Being a student at Wichita State University as an international student is quite tough. That's what I have learned over the years. No matter how much you earn, or wants to spend. There are some basic stuffs you can know in order to survive years of academic life in Wichita. Since I have left Wichita on November 1st, 2004, there is no guarantee that the stores shown here still exists today, but just as a reference. So, here are some of gotta know stuffs in order to survive life in Wichita!

List: (click to Jump)

Restaurants General Burgers Deli Japanese Korean Treats (Donut, Coffee, Diner...) Drugstores Supermarket, Grocery Stores Liquor store Bars Entertainment (Movie theaters, Video rental) Shopping Mall Grocery Store Electric Appliances Clothing Bookstores Office Supplies Banks Others Tools and lumbers (DIY store) Computer Components Automobile (Excluding the dealers to be fair...) Government Office

Restaurants:

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
A
Applebee's		American	North Rock Rd.	A nationwide franchise restaurant. Steaks, burgers, sandwiches, salad, and some drinks.
Arby's		Fast food (Burgers)	on Rock Rd, north of K-96	I have not been there yet.
B
Bangkok		Thai food	South Rock Rd, near Pawnee.	My friend from Thailand told me that they have more traditional taste than at "Thai Traditions". Their soup is a lot Spicier than at Thai Traditions and makes me cry. I guess which place to pick is depending on your preference...
Barn'rds		Fast food (Burgers)	on Woodlawn, south of 21st	A Wichita born fast food restaurant. They serves roast beef burger. The BBQ seasoned roast beef take a long time to prepare.
Beijing Palace		Chinese, Buffet	Harry and Rock Rd	A Chinese buffet. I think the largest in the town. I used to go there back in 1996 but I am no longer a big fun of all you can eat food...
Bionic Burger		Fast food (Burgers)	Meridian and Harry (SE corner)	Another local restaurant. This place has home made fries. Oily, but my host father just loves it. I think this place tastes okay.
Braum's		Fast food (Burgers)	on Rock Rd, north of K-96	Ice creams, milk, they have some chicken burgers and more.
Buffalo Wild Wings		Sports Bar	on North Rock Rd, just south of K-96	If you feel like buying tons of chicken wings, here is the place you can go. I went here with other Engineering Council members, and we ate 2 buckets (100 pieces each) of wings!
Burger King		Fast food (Burgers)	at SW corner or 21st and Woodlawn	Whooper is the best! One of my friend likes to eat at here so I ended up going there often.
Boston Market		Fast food (Chicken)	(CLOSED) at NW corner of 29th and Rock Road.	Chicken and side dishes. Their chickens are pretty good. Dine-In or To-go. A bit expensive but worth it. I used to go there a lot. but the store closed.
C
Chili's Grill and Bar Family Restaurant		American, Mexican	Central and Rock	I always get my order forgotten...
Chipotle		Fast food (Mexican)	at NW corner of 29th and Rock Road	Mexican fast food. I like this one a lot but I just don't go much. All branches in Wichita used to be Boston Market.
Cibola		$$$, Fancy food	North Rock Rd. (Bradley Fair)	I have never been there but I heard it's pretty expensive
Cici's Pizza		Pizza	37th and between Woodlawn and Rock Rd.	A pizza place. I like their tomato sauce.
Cinnamon's Deli		Sandwich	South side on 21st, between Oliver and Woodlawn.	Sub Sandwiches, soups. It's cheap to buy a set in stead of just a sandwich. It was a bit cheaper than eating at Jason's Deli
City Bites		Sandwich	SE corner of 21st and Woodlawn.	A bit cheaper then Jason's Deli. I usually see a discount coupon on Sunflower newspaper.
Carlos O'Kelly's		Mexican	North Rock Rd.	Mexican Food, I have not been there yet.
D
Dairy Queen		Fast food, Burgers	N. Rock Road, near the 32nd street	It is located right near by the NorthRock14.
Denny's		American	(Closed)	Very first restaurant I visited in the U.S.
E
F
Fazoli's		Fast food, Italian	North Rock Rd. Rock Rd, just north of K-96 over pass	Italian Fast Food Submarino (Baked Sub), Spaghetti, Lasagna...
G
H
Hana Cafe		Japanese, Korean	Rock Rd. South of Central.	Japanese/Korean food. A bit pricy but tastes good.
Hometown Buffet		American, Buffet	NW corner of Central and Woodlawn	I have been here several times. The food is not so bad and you can eat a lot.
I
