Where Did You Eat Off-Campus, Volume Two

With Move-In Weekend having just occurred for the Vanderbilt Class of 2012, I thought it would be a good time to remember the long-gone Tex Ritter's Chuck Wagon.

The original building is still there. But today it is the site for a Qdoba Mexican fast food outlet, after also being a Pizza Hut location for many years.

But in our days at Vanderbilt, Tex Ritter's,located on the corner of 21st Avenue South and West End Avenue, was the place to go for a quick meal or late night snack.

It was very convenient, built just across from Kissam Quad, the freshman dorm of choice(not really) for most male members of the Class of 1973.

What do you remember about eating or drinking there? I remember hamburgers and, of course, the sarsaparilla (root beer), which was truly Tex's signature beverage.

What else do you remember about this favorite place for so many of us to eat during our early years at Vanderbilt?

Getting back to the most recent Move-In Day at Vanderbilt. It marks the debut of the new Vanderbilt Commons. Located on the back side of the Peabody Campus (now called the South Campus, I understand) the Commons are just beautiful and will provide an opportunity for all the freshmen to live together and be joined by some of their teachers.

Can you imagine some of our professors living in Kissam with us? How long do you think they would have lasted? Living in Branscomb maybe, it was (and is) a much nicer place to stay. But the Kissam Quad I remember was more like a barracks.

I understand the old Kissam Quadrangle is not long for the Vandy campus and will soon be torn down for something new. That's probably a good idea. That corner at 21st and West End needs to be a showcase location for the University. But I hope when they tear down Kissam, they take some time to do a forsenic dig on the site.

Can you imagine all the strange things they might find there? Maybe even some old take out bags,wrappers and cups from the dear-departed Tex Ritter's.