Marshall Street can get really boring after awhile.

An SU student can only eat so many wings, drink so many pitchers of Miller Lite and give so much money to panhandlers before thoughts turn to other ventures in this great city of ours.

That’s why there’s Armory Square in downtown Syracuse, where you can eat wings, drink pitchers of Miller Lite, and give money to panhandlers. OK, it’s not that different from Marshall Street, but a change of scenery from bumping into drunken hordes of freshmen to bumping into drunken hordes of townies is still a breath of fresh air. The problem, however, is getting there.

I never thought I’d say it, but thank goodness for Chancellor Cantor’s ‘Soul of Syracuse’ initiative. Since the Warehouse in Armory Square opened up for classes last semester, SU and Centro have partnered together to provide nearly 24-hour free bus service downtown for students. I smell a loophole.

For those who don’t have a car here, or are too cheap to pay for parking, the Warehouse shuttle is the best, and often most overlooked, way to enjoy Amory Square. Even on weekends it runs until almost 3 a.m. and stops at several convenient places around campus including College Place and Archbold gym. From the drop-off point in Armory Square, it’s also just a short walk to Clinton Square, home to Syracuse’s seasonal festivals and to the ice skating rink in the winter.

Although the Connective Corridor bus began service last week to Delavan Art Gallery near Amory Square, it still only runs a few days a week. This leaves the Warehouse bus the best option for consistent service.

Armory Square is home to several of the city’s finer places to visit, besides the bars of course. There’s the Museum of Science and Technology, The Redhouse and several restaurants that serve things besides the pizza and Chinese food you’re used to.

But the biggest benefit of the shuttle service is that it completely eliminates the need for battles over who will be the designated driver for the night. Instead of risking driving home after a few hours at the bar, take a tip from those who party on South Campus and take the ‘drunk bus.’ It’s smarter. It’s safer. And it’s free.

Syracuse isn’t exactly the cultural center of upstate New York, so it’s best to take advantage of what it actually does have to offer. And there’s no better way to do it than when Syracuse University foots the bill.

Steven Kovach is an English and textual studies and newspaper journalism major whose columns appear weekly in The Daily Orange. Email him at sjkovach@gmail.com.

Published on October 4, 2006 at 12:00 pm