Il Vicino		Italian, Pizza	Central and Oliver?	They have a nice pizza but a bit pricy...
IHOP (International House of Pancake)		Pancake?	North Rock Rd.	I have never been there
J
Japan Express		Fast food, Japanese	NE corner of 21st and Rock Rd.	Japanese fast food restaurant. It is not my kind of food but I go there sometimes.
Jason's Deli		Sandwich	SE corner of 21st and Rock Rd.   (Bradley Fair)	Sub Sandwiches, salad or fruits bar.
K
Kentucky Fried Chicken		Fast food, chicken	On 21st street, between Oliver and Woodlawn.	Nationwide (worldwide?) Fried Chicken store
Kobe		Japanese, Teppanyaki	Carriage Lane	Japanese food restaurant, Teppan Yaki I have been this place once
Kyoto		Japanese. Teppanyaki	Central and Woodlawn?	A Japanese food restaurant, Teppan Yaki. I have been to this place once with my host family. I have to explain that Japanese don't cook food like that...
Kwan Court		Chinese, Sushi, buffet	North Rock Rd.	I have been there only few times. They have buffet and other Chinese dishes
L
Long John Silver's		Fast food, Fish fries	On 21st street, between Oliver and Woodlawn	Fish or Chicken fries. The food in this place is very oily...
M
Malaysia Cafe		Fast food, Malaysian	SW corner of 21st and Rock Rd.	Similar to  the Japan Express, you can eat Malaysian fast food
Mama San's		Japanese	13th and West.	You can eat real Japanese style dishes. (I think it is a little salty...) Price is around $10.
Manna Wok		Korean	Harry and Oliver	Korean Food, Cheap but good.
McDonald's		Fast food, Burgers	At NW corner of Hillside and 17th Street.	I have been to this place many times when I was an IELC student.
Mr. Goodcents		Sandwiches	North Rock Rd.	I get their subs when I am teaching ARC classes. Not so bad
Macaroni Grill		Pasta, Italian	North Rock Rd.  (Bradley Fair)	Italian Food, Pastas...
N
O
Outback Steakhouse		Steak	North Rock Rd.  (Bradley Fair)	Steak, Australian style?.
On the Border		Mexican	North Rock Rd.  (Bradley Fair)	Mexican Food, not so bad but too much food sometimes.
Osaka		Japanese		A Japanese food restaurant,
P
Papa John's Pizza		Pizza	21st St. near Rock Rd.	A former vice president of the Pizza Hut created this (?)
P.F. Chang's		Chinese	13th and Webb	A very nice food at affordable price. My friends and I agree with the taste of brown rice over the white rice.
Pizza Hut		Pizza	at SW corner of 21st and Woodlawn	Originated in Kansas? (The first store was at Bluff and Kellogg, where is in the middle of state highway today...
			at SW corner of 21st and Rock Rd.
Q
R
Red Lobster		Seafood	333 S. Armor, west of TowneEast
S
Schulotsky's		Fast food	SE corner of Central and Woodlawn.	(Funny name, serious business?). I have been to this place only once. This may be a good alternative from regular burgers.
Spangles		Fast food (Burgers)	on 21st, near Woodlawn	A Wichita born fast food restaurant, cheaper than going to other places. A local fast food store. They are cheaper than McDonald's, but also better taste (in my opinion) #1, Gourmet Supreme
Subway		Fast food, Sandwich	on 21st street, near Woodlawn.	If you don't want to eat hamburgers, here is a place you can go
Sumo Restaurant		Japanese, Teppanyaki	North Rock Rd.	A Japanese food restaurant, Teppan Yaki or Sushi bar
Scotch and Sirloin		Steak, $$$	5325 E. Kellogg but the location is a little off...	I have been there only once when I was working for Itochu Aviation Inc., No Shorts please...
Souper Salad		Buffet, Salad	SE corner of Kellogg and Rock.	A salad buffet. This is my favorite place since I cannot make any salad. They have salad, soup and tacos
T
Taco Bell		Fast food (Mexican)	at NE corner of 21st and Rock Rd.	Cheap Mexican food. They used to use  a dog in their Ads.
Taco Tico		Fast food (Mexican)	at North Rock Rd.	I have never been there before
Thai Tradition		Thai	Carrigeparklane?	This is one of my favorite place I usually go. Pad Thai
Timberline Steakhouse and Grill		Steak	21st near Rock Rd.	right behind of Dillon's
U
V
Vietnamese Restaurant (I don't know the name...)		Vietnamese	Just south of 13th and Broadway.	I like their #1 set, rice noodle in a big bowl! #1 set
W
Wendy's		Fast food, Burgers	At SE corner of 21st and Woodlawn
X
Y
Yen Ching		Chinese	Central and Rock	Affordable and good restaurant. The environment inside reminds me the movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"...
Z

