At the National High School Institute, cherubs can explore the campus of Northwestern University or downtown Evanston.

Evanston cafes and restaurants quickly became a cherub destination as an alternative to the cafeteria food at 1835 Hinman. The grocery and convenience stores serve all the cherubs' housekeeping and snacking necessities.

But even more, the city is a place for cherubs to make friends and memories

"I'll defintely miss some of the places - especially the ones that I don't have at home," Anna Scalamogna, of Clearwater, Fla., said. " I'll associate Evanston with good memories becuase I enjoyed it in good company."

With so many fond memories, we asked cherubs of 2008 to describe their favorite Evanston moments at NHSI.

Food

“On my Birthday my friends took me to “That Little Mexican Cafe.” We were really rushed, and we ate five baskets of chips. The food was legit though; I really like traditional Mexican food.”
Katie Prentiss, Crystal Beach, Fla.

"We went to Joy Yee’s on July Fourth. We were waiting outside the restaurant for Alix Cohen. She saw us outside and continuously tried to get out by pushing against the locked emergency exit. It took her a while to find the other exit."
Alex Jones, Kansas City, Mo.

"I really liked to go to the Mozart Café because they have really yummy ice cream. At the same time Ethel’s Chocolates was really good, but I couldn’t get a lot of chocolate because the second you stand up you feel really bad. When you go into downtown Evanston, it’s usually when you have bonding moments with your friends."
Libby Henning, Cincinnati

"It’s so nice that you don’t need a car in Evanston. All shops close early except Burger King, but that’s a-ok, with me because I love Burger King."
Joe Buzelli, Lake Zurich, Ill.

"My favorite place to go is Joy Yee’s for freeze drinks. They’re like little drops of heaven in my cup."
Leah Sheesley, San Antonio

"I go to Ben & Jerry’s every now and then. It’s my favorite ice cream store. It just has great ice cream and I usually go with my friends."
Michael Stern, Livington, N.J.

"I really liked going to Kafein with my friends. It was a fun and relaxing rest from the stressful part of class."
Jeffery Cattel, Canton, Mass.

Meaning of Evanston

"As a cherub Evanston is very important because it’s your only escape from Northwestern and it plays a major role in your social life – the place where you mostly bond besides the dorms."
Anna Scalamomga, Clear Water, Fla.

"I think the freedom is good here because I feel like they trust us enough to go into town. It’s a very laid back college town with friendly people. It would be a great place to be a summer school student."
Matt Wong, San Diego

"Evanston is like my second home. I always know I can come back and enjoy some Red Mango."
Bridget FitzGibbons, Longmont, Colo.

Cherubs stop for a quick break while in Evanston at night.

Experiences

"Seeing the “Dark Knight” at Century Theater was amazing. After I watched the movie, I started acting like Batman. I feel his frustration and all of his feelings, it’s like he’s my brother. This feeling is probably going to last until the next time I see a good movie."
Julia Haskins, Washington, D.C.

"We were playing Frisbee on the street. It landed on Sheridan Road and it got ran over by a car. The Frisbee snapped in half."
Josh Kriegel, Sharon, Mass.

"I met Tommy and his dad, Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter at CVS the very last Saturday. It was crazy to just run into them while walking back from the movies."
Mike Schneider, Wesport, Conn.

"During the first week me Joe, Mitch and Mike went downtown to go get Cold Stone. Suddenly, Mitch started talking to a homeless man. They talked about sports and California for about 10 minutes before Mike Juliani told Mitch to get away from him."
Megan Kozak, Hawthorn Woods, Ill.