By Aditi Rao

If there was one thing that actually rubbed off on me from all those days of sitting through never-ending orientation meetings, it is the upperclassmen urging all the incoming, vulnerable freshman to “go out there and explore the twin cities.” They promised that there was much too much going on that the little Mac bubble denied us from enjoying. So last Saturday, a few friends and I took them up on their advice and decided to get off campus and experience the world “out there.”

Okay, so a little advice for all my fellow freshies planning to get into the Twin Cities-always get your transportation details sorted before you decide to leave campus. Otherwise, you’ll probably end up missing a bus, walking seven blocks in five-inch high heels and then waiting at a bus stop in a totally random location for about half an hour at 11 at night.

However, arriving on the city-life scene makes up for everything. Minneapolis is alive on Saturday nights with all kinds of things catering to all kinds of people. On our outing, we saw a little pub, a posh nightclub for 30-something yuppies, a gay bar, a club that claims in loud neon colours that it has the hottest girls inside, restaurants, Hard Rock Café and the place we ended up going to, First Avenue.

First Avenue is known to be one of the highlights of the Twin Cities. The queue to get in might take a little bit of time but it’s a place that houses all kinds of music and often all kinds of concerts (The Arctic Monkeys play there next week!) The ambience suits the environment as well. The space is quite big with bouncers at the door that don’t scare you into oblivion. The lights and divided levels allow people to enjoy the music and the mood in different ways. The dance floor is separated from the food area, which is cornered off from the upper level, which is more like a lounge where people enjoy a drink and converse. That night the DJ whipped up some intense techno beats that had everyone on the floor, along with providing the less courageous with an amazing spectacle to view – a crazy dance-off.

A girl cart-wheeled her way to the center of the circle, slid into a full split and then, in some unimaginably fluid way, eased her body into various positions. Others contorted their bodies in ways that I could not understand, let alone describe.

What makes this even more beguiling is the fact that First Avenue is partial to students. Those who present their student ID only pay a dollar to enter. All that for just a dollar? Talk about student perks.

As the dance-offs continued to be more interesting and the music more dance-inspiring, the night progressed and First Avenue maintained its lively environment until the wee hours of morning encouraged everyone to get home to bed. At two in the morning as we found our way out of the club, looking to return to campus, Minneapolis was still buzzing with activity in a very unexpected but wonderful way.

A little note to girls who plan to go to First Avenue: Keep an eye out for a 30-something man in a white helmet. Then, stay away from him for he might come up to you, spin you around and try and carry you on his shoulders. He was last seen indulging in such antics on that Saturday night (with my friend, whose name unfortunately can’t be disclosed).

So go “out there,” and enjoy the Twin Cities-for there is wisdom in the words of the upperclassmen.