I go to school at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana, but when everything went down I decided I would feel more comfortable being at home surrounded by my family.
That being said, after being quarantined for 27 days and counting, there are things I began to reflect upon and notice that I didn't really notice before. I guess we really do see things from rose-colored glasses.
1. Broadway is ALWAYS busy!
Broadway runs through Crown Point and connects to many towns and cities in the area. Besides venturing out for the occasional grocery store trip, I have not left the house. Although some businesses are still booming, traffic has significantly decreased. I never realized how much traffic I am sitting in until most of the nonessential businesses in the city are closed down or doing curb-side pickup only.
2. Gas is REALLY expensive in Crown Point.
There are many entrances and exits for highways in Crown Point. That being said, I never realized how high gas can climb when you are in your high traffic area! For an area where gas typically rests toward $3.00 per gallon, I was shocked the other day when I saw gas was $1.49.
3. There are so many local businesses.
I didn't realize before how many local businesses were in Crown Point until I witnessed what a devastating blow shutting down these businesses have taken on the community. These people are really struggling, so try to support them in any way you can.
4. There are SO many stoplights and construction is constant...like why?
I swear, when you go throughout the city, there is a stoplight AT LEAST every 30 seconds. When it's typically so busy, I guess I just contributed that to everyday traffic. Now that traffic has decreased, I'm stuck wondering why one small city needs so many stoplights. Not only that, I noticed before there was quite a bit of construction. Now? They are going crazy with projects. Can't say I blame them on the timing, though.
5. There is nothing to do besides visit random stores.
There is really nothing to do in Crown Point other than visit random stores in neighboring towns and cities. Sure, we have bike trails, but whenever I think of something to do, that typically involves leaving my home to visit a random store. During this time, the stores are either closed or, quite frankly, it's not worth the risk, so stay home.
6. There is a lot of Bulldog pride.
I follow many community pages on Facebook. Before, the discussions were light, asking for recommendations for house painters or plumbers, but now, the discussion has taken a turn. The discussion has changed to giving love to Crown Point High School seniors has been so heart warming. From people deciding how to properly congratulate seniors to store fronts writing in their windows, one thing is for sure: there is a lot of Bulldog pride.
7. Everyone has pride in their city, and the love is shocking.
Not just with the high school seniors or local business, there is a lot of love and pride shared in Crown Point. Before, there were people who would share old stories or post photos of what the city once was. Now, there are people offering to shop for seniors or those in high-risk, people asking how they can donate, and asking how we can support the community during this time. The amount of love people who live in Crown Point have for Crown Point is shocking to see.
8. Every major business is in such a crowded plaza.
Before, I noticed that there was more development. They keep constructing and building businesses that really are pretty unnecessary. Now that I have had the chance to really look and think about it, basically every business in Crown Point is in some type of plaza. Not one business stands on its own! If you see one business, more than likely there are five more around it in a strip.
