By Brandon Ladd
Spring break is considered the be-all and end-all of adventures for college students. This was no different last week for SUNY Oswego, as many students took to the roads to catch different planes and destinations.
Some have the financial help from parents or just have worked hard to grow their personal capital leading up to the break. It is not easy for a college student to pay for a $2,000 trip, so here is the alternative that I found just right.
For the beginning of my “vacation,” I went home to see my family from Friday night until Wednesday morning. I took this time to relax and catchup with them. I also took this time to save spending money. Outside of gas costs driving home, I spent zero dollars out of my bank account.
I also was able to look on Blackboard and make a list of the assignments I had coming due in the upcoming weeks. From there, I made a spreadsheet to organize my days and also made a spreadsheet on how I wanted to spend my money for my upcoming trip to Niagara Falls and Buffalo.
On Wednesday, I took to Interstate-90 once again and traveled the three hours back to Oswego to switch out my clothes at my apartment. I packed the car once again, picked up my friends and was on the road by early evening. Just as the sky was turning pink from a dazzling sunset in Niagara, we reached our Airbnb.
The Airbnb was only about $130 dollars for each of us for the four nights we would be spending there. The use of a door code instead of a key made an easy process for self-check in. That first night we hung out and got used to the one floor condo we would be staying in.
The following morning, we took an Uber to Key Bank Center in Buffalo for the first day of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Eight teams would be playing in four games throughout the day. For that day it was about $400 for the ticket in the first few rows of the upper bowl of the arena. This included four free alcoholic drinks throughout the day and free food and soda in the Lexus Club. Between the basketball and the food/drinks, the price was well worth it.
The next day, the guys and I went five minutes down the road to Niagara Falls to see the majestic sights from the American side. This followed a lunch at Duff’s Famous Wings to see what all the hype was about when it came to chicken wings in the Buffalo area. The wings and the waterfall did not disappoint.
Outside of $20 for lunch and $10 for parking at America’s oldest State Park, there were no more expenses on the day until evening. At that point, we tried the original wing place in the Buffalo area, Anchor Bar. An ungodly, $10 fee for using their parking lot was incurred but the food was excellent for just around $20.
Saturday, was a trip back to the arena for the second round of the tournament. The four teams remaining from day one did battle on the court in the late evening. $150 more for the two games and free food/drinks again.
All and all, this was a $700 Spring Break trip that allowed me and my friends to do something we like, watch basketball and eat food. This beat the high prices of traveling to a beach by airplane. I would highly recommend a trip and week off from school like this. I am refocused after it. Also, Anchor Bar had the better wings.
