$2009 Gainesville Challenge Support

Hello everyone, We have a few people from Gainesville on here, so I thought it may be helpful to have a place to field any questions about the area. Restaurants, where to get a beer, auto parts availability, etc..

Best Burgers: Copper Monkey. Seafood: Ballyhoo. Bars: University across from Ben Hill Griffin. Stay away from the East Side

Donut Connection is between the hotel and the track. I like Donut Connection. I plan on taking advantage of the provided food at the hoe-tizzle fer supper.

mmmm, Chipotle. (drool)

Good mall to shop at for the women ? ? Bingo parlor ? moose club ? Nitrous oxide wholesale ? Physician that writes good paper ? Bus station ? red light district ? Bail bondsmen phone number ? Walk in clinic ? I do know one thing there is a sonny's bar b que right down the street on 121 from the track that we had a great meal at last year .

Karl La Follette wrote: one thing there is a sonny's bar b que right down the street on 121 from the track that we had a great meal at last year .

Yeah, because that's the original one. Sonny's doesn't get any better than there.

Karl La Follette wrote: Good mall to shop at for the women ? ? Bingo parlor ? moose club ? Nitrous oxide wholesale ? Physician that writes good paper ? Bus station ? red light district ? Bail bondsmen phone number ? Walk in clinic ? I do know one thing there is a sonny's bar b que right down the street on 121 from the track that we had a great meal at last year .

I don't care if the questions were facetious, I'm answering them anyway.

Mall: Do you want a mall for women to shop at or a "mall" to shop for women? The mall, take I-75 south and exit at Newberry road; go east. If it's women you're looking for, just walk around campus on Thursday or Friday afternoon. Window shopping is free.

There's a place on Waldo Road around Jim Gay Blvd. that does bingo, but I've never been and have no idea when it is.

Moose club: I have no idea, but we have a VA hospital where you can ask around at.

Nitrous Oxide wholesale: We have plenty of dentists, I'm sure they'll let you take a wholesale whiff.

Bus Station: Bus Stops we have plenty of, but I think the nearest Greyhound is a few cities over.

Red light district: South on Waldo Road, west on University, south on Main, and west on 4th Ave. When 4th intersects with a one-way street, you'll see a few fine specimens at the corner of the big optometry building. Okay, they're pre-op transvestites, but Gainesville is a small town, and beggars can't be choosers.

Walk-in clinic: Go south on Waldo Road, West on North 16th Ave, and north on 43rd St. You'll see a Solantic, which I believe is open 7 days a week until 11 PM. Their prices are listed on a menu board like a fast food joint.

Sonny's is pretty good, but I'll list some other restaurants that you should check out. Most of them are kind-of dives, but that's where I like to eat.

A few places in addition to what has been listed above:

Satchel's Pizza: Quirky, a little expensive for what you get, but distinctly Gainesville. Bring cash (they don't accept cards), get the salad, don't be in a hurry, and read the menus.

Leonardo's by the Slice: I eat here far too often. Self explanatory, good food, I like the thick slices myself. Note: Northerners, please do not eat pizza in Gainesville. I'm sure you will be dissappointed, and quite simply, there's nothing more annoying than a NYer complaining about pizza from anywhere else; please spare us.

Stubbies Shirt Pub: My favorite bar; great selection, nice atmosphere, and knowledgeable staff. Don't go here to get drunk; your pockets will leave empty.

Gator Beverage: To get beer to take back to the hotel, this place has the best prices and selection in town. It's a pretty sketchy looking place, though.

Volta: If you're a coffee nerd like me, you will be in heaven here. If you are not, you will wonder why you paid $3 for a cup of coffee.

Auto Parts: Pep Boys is on Newberry Road a mile or so west of of the I-75 exit ramp. We have two around Waldo Rd; one is at the intersection of Waldo and Main, and the other one is a mile or so east off of Main. We also have a Carquest in the same area, but I forget the intersection.

Also note: Just about any restaurant can be delivered in town. Gatorfood.com and 2dollardelivery.com are two of them. I haven't used either, but the option is there if you don't want to leave the hotel, which is kind of far away from the center of town.

We also have a beer/alcohol delivery service that just started up. The Beer Delivery Guys' website is http://gville.info/thebeerdeliveryguys/. Once again, I haven't used them, but it would be nice if you don't want to leave the festivities.

