{"id":27004,"date":"2015-09-09T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=27004"},"modified":"2015-09-08T17:42:38","modified_gmt":"2015-09-08T22:42:38","slug":"27004","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/27004\/","title":{"rendered":"Welcome to The Velvet Ditch"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beautiful Oxford, Mississippi is ready for the new arrivals, but there are a few things\"Oxford1\"<\/a> you should know before you begin to galavant aimlessly around town.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Welcome, newcomer, to Oxford, Mississippi! You may have noticed the signs on the way into town that advertise Oxford as \u201ca nice place to live.\u201d This is technically a matter of opinion, but around here, everyone seems to more or less accept it as fact. We\u2019d like to help you help us keep it that way.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some things that are good to do <\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

when you live in Oxford:<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Eat, drink, and be merry. The Oxford area is rightly renowned for its inordinate number of high-quality eateries and watering holes, and this is something of which to take advantage during your stay. And good news\u2014chefs <\/span><\/span>Kelly English<\/b><\/span><\/span> (of The Second Line, coming soon to South Lamar) and <\/span><\/span>John Currence<\/b><\/span><\/span> (of <\/span><\/span>City Grocery<\/b><\/span><\/span> and its newly-renovated upstairs bar) have been making improvements in anticipation of your arrival! And if your wallet\u2019s thin these days, might we recommend <\/span><\/span>Handy Andy<\/b><\/span><\/span>\u2019s burgers or sampling one of our newer food trucks around town.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen to good music. You\u2019re smack-dab in the middle of the American Music Triangle (Nashville to Memphis to New Orleans), and you\u2019ll notice prominent influences of blues, country, soul, etc. right here in your own backyard. <\/span><\/span>Proud Larry\u2019s<\/b><\/span><\/span> always has a diverse and high-quality music calendar, Rooster\u2019s is always good for high-energy blues-style acts, and if indie rock is more your speed, slip do<\/span><\/span><\/span>\"FreeHugs\"<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span>wnstairs at the Blind Pig and see any number of talented bands that operate under the radar. And of course, you can always count on The Lyric for bringing quality national tours to Oxford, especially at this time of year.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Crack open a book. If you\u2019re reading this, congratulations! You have the one skill necessary to play the part of bibliophile during your stay. The legacy and influence of <\/span><\/span>William Faulkner<\/b><\/span><\/span> is well-documented, but he\u2019s just the tip of Oxford\u2019s literary iceberg. Some supremely talented writers have called Oxford home, including <\/span><\/span>Barry Hannah<\/b><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Larry Brown<\/b><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Tom Franklin<\/b><\/span><\/span>, <\/span><\/span>Jack Pendarvis<\/b><\/span><\/span>, and numerous others. Oh, and that <\/span><\/span>John Grisham<\/b><\/span><\/span> guy apparently has a house around here, too. The <\/span><\/span>Square Books<\/b><\/span><\/span> empire has turned Oxford into a can\u2019t-miss stop on book tours for the best working writers today, so go meet them and fall in love with the written word. Remember, you can stream the new season of <\/span><\/span>Orange Is The New Black<\/i><\/span><\/span> anywhere.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cheer on the Rebs. Ole Miss athletics has rarely\u2014if ever\u2014experienced a period of such relevancy and success, and you owe it to yourself to go cheer on the world-class (seriously) athletes that share your hometown. And go ahead and throw out any purple or maroon you\u2019ve got in your wardrobe; they\u2019re objectively ugly colors, anyway. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some things that are NOT so good <\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

to do when you live in Oxford:<\/b><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Drink and drive. For some reason, this tends to give people trouble when they first arrive. There are many, many police officers in Oxford, and come early weekend mornings, they set up many, many roadblocks. You will probably be caught and given a DUI, or worse\u2014you won\u2019t be caught before you cause some major harm to yourself and\/or others. \"DrinkDriveSign\"<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be stupid; the cabs here are cheaper than you\u2019ll find just about anywhere.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Drive on West Jackson Ave, sober or not. Seriously, there are enough people there already. Just hop on Hwy. 6. I have to get to work in the mornings and I was here first. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

While we\u2019re talking about cars: Don\u2019t expect to be able to park on campus unless you get there before about 9 am. We\u2019ve built a shiny new parking garage, so that\u2019s nice, but it doesn\u2019t mean that there\u2019s now space for everybody to casually roll in at any time and grab a spot in front of the desired building. Just assume that, before 5 pm, you\u2019re going to have to make some sacrifices (the O.U.T. bus line and the park-and-ride lots make sacrifices a little easier on us all). Same goes for the Square, actually. It\u2019s a small town\u2014walking is underrated and bikes are still a thing. Your legs are your friends.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Really, come to think of it, most of the bad things about Oxford are traffic-related these days, and if that\u2019s as bad as it gets during your stay, we\u2019d say you\u2019ve got it pretty good. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not as if everything there is to do is within the city limits! Sadly, we can\u2019t ship up to Graceland Too in the middle of the night anymore, but Sardis Lake is a quick drive away and offers a host of outdoor activities, should you ever come down with a case of cabin fever. Then, of course, the history and music of the delta are right here at your fingertips, too. Memphis is a stone\u2019s throw away and offers museums, concerts, sporting events, movies we don\u2019t get (this is a big deal) and a completely different vibe year-round. Oxford may still be a small town, but if you ever get bored\u2014especially in these fall months\u2014you\u2019ve got nobody to blame but yourself.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Just remember: respect those around you, be neighborly, enjoy yourself, etc. and you\u2019ll find yourself carving yourself a comfy little niche deeper and deeper in the Velvet Ditch. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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