international house of pancakes

(related: denny s, ihop, norms, international house of pancakes, )

I was thinking about how Compston posted a pretty sweet list of some of his favorite places in Fayetteville after buying the ever-popular (though Austin rip-off) whereorgorg.blogspot.com Fayetteville Funky sticker.  I thought, as I sit with little to do this afternoon (other merry christmas myspace comments prepare to leave my last Hot Pockets poker game tonight with a win), that I would rip-off Stephen the same way Fayetteville ripped off Austin.  So, I plan to do a series of santa radar with some of my favorite things from the 8 years Ive lived in Rogers & Fayetteville.

 Favorite Store:

1. Dickson Street Book Exchange - The first time I went in, I didnt even realize how big it was.  I just thought it consisted of the front two rooms (the paperbacks section and the main lobby).  The second time I went in, my mind was blown.  This is the place that allowed me to have my sophomore year obsession with William Faulkner and my junior/senior year obsession with Cormac McCarthy.  Hoorah for cheap used international house of pancakes Thrills - This was always a fun place to buy pearl-snap shirts and other funny throwback shirts.  I remember going here with Compston before a James Miller/Adam & Steve acoustic show (the pre-Famous In May days).  I think he bought a sweet pearl snap, and I bought this nasty blue & red stretchy 70s polo.  Hoorah for cheap used clothing.
2. CD Warehouse - This place closed down like 6 or 7 years ago.  Regardless, I made a trip every Friday with my friends Michael Peluso and Mike Cario to buy used CDs at this place.  Michael & I got paid from our job as Microfilm Researchers at Wal-Mart on Thursdays and wed spend all our money on used CDs on Friday.  Good call.  To be fair, I bought a lot of crappy CDs at this time.  However, a few long-term crushes developed during this period.  I may have scott skiles fired my first Dave Matthews CD there (Under the Table & Dreaming, which developed into a 3 or 4 year musical crush), I bought Turn on the Bright Lights by Interpol tracking santa my introduction to indie rock), and I bought Radioheads The Bends and OK Computer on the same day (well, enough said&Radiohead).  I would love to have this place now that my taste in music is better.  And, what the heck, hoorah for cheap used CDs.

Favorite Breakfast Food: 

1. Wesners Grill - Come on, a Rogers legend.  Ive had plenty of great breakfast conversations here.  I once conducted a summer-long study of Masterplan of Evangelism with 9th graders over a weekly breakfast at Wesners.  I forgot money one week, so the waitress hooked me up with an entire free breakfast (because I was a regular).  Gotta love it.
2. Waffle Hut - Oh my gosh, I spent way too much of  my sophomore and junior year nights at this place.  Like most things, this obsessions went too far and ruined the fun.  We actually podcasts a list of rules for Waffle Hutbasically, when it was okay to go to the Waffle Hut (not before 1:00 am), what food bob clark okay to order (basically, everything but a salad), and the fact that Springdale Waffle Hut or a Waffle House would be cheating.  Nonetheless, we knew international house of pancakes waitresses by name.  We knew the crazy drunk lounge singer (Danny/Popeye) who came there to sober up after his weekend gig at the Ramada Inn (now the Rogers Inn) on 71B.  Good times.
3. IHOP - I know what youre thinkingIm a sellout.  Regardless, I have lived like a half mile from the iHop on Wedington since it opened the summer before my junior year.  Its hard not to go there.  Theres so many memories of both the Fayetteville and Rogers IHOPsdevising a plan to steal the IHOP rug in Rogers, going at like 1:00 am on New Years with the Janacek family, seeing people make out in the booth next to us (over the table), calling out our favorite waiter Brandon for hitting on a girl at our table, the crazy drunk lady that kept asking Mark Matthews and me if she was pretty hot for 30 after a Famous In May show, driving to the Rogers IHOP after Sunday night international house of pancakes at JBU freshman year because Kristen Compston (then Beckham) wanted stuffed french toast,  and probably some other good ones that Ive forgotten.  Nonetheless, huge corporate chain or not, I love IHOP.  Plus, how sweet is the name International House of Pancakes?

I think thatll just about do it for today.  Ill probably have a couple more for you tomorrow.