If wives want something to do other than watch cars, and enjoy the outdoors, I would recommend Kanapaha Botanical Gardens just west of I-75 off of Archer Rd (It has an exit). I've been a few times, and it is really nice. Entry is about $5/person. We also have a butterfly exhibit that is pretty amazing at the natural history museum. Entry is $8-$10/person, I believe.

Excuse Mitchell, he hasn't been in Gainesville as long as he thinks...

There IS a Greyhound station in town. Head east on 23rd and you'll find it. Also, forget about the butterfly thing. The basic museum is free! Can't beat that! Also, Satchel's is a pale imitation of Leonardo's. And he forgot about the well hidden Burrito Bros. Find the Target Copy building across from campus, then find the Tow-Away sign with autoparts around it. Jackpot! Great Mexican food is found at El Indio, a little north of campus on 13th.

Sad I'm missing the event!

Osterkraut wrote: Excuse Mitchell, he hasn't been in Gainesville as long as he thinks... There IS a Greyhound station in town. Head east on 23rd and you'll find it. Also, forget about the butterfly thing. The basic museum is free! Can't beat that! Also, Satchel's is a pale imitation of Leonardo's. And he forgot about the well hidden Burrito Bros. Find the Target Copy building across from campus, then find the Tow-Away sign with autoparts around it. Jackpot!

Excuse Osterkraut, he is cranky because he no longer lives here.

Burrito Bros. is good. Get extra red sauce. You won't understand at first, but you will by your second cup of it. Resist the temptation of Chipotle a few hundred feet down the road.

Pretty much. I went to Austin last week, and it made me miss a college town.

Austin might just be better than Gainesville. The Bud Light cans are UT themed! Also, 6th street.

I'm from an hour away, but I'll be there in support capacity. Expect basic knowledge of redneck repairs. I work for free, that's always a good thing.

my number is three eight six nine eight three four one seven seven if you are planning on needing help upon arrival.

I'll also run for things that can't be delivered, like parts.

Osterkraut wrote: Pretty much. I went to Austin last week, and it made me miss a college town. Austin might just be better than Gainesville. The Bud Light cans are UT themed! Also, 6th street.

Well we were gonna get em but Machen shot em down.

I never understood the draw of Burrito Bros, its just not that good, El Indio is better IMO.

I think its affordability was its draw before it moved locations. I prefer Steamers for a cheap lunch in that area.

Got any good sinkholes?

In preparation for next year any good naked lady exhibits(the most tactful way to say what I meant) ?

hobiercr wrote: Got any good sinkholes?

Absolutely! This is a very cool spot.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/devilsmillhopper/

BoneYard_Racing wrote: In preparation for next year any good naked lady exhibits(the most tactful way to say what I meant) ?

Just in case you miss the 6,000 signs on the way down:

...and the phrase "any port in a storm" describes the cafe better than "good."

There used to be another one on the south end of town on 13th st. I worked with a guy at the carwash whose girlfriend worked there. They were both crack-heads.

So what you're saying is bring my own women?

Only if you prefer your women to have teeth.

For some reason the thought of D-list strippers and lunch has never sat well with me.

Well then how many partially clothed(this is a family event after all) can I fit into a blazer

Troll the University area. After, it's just U of F. Now if you were in Miami, we could show you REAL pretty girls. And most of them are REAL girls.

REAL girls? In Miami? Hahahahahaha-that's the land of silicon and plastic. A large portion of the overdone girls in Gainesville are from, you guessed it, Miami!

Sweet Jesus its a college town? How did I not know this? Who wants to drive the car I'll be "busy" all weekend Im a bad person.

Somehow Ive come up with a serious question, any sights you have to see while down here? How is the weather this time of year?

Towing. If you go into town (the hotel and track are kind of on the outskirts), especially downtown or around campus, make sure you don't park in a lot that says that it tows. Roam towing is a lucrative business here, so it's best to be on the safe side.

Weather this time of year is usually pretty mild, upper-70's to low 80's in the mid afternoon. If it's not raining, it should be pretty sunny out.

Sights... If you like water, Cedar Key, a small fishing town, is just a little over an hour due west on the gulf, and the ocean is about 2 hours to the east.

As mentioned before, In Gainesville, we have nice art and natural history museum on campus. Entry is free, except for the butterfly exhibit (which is worth the money IMO).

We have an a natural area called Paynes Prairie. The paved Hawthorne Trail runs along side it towards the beginning.

If you want to see more car related stuff, just south of Gainesville off of I-75 is Don Garlit's museum of drag racing.

How about family (and wife) friendly ideas??