The Gates of North

“No more orange fences!” exclaims the celebration post made by the Northgate District’s facebook page for this fall semester. Northgate, the drag of bars, restaurants, and clubs spanning University Drive, seems to be getting a lot of attention in the form of construction and funding this year. Is this an ironic coincidence with Texas A&M’s entrance into the Southeastern Conference or what?

Not only has College Main undergone a complete makeover with a brick-paved road, but street signs have been put up on major roads such as George Bush Drive, pointing the way to ‘Northgate District’. You may have also noticed the newest addition to University Drive, a wall…can’t hold in a little laugh at the necessity of a wall to keep people on the sidewalk on Saturday nights. There are also new bars coming in, including The Ranch, College Station’s newest twenty-one-and-up attraction. And you may have even noticed the sign for the late night hours until 3am for restaurants such as Potbelly Sandwiches and Pita Pit.

Now, what connection does this all have with the SEC? Is A&M trying to keep up with the rest of the schools in the ‘good time’ conference? Tailgating seems to be growing and now College Station is trying to keep the good times going even after the game. I wonder what the long-time local citizens think of the city’s spending priorities… with a new conference comes new ventures and new visitors. We all know about those soon to come Kyle Field renovations. Let’s wait and see which play the Aggies will make next.