Family weekend can be a bit stressful, with campus touring (because yes, the whereabouts of your Spanish class is really important to your mom), making sure your habitat is parent-friendly (the Recycling Center is sure to see a surplus of beer bottles this week) and all the activities the family has planned to do together in the short span of a weekend.
Although the prospect of the clan invading your parent-free space is a bit daunting, there is something positive that can come out of this experience – free stuff. Here are some key places to take your parents to schmooze them into buying your tech toys, good food and cool clothes. Good luck.
APPLE STORE:
The 20-minute drive up North Campbell Avenue from campus to the Apple Store at La Encantada shopping center should allow enough time to introduce your ideas of how awesome that iPod or new computer is and how much it would improve your life.
MacBooks (updated models of iBooks) are becoming increasingly popular around campus. They are a great tool for taking notes in class – a point to emphasize, since educational value always sells to parents.
Your need to remain cultured by staying up with music would be another idea to push in order to try and score some gadgets to play your collection, but even if you are not able to convince your parents that the new, limited-edition four-gigabyte iPod Nano, which can hold up to 1,000 songs, is worth its $199 price tag, a visit to the store could simply end up being a nice trip to get out of the house.
The Apple Store is located on the upper level of La Encantada, 2905 E. Skyline Drive.
RINCON MARKET:
It just wouldn’t be right to let your parents leave without having them stock up your refrigerator first.
As a change from going grocery shopping on your own, where you travel to a major supermarket chain to find the best deals and mentally calculate every penny you spend as you throw only the essentials in the cart, why not show your parents a place that offers quality foods and provides a family-friendly atmosphere?
Rincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St., is a family-owned grocer, delicatessen and café. Produce, meat and booze (hey, this is on the parents’ tab, right?) are just some of the things that this quaint little market has available.
And before you get shopping, enjoy the weekend breakfast bar. On Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon, cooks are on hand creating waffles and omelets to your liking, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., eggs benedict is the specialty.
While grocery shopping might not be your parents’ ideal way of spending quality time together, remind them how important it is for you to be fed and well-nourished.
BUFFALO EXCHANGE:
Depending on your parents’ demeanor, the popular recycled-clothing chain Buffalo Exchange will either impress or freak out the folks.
An array of fashions, both new and used, is available at this near-campus store, found at 2001 E. Speedway Blvd.
Second-hand designer jeans, cool logo tees, cowboy boots and handbags are some of the key items offered at lower-than-normal retail prices (for the most part at least).
Although the store’s vibe is relatively low-key, there’s still some funk to the atmosphere that will either ignite your parents’ inner hipness or piss them off.
A bonding idea: If buying new clothes just isn’t in the cards, why not try on some stuff from the store’s current main attraction? Oh, Halloween costumes. It just doesn’t get much better than seeing Dad in a pirate costume.
