Last weekend I made the trip to Tallahassee, Florida, to visit my sister at Florida State University. It’s been two years since I last stepped foot in the city and on the campus, and it felt so strange walking the paths I once walked every day for class and with friends. My sister graduates from FSU in two weeks, and I wanted to spend some time with her for a fun weekend out before she says goodbye to the university I also had to say goodbye to not too long ago.

I arrived late Friday evening, and we went to Collegetown, a staple in the FSU community. This two-block section features restaurants, shops, apartments and clubs. We went to dinner at a place called Little Masa, an Asian-fusion eatery, where we ordered Pad See Ew and a chicken teriyaki rice bowl.

We then popped across the street to Madison Social. Anyone and everyone attending FSU knows about Madison Social, often referred to as MadSo. This spot is more than busy on a Friday and Saturday night thanks to its lively music, indoor and outdoor seating and long list of drinks.

Unique to this spot is their drinks card. Every month, they unveil five or six drinks and encourage visitors to try all of the drinks within the month to receive a limited-time shirt. The front of the shirt always has the logo of the restaurant, but the back of it changes depending on the month, reflecting the season or theme of the drinks. When I was in college, I managed to collect two shirts. One was their October shirt, in which their drinks were all candy-themed. The other shirt I managed to get was the February one, in which the back of the shirt has the quote, “Working from 9 to wine” in reference to Dolly Parton’s iconic song. That drink card had six different wines, all of which my friends and I enjoyed throughout the month.

My sister is currently working on a drink card of her own, and we ordered two more of the drinks from the card to make her that much closer to finally receiving her shirt. It’s kind of like a rite of passage now for FSU students, and it’s quite fun. I still have my shirts and wear them around the house and will always have fond memories of the times I was with friends as we enjoyed drinks and received our shirts.

The next day, my sister and I walked around campus. I was amazed at how so many things have changed in two years alone. When I was at FSU, after my first year, the student union was torn down with plans to build a new one. It was expected to be completed by my final semester of college. Of course, that didn’t happen, and I never got to see the union. Returning now, I saw it finally opened. New apartments seemingly sprung up out of nowhere as well, and I found myself surprised how quickly some of these structures can go up.

We grabbed breakfast at a local Tallahassee spot called Canopy Road Café. Known for their fun twists on French toast and pancakes, my sister and I both ordered French toast with coffee and enjoy a slow morning.

I had an amazing time seeing my sister and re-

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visiting my old campus, but I definitely feel older now having returned. Did I look as young as the students I saw on campus? It’s weird to picture myself there just two years ago. I even asked myself, when my sister and stood before the massive football stadium, if I ever would have thought that I’d be an associate editor at Global Traveler just six months out of college. It’s amazing how things happen and come together.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor