Before I start, I'll say it for you: tl;dr
I finally got out and made a trip to Chapel Hill for the first time in about eight or nine years to pay my respects to my childhood hero. Why in the world I made it last that long without going there, I have no idea. I don't get out much, obviously. Anyway, I wanted to come on here and post something that has nothing to do with food, so I thought I'd share my feelings with guys tonight. I'm pretty sure I've shared this with you before, but going to Chapel Hill to watch basketball games with my family pretty much defined my childhood. My dad would always purchase the mini season package every year and we'd go to a nice handful of games each season. Being able to brag to my friends at school that I was going to the game that night was always awesome. I would always go home after school, get in the car and do my homework on the way Chapel Hill. It wasn't really the games themselves that I remember the most - it's just being there. Walking down Franklin Street, always checking out the Shrunken Head, Johnny T-Shirt and all the other shops in there, and of course, eating the big bowl of cheese (lasagna) at the Rat. I know not everyone liked that place, but I loved it. It was just a cool place to go, and I think it's a shame it's gone, along with some of the other Franklin Street restaurants.
Standing in line waiting to get in the Smith Center this morning for over a couple of hours waiting to get into ceremony reminded me of how we used to stand out in the back where the pool is waiting to see some of the players and the staff come in hours before the game. Of course the only thing I could think about was the time we finally ran into Dean Smith while we standing out there. We always saw players, but that time was just special. I was about 8 years old and completely scared out of mind because I was standing in front of a man who I thought was larger than life and he was having a conversation with us like we were just another one of his friends. I was always too shy to speak to him. He looked at me, patted me on the shoulder, and said "Hi, young man." I just looked at him and didn't say a word, of course. I'm surprised I didn't piss myself. I just let my parents and my older brother do all the talking. Looking back at it, I had one awesome childhood growing up.
I don't mean to sound like one of those "basketball onlies" since I enjoyed going to Kenan as well, but there was just something about walking down the street and seeing the Smith Center on the horizon that just gives me chills. Doing it again today for the first time in what seems like forever just took me back, and I wanted to share that with you guys tonight. The ceremony was awesome, of course. You guys know I did not go to college at UNC, even though I would have loved to and would have been a complete honor. My parents had moved to Hickory after I graduated high school, so because of that, and the fact that I couldn't get accepted into UNC anyway (I never tried but I knew) I wanted to stay close to them and go to Appalachian State. Being there today really made me feel like a part of the family even though I was never a UNC student.
A couple of side notes today:
The weird old guy with the Dean t-shirt and a sports jacket outside before the doors opened had to be on some hard stuff. It provided everyone with entertainment though, to say the least. TWELVE MINUTES, PASS IT BACK!It was nice of Tokoto to stand out there and take pictures with fans for a solid ten minutes or so. That was cool to see.Please don't take this the wrong way, as I'm totally saying this in jest...Eric Montross has the personality of a brick. Don't get me wrong, I love him. He's obviously highly intelligent and gave a heart warming speech, but he's boring. Again, please don't take that the wrong way. He's one of my favorite players ever. Roy telling everyone to point up to the sky to Dean like the players do after after an assist was something else. That was cool.Anyway, I have no idea why you took the time to read this, but thanks if you did. I just wanted to do something a bit different and start a thread and make a post that consists of more than one sentence and doesn't consist of the word "bacon." Well, not until just then anyway. I could go on and on about all my experiences and love for Chapel Hill and UNC, but I'm tired of typing now. I don't think I really said much of anything, but hey, I was due for a thread. Hopefully, my next to trip to Chapel Hill will be sooner than eight years.
This post was edited on 2/22 9:13 PM by coolwaterunc
I finally got out and made a trip to Chapel Hill for the first time in about eight or nine years to pay my respects to my childhood hero. Why in the world I made it last that long without going there, I have no idea. I don't get out much, obviously. Anyway, I wanted to come on here and post something that has nothing to do with food, so I thought I'd share my feelings with guys tonight. I'm pretty sure I've shared this with you before, but going to Chapel Hill to watch basketball games with my family pretty much defined my childhood. My dad would always purchase the mini season package every year and we'd go to a nice handful of games each season. Being able to brag to my friends at school that I was going to the game that night was always awesome. I would always go home after school, get in the car and do my homework on the way Chapel Hill. It wasn't really the games themselves that I remember the most - it's just being there. Walking down Franklin Street, always checking out the Shrunken Head, Johnny T-Shirt and all the other shops in there, and of course, eating the big bowl of cheese (lasagna) at the Rat. I know not everyone liked that place, but I loved it. It was just a cool place to go, and I think it's a shame it's gone, along with some of the other Franklin Street restaurants.
Standing in line waiting to get in the Smith Center this morning for over a couple of hours waiting to get into ceremony reminded me of how we used to stand out in the back where the pool is waiting to see some of the players and the staff come in hours before the game. Of course the only thing I could think about was the time we finally ran into Dean Smith while we standing out there. We always saw players, but that time was just special. I was about 8 years old and completely scared out of mind because I was standing in front of a man who I thought was larger than life and he was having a conversation with us like we were just another one of his friends. I was always too shy to speak to him. He looked at me, patted me on the shoulder, and said "Hi, young man." I just looked at him and didn't say a word, of course. I'm surprised I didn't piss myself. I just let my parents and my older brother do all the talking. Looking back at it, I had one awesome childhood growing up.
I don't mean to sound like one of those "basketball onlies" since I enjoyed going to Kenan as well, but there was just something about walking down the street and seeing the Smith Center on the horizon that just gives me chills. Doing it again today for the first time in what seems like forever just took me back, and I wanted to share that with you guys tonight. The ceremony was awesome, of course. You guys know I did not go to college at UNC, even though I would have loved to and would have been a complete honor. My parents had moved to Hickory after I graduated high school, so because of that, and the fact that I couldn't get accepted into UNC anyway (I never tried but I knew) I wanted to stay close to them and go to Appalachian State. Being there today really made me feel like a part of the family even though I was never a UNC student.
A couple of side notes today:
The weird old guy with the Dean t-shirt and a sports jacket outside before the doors opened had to be on some hard stuff. It provided everyone with entertainment though, to say the least. TWELVE MINUTES, PASS IT BACK!It was nice of Tokoto to stand out there and take pictures with fans for a solid ten minutes or so. That was cool to see.Please don't take this the wrong way, as I'm totally saying this in jest...Eric Montross has the personality of a brick. Don't get me wrong, I love him. He's obviously highly intelligent and gave a heart warming speech, but he's boring. Again, please don't take that the wrong way. He's one of my favorite players ever. Roy telling everyone to point up to the sky to Dean like the players do after after an assist was something else. That was cool.Anyway, I have no idea why you took the time to read this, but thanks if you did. I just wanted to do something a bit different and start a thread and make a post that consists of more than one sentence and doesn't consist of the word "bacon." Well, not until just then anyway. I could go on and on about all my experiences and love for Chapel Hill and UNC, but I'm tired of typing now. I don't think I really said much of anything, but hey, I was due for a thread. Hopefully, my next to trip to Chapel Hill will be sooner than eight years.
This post was edited on 2/22 9:13 PM by coolwaterunc
