It's Friday night. You're 19 years old living in the dorms. After a quick jaunt to get some food you realize everyone in East Lansing is at the bar or at a party that's getting broken up. So what's there to do?
Nine times out of 10, you'll probably ask the six-year senior in the single down the hall to buy you and your buddies a case of beer. Because what else is there to entertain you?
Intoxication is convenient and easy to get to, unlike most entertainment venues in the area. With the exception of a few well-loved staples, East Lansing caters to one crowd when it comes to entertainment: those older than 21 and those younger than 30.
East Lansing has bars. Some of those bars have live music or other forms of entertainment, but they are usually not very diverse.
In all fairness, East Lansing and MSU also have some other good places where people can be entertained without alcohol. Pinball Pete's at 220 Albert Ave., (SCENE) Metrospace at 303 Abbott Road, Bubble Island at 515 E. Grand River Ave., Common Grounds Coffee House in Akers Hall and Spartan Lanes in the Union are all great places to hang out. We love them dearly, but there needs to be more.
City officials claim there are even more entertainment options close by, but more advertisement is needed to inform people of their options.
East Lansing needs a consistent, diverse music venue within walking distance of campus. It should house a variety of music and cater to people of all ages, offering everything from children's concerts to spoken-word poetry to open-mic nights to metal shows.
Although we love what Campus Center Cinemas do for us, it would be great to have even just a one-screen theater with comfortable seats near campus.
All of these venues could be housed in the to-be-redeveloped City Center II, which is the current home to (SCENE) Metrospace. More venues, coupled with (SCENE) Metrospace, would give families and MSU students who aren't quite 21 another entertainment option. It would bring more people into the town, allowing for more money to be spent.
We realize this task of creating more diverse entertainment venues in East Lansing doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of city officials. Developers need incentive to come in and create such venues. We encourage city officials, however, to promote the idea of more venues to any and all possible developers.
We'll all be thankful for it.
