10 coolest states

By Benjamin Telsey and Stephen Hess

Richmond '09

Let's be honest, there is really nothing going on at UR between the time classes end on Friday and forties at four. Some people like the nap time, others try to get laundry out of the way, but we'll pass on both! Give us a nice, relaxing D-hall session! No need to rush, nowhere to go! So, enjoy your food like you're actually in the South -- breathe between bites. Take time to actually enjoy the people you are with -- no need to talk about classes, or how "busy" you are (because everyone at UR is in the same boat). And once the people you walked in with take up their trays and head on, just go grab a bowl of cereal, move to another table, and start it up with the next wave of people. Two hours later and you'll still be there (so will Jerry)! This past week we decided to spice up our favorite pastime and spend the time debating about the top 10 states in America. We used our own personal bias along with factors such as geographic diversity, cool cities, good sports, sweet colleges, impressive scenery and unique culture to create this list -- but mostly it came down to how vehemently someone could argue for or protest against a particular state. So here is what was concluded after two hours or so:

Top 10 States in America:

10. Texas - Impressive state, but over the top in everything, so we decided to humble it (it tried to become its own nation -- not cool).

9. Massachusetts - Boston is a cool city and their accents amuse us, but its never a good sign when your citizens are called Massholes.

8. North Carolina - Greatest college basketball rivalry, beaches, mountains, friendliness.

7. Louisiana - Epic city, best food, most corruption, hurricanes, a true "heaven and hell."

6. Tennessee - Smoky mountains, Memphis barbeque, Nashville music and food.

5. Colorado - No history, but a wilderness haven.

4. Virginia - No major city or sports, but big time scenery, colleges and history.

3. Pennsylvania - Top 3 Criteria: legit big city, sports, history, beautiful.

2. New York - the entire world revolves around NYC; the Adirondacks are nice, too.

1. California - This state is legit. Can't argue against a state that created the Internet, has San Diego, San Francisco and the highway between them, and the fifth largest economy in the world.

Now, in writing this, we hope that state-ism will overwhelm your calm, rational dispositions and prompt humorous debate over which state truly reigns supreme! I hope you all will consider an afternoon meal at D-hall as the site of your debates -- we know our next one will be over a meal (on a tray) on a relaxing Friday afternoon!