University of Illinois | 150 Years & Beyond

Two things Audrey (Butkus) Merlone has discovered in the decade since earning her bachelor's in urban and regional planning:

1. There’s no tastier bar food than a heaping pile of “good old Firehaus fries.”

2. There’s no better place to get away from it all than a public plaza with a fountain.

“When I think back on my time at U of I, two diametrically opposed places immediately come to mind: The tranquil fountain in the Architecture Building’s courtyard and Firehaus bar,” the Class of 2009 grad says from San Francisco.

“I often found myself escaping the stresses of yet another procrastinated project deadline at one of these two magical places.”