy. Aside from the mall and high-end boutiques, there simply aren't many choices, so thank God for East Cobb's Hot Ticket. Owner Cindy Aertker has acquired quite a selection of dresses since her store's opening two years ago. The store has everything from classic dresses to fully beaded...
By Tammy Vinson
Career fare
Don't quote us "Do some sort of internship while you're in school or definitely as soon as you get out. It gives you some real-world experience and lets you find out if you really want to do this or not. Polish your résumé. Remember to include extracurricular activities, leadership activities, and any honors or awards. Start discerning the kind of...
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Add it up
Average amount an undergraduate takes out in loans for four years of college: $19,237 Cost of a basic Toshiba laptop computer: $449.99 Approximate cost of a year's worth of textbooks for a freshman: $850 Cost of a twin, extra-long bed in a bag: $129.99 Cost of a shower caddy: $9.99 Cost of an unlimited meal plan per semester at Georgia...
By Alyssa Abkowitz
Top 5
HAVE DINNER AT MARY MAC'S Sure, pizza's tasty and the student cafeteria is convenient, but if you leave the South without sampling authentic Southern cooking, you'll face years of well-deserved ridicule. There are many places we could suggest, but Mary Mac's Tea Room is a good start. It's an Atlanta institution that serves up such comfort-food staples as chicken livers...
By Scott Henry
Atlanta Area Colleges and Universities
AGNES SCOTT COLLEGE Coming in at No. 11 on the Princeton Review's "Dorms Like Palaces" list, Agnes Scott's ivy-league-esque brick buildings (right) have set the backdrop for Scream 2 and offered shelter to such famous alum as Katherine Krill, CEO of Ann Taylor. Founded: 1889; student population: 914; accredited: yes. 141 E. College Ave., Decatur. 404-471-5300. www.agnesscott.edu. AMERICAN INTERCONTINENTAL UNIVERSITY...
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About the cover
In a brainstorming meeting to come up with a cover idea for the College Guide, CL Publisher Dave Schmall suggested having a student design it. Great idea, except that it was the dead of summer and most students were far from their classrooms. Well, we decided to go for it anyway, and received some impressive entries. Robert Burroughs, a Georgia...
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