Treats: Donuts, Diner, Coffee

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Daylight Donuts		Donuts	8909 W Kellogg Dr.	Donut shop
Dunkin' Donuts		Donuts		Not found in Wichita
Jimmy's Diner		Shakes	North Rock Rd, near 29th.	You get to drink shakes and some more. The inside looks like 50s or 60s
Krispy Kreme		Donuts	SW corner of Central and Rock Rd.	Donut shop. Opened here in December 2001
Starbucks Coffee		Coffee	NE corner of Central and Rock Rd.	If want to spend lots of money for a cup coffee, you should go there (I am not a big fun of coffee...) Opened 2003/05/07 Rock Road and Central
		Coffee	Rock Road and 29th	Opened May 2004

Drugstores:

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Osco Drugs		Drugstore		One of common drug store. You can get prescription drugs.
Walgreen's		Drugstore		Another famous drug stores

Supermarket, Grocery Stores:

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Albertsons		Groceries		They used to be at 21st and Rock Rd. Now there is no Albertsons left in Wichita.
ALDI		Groceries	21st St. Between Woodlawn and Rock Rd.	a super cheap supermarket. They opens only limited hours and you might see some out of stock items.
China Market		Groceries, Asian	Just south of 21st and Broadway,	if you need to buy rice, noodles and some other oriental stuffs, you can try here
Dillons		Groceries	21st St. and Rock Rd. (NE corner)	A local supermarket. They have sold it's distribution unit to a Texas company back in 2000(?) They cannot beat Wal-Mart in most of the time, but people who don't need to save money in Kansas like them better.
Food 4 Less		Groceries
K-Mart		Groceries	4200 W. Kellogg
		Groceries	4830 S. Broadway
Sam's Club		Whole sale	North Rock Road, North of K-96	A kind of Wal-Mart, but you can only buy in a larger unit.
Thai Binh Supermarket		Groceries, Asian	21st and Amidon(?)	I don't know much about it.
Wal-Mart		Groceries	at 29th and Rock.	You can buy groceries, items you need pretty much in everyday life. They can also change oil and tires...

Liquor Shop

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Jacob Liquor Exchange		Liquor Store	NW corner of 29th and Rock Rd.	You can buy almost all kinds of drinks!

Entertainments: Movie Theaters, Video Rentals

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
All Star Sports (East)		Sports	at just north of Central and Webb.	Mini golf, Go Kart, Shooting Golf.
All Star Sports (West)		Sports	at 21st and Ridge(?)	Mini golf, Go Kart, Shooting Golf
Blockbuster Video		Video, DVD and game rental	21st St. and Rock Rd. (NE corner)	You can rent DVD, VHS and some Game software from them
Dillon's		Video, DVD rental	21st St. and Rock Rd. (NE corner)	Dillons also have a small section of video rentals
Hollywood Video		Video, DVD rental	North Rock Rd.	Similar to the Blockbuster Video
NorthRock14		Movie theater	North Rock Rd. Near K-96	14 screens, this one is bigger and has better seats than the NorthRock6, which was closed now.
NorthRock6		Movie theater	(CLOSED on 2003/07/29) N. Rock Rd.	This movie theater was the place where we could hang out. I have lots of good memories...
Palace (East)		Movie theater	NW corner of Kellogg and Greenwich	They used to let us watch movie for only $1.50! The fun place to go back in 96, 97 and maybe 98.
Palace (West)		Movie theater		I have not been there yet.
Warren Theaters (Downtown)		Movie theater	Old town area	I have not check this place out yet...
Warren Theaters (East)		Movie theater	E. 13th St.	12 screens, you can drink alcoholic beverages if you are 21 or older!
Warren Theaters (West)		Movie theater	21st and Tyler	I don't go there often since it's a bit far. I watched Godzilla and the Pearl Harbor

Bars: (Sports bar, Piano bar...)

