Up until these past few weeks, I wasn’t familiar with the parts of Batavia that are closer to me than Walmart is. GCC is located on the east side of Batavia and Walmart is on the west. Every week a bus comes to take students living on campus to stores on the west side of Batavia. No one really shows us around the local neighborhood. But this summer I have been exploring by bike and yesterday a friend drove me to around to see some stores and places close by. It was like going on a field trip! Now I have a better mental image of where things are in Batavia and a list of nearby must see and useful places for anyone who feels stranded on the GCC and College Village campus.

1. Harrington’s: “Kitty corner from ArrowMart,” this store is run by the Harrington family, who owns a farm and sells fresh produce. There you can buy a variety of necessities and treats like fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, honey, cookies, cheese, pickles, flowers etc. They also have a small café that sells soup, salad, and paninis. I met Dianne Harrington, the owner of Harrington’s, and she is a sweet hardworking, modest woman.
2. Lickity Splits: This is an ice cream shop close to GCC that serves Perry’s Ice Cream. You can buy two scoops of ice cream on a cone for just $3. My favorite flavor from here is Mint Chocolate Chip.
3. Blondies: This is an ice cream shop on Route 5. It’s also close to GCC. They have Hershey’s Premium ice cream flavors like Outrageous Oatmeal (YUM) for low prices!
4. Horseshoe Lake: This is a beautiful lake that’s within walking distance from the college dorms. It is a private lake but if one or two people go walking around it on the quiet roadways, it shouldn’t be a problem.
5. DeWitt Park: A recreation area right behind Blondies, that surrounds a lake. There is a walking trail that goes around the lake, and fishing opportunities.
6. ALDI: An affordable food market. This store is a bit too far to walk to but a perfect biking distance. ALDI is a great place to shop for food on a budget, which most college students appreciate.

Stay tuned!