Now that finals have concluded, beach week shenanigans have occurred, and the UVa grads have worn the honors of honor, it's time to reflect on how UVa changed this year and how it will be different going forward into next year. I could go on about how the Rotunda reopened this year, Clem 2 closed to become a "total advising center" eventually, and Leah Smith returned from the Olympics with a silver and a bronze medal. But if I did, I'd basically be summarizing the "UVa: Year In Review" video that I watched nostalgically on YouTube earlier today. So instead, I'll dedicate an entire article to one notable change that will be coming to the University next year: the closing of the popular late-night eatery the Castle for a lengthy renovation.

Though my fondest memories of the Castle are from first year, which sometimes feels like a lifetime ago, I remember them well. I remember waiting on line for 15 minutes to get chicken tenders and fries that were just sitting there the entire time. I remember going there with friends two, three, sometimes even four nights in a single week to hang out for at least an hour talking in funny voices and laughing about goodness knows what. I remember solidifying friendships and sparking what would become budding romance within the confines of this greasy establishment. And as nice as I'm sure the new Castle will be, if it's even called the Castle anymore, I'm very sorry to see my familiar late-night haunt go.

My last trip to the Castle this year was to get ice cream to soothe a sore throat I had, which was also the first time I laid eyes on the plans for the renovated Castle that will debut sometime next year. It looks like a bougie Manhattan sushi bar crossed with a Whole Foods, neither of which resembles the Castle's lovable previous state. The plans touted the upcoming "wraparound patio" that the new Castle will sport. I wasn't aware that the weathered picnic tables already outside the Castle didn't count as a wraparound patio. The new Castle doesn't appear to have the fried food station, sandwich station, and refrigerator stocked entirely with Ben and Jerry's that the old Castle had. It doesn't seem to have much of anything that I, or anyone I know, loved about the old Castle.

While deep down, I know that the Castle renovation is just one part of the massive facelift that Old Dorms will be receiving starting next year, on the surface I'm wondering if anyone actually asked for the Castle to be completely redone. No one I know has ever complained about the Castle being slightly dingy. Not once. In fact, I always thought that was part of its charm. I appreciate the University's attention to detail with the upcoming Castle renovation, but between this and several other projects that emerged around UVa this past year, I can't help wishing that the money going towards this project could have magically funded, oh I don't know, a new student theater space. But that would never happen, because I assume that nice eating options is more of a draw for prospective students and their parents than a nice performing space.

Despite my grumblings, I know that nothing I do is likely to reverse the already-initiated renovation process, so instead of continuing on this train of thought, I'd like to extend some final, well-deserved thank-yous to the old Castle. Thank you for giving me a home away from home in Old Dorms my first year. Thank you for giving me ice cream when I most needed it. Thank you for providing a spot for me to celebrate with friends after an exciting win by the UVa basketball team. Thank you for selling blue books that I've always forgotten to buy right before finals, though I usually found some for free the next day.

And last, but certainly not least, thank you for being objectively cooler and better than Crossroads at all times. I can only hope that the new Castle continues to bear this honor.