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Bennigan's		Bar	Douglas and Rock Rd.	Drinking Place, I have been there few times
Fingers		Piano Bar	at SE corner of 21st street and Woodlawn,	this store is located behind of Hobby Lobby.
Old Chicago		Sports Bar?	Kellogg and Rock Rd.	Drinking Place,
Tanner's		Bar	at SE corner of 21st street and Woodlawn,	I went to the one in KC before. Burgers, beers and so on...

Shopping Malls

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Towne East Mall		Shopping mall	NW of Kellogg and Rock Rd.	A shopping mall located just north of Kellogg Street and Rock Road. The stores: Sears, Old Navy, Express,
Towne West Mall		Shopping Mall	West St.	Another shopping mall located in the west side. My personal opinion thinks this place is better... The stores including

Electric Appliances Stores

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Radio Shack			North Rock Rd.	A nationwide electric appliance chain, they are smaller than other kind of places such as Best Buy and Circuit City, but if you need to save some money, or cannot find a certain kind of battery, you should check this out.
Best Buy		Electric Appliances, Music, Video, PCs	North Rock Rd. (Tallgrass Center)	A nationwide electric appliance store
Circuit City		Electric Appliances, Music, Video, PCs	East Kellogg	Electric Appliances.
CompUSA		Electric Appliances, Music, Video, PCs	North Rock Rd.	Electric Appliance store, heavy on PC, DVD and Games. They also sells parts for the hand made PCs...

Clothing

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Dillard's		Department store	TowneEast Mall, TowneWest Mall
Eddie Bauer			Bradley Fair
Gap			Bradley Fair
Kohl's		Department store	North Rock Rd.	They sells shoes, shorts and regular clothing. They sometimes carry Speedo!
J C Penny		Department store	TowneEast Mall,
Old Navy			TowneEast Mall,
Sears		Department store	TowneEast Mall,
Express (Structure)			TowneEast Mall,	The Express and the Structure used to be two different companies but they merged recently.
Gordmans		Department store		I have not been there yet.

Bookstores

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Barns & Noble		Bookstore, Cafe, Internet?	One at NW corner of Rock Rd and 29th St.	A book store, CDs, coffees, Godiva chocolate...
		Bookstore, Cafe, Internet?	The other one is at SE corner at Kellogg and Rock.
Borders		Bookstore, Cafe, Internet?	North Rock Rd. between 21st and 13th street,	You can also buy CDs, have some coffees at cafe. I think they have live music performance in the evenings sometime.
Books To Go		Bookstore,	Hillside, south of 17th St.	If you think WSU bookstore is too expensive, you may save some money by going there.
WSU Bookstore		Bookstore, Merchandise	on campus, inside of RSC	you can buy our textbooks, they also buy them back at the end of the semester for very cheap price.

Office Supplies

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Kinko's		Office supply, binding, fax, internet, copying	North Rock Rd.	Photocopies, Fax, internet access, printing and more. Office supplies
Office Depot		Office supplies	NW corner of 29th and Rock Rd.	If you need to buy folders, notes, pens, boxes, PDA and some computers also.
Office Max		Office supplies	North Rock Rd. just north of K-96	Pretty much the same as the Office Depot.

Banks

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Bank of America			21st and Hillside, Right across the Fairmount Towers.	One of the largest bank in the U.S. (When I came here in 1996, the name of the bank was Bank IV, then changed to NationsBank, later changed again to this Bank of America)
Commerce Bank			on campus, inside of RSC
Credit Union			on campus
Intrust Bank
Emprise Bank
Sunflower Bank

Sporting Goods: (Running, Swimming, Biking and more)

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
First Gear		Running
Finish Line, The		Sports General
Gart Sports		Sporting goods	21st between Woodlawn and Rock	This place is called "Wichita Sports" when I came here, then went bankrupt and later reopened as "Jumbo Sport" but it went bankrupt again and now it is called "Gart SportS"
Dick's Sports		Sporting goods	21st and Rock Rd.	Sporting goods.
Foot Locker, The
Adventure Sports		Diving, Skiing, Rollerblade, Skateboard	Central and Woodlawn (NW corner)	Located on NW corner of Central and Woodlawn. If you want to buy rollerblades, skateboards, or wants to get SCUBA license and gears, here is the place you can go. I have got my SCUBA diving license from them.
Bicycle X Change
L&M Schwinn		Bicycle Shop	Douglas and Rock

Others

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Toys R Us		Toy store	SE of Kellogg and Rock Rd.	You can buy toys.
5th Avenue Gift		Gift shop	Located on SE corner of Central and Woodlawn.	If you are looking for a fancy gifts, you might want to try this. They have some cosmetics, candles, teas, chocolates and more...
Party City		Party goods	North Rock Rd.	For Halloween and other parties. Usually get crowded easily so you should go there in advance.
Verizon		Wireless	SW of Rock Rd. and 21st	If you want to buy a cellphone, here is a place to go
Cricket		Wireless	21st and Woodlawn	If you want to buy a cellphone, here is a place to go
T Mobile		Wireless	Rock Rd. and Kellogg	If you want to buy a cellphone, here is a place to go
Sprint		Wireless
Hallmark		Gift, Cars	SE corner of 21st and Woodlawn
Biker's Edge		Motorcycle
Dental Corner		Dentist	Oliver between 21st and 17th	A dentist closest to campus. My friend is working here right now.
Best Cleaners		Dry Cleaning	on 21st, near Woodlawn	The dry cleaning place I usually use.
YMCA		Fitness Center	N. Woodlawn

DIY: Tools, Lumbers, homebuilt computer,

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Ace Hardware		DIY	Hillside and Douglas
Home Depot		DIY	North Woodlawn	If you need to buy tools, pipes, nuts and bolts and so on.
Stars Lumber Supply		DIY	Central and Woodlawn(?)	Wichita born company?
Hobby Lobby		Hobbies	SE corner of 21st and Woodlawn	I don't know much about it.
National Computer		Computer components	Lincoln and Oliver?	Computer equipment for home build ones. Motherboard, CPU, CD-ROM drives, speakers, keyboards and more...

Computers, Hobbies   

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Wings Over Wichita		Airplane	Webb and Central	If you want to buy something related to airplane, headsets, books and videos for the training. I bought my DC headsets here.

Automobile

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Pepboys		Parts, Tires, Batteries, Garage, Shop	On east Kellogg, right by the turnpike	The labor is cheaper than at Dealer's garage. You can buy tools. They have cheap tires but not brand named.
NTB (National Tire and Battery)		Tires, Batteries	505 S. West St., right north of Kellogg	I have replaced my tires once here. As the name says, they sells tires and batteries. It is cheaper than doing at automobile dealers.
AAA Kansas		Auto club	4817 E. Douglas, East of Oliver	You can get maps, travel reservation,
		Auto club	7130 MW. Maple #200, Near Ridge Rd.
Midas		Brake, Muffler	North Rock Rd. Near K-96
Rapid Auto Center		Brake, Muffler		Used to be "Rapid Brake and Muffler"
Avis		Rent-A-Car	at Airport
Budget		Rent-A-Car	at airport
Enterprise		Rent-A-Car	many locations in Wichita
Hertz		Rent-A-Car	at Airport, or East side at Webb and Central
Farmers Insurance		Auto Insurance	Douglas and Rock Rd.	This is the insurance agency I have been doing business with for whole my Wichita life. They will give you several discounts. Good student discount (for GPA 3.0 or higher, 25% off) Preferred Customer (no accidents, speeding ticket for 3(?) years, more than 25% off) Graduation discount (with your diploma, 5% off)
American Family Insurance		Auto Insurance
QuikTrip		Gas Station	Central and Rock Rd.
Phillip 66

Government Offices

Name:	Pictures: (Click to enlarge)	Type:	Location:	Synopsis
Drivers License Office		Drivers License	1823 W. 21st St. Suite 42a Wichita, KS 67203	You can get your ID, IP or DL issued. The place is at SE 21st Street and Amidon, but it is located behind of all stores.	7:00am - 5:00pm Tuesday to Friday

Tag Office Vehicle Registration 2120 N. Woodlawn Suite 370 Wichita, KS 67208  This is the place you need to go when you are registering your vehicle for the first time

  Social Security Office Social Security 8533 E. 32nd St. N Wichita, KS 67226-6515 If you are applying for a SSN, you need to come over here. 7:00am-7:00pm Mon-Fri

  Vehicle Inspection   Vehicle Inspection   If you purchased your car from outside of the state, you need to register your car here.  

                     

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