He doesn’t even go here…or does he? Now that students are undoubtedly hopefully settling into their grooves for first semester, it’s time to take a moment (just a moment) to appreciate all that surrounds us. Besides the books, assignments, and levels of cramming that are already taking place, I think it’s important to remember why we’re all here. Without getting too existentialist–because I really don’t like the topic at all–most of us are here because we not only love this city, but love this little pocket next to the river that we get to call home for the four years we spend here.
While the absolute aim of this column is to broaden the horizons of BU students, encouraging them to see all that Boston has to offer, it would be awful not to point out all that here has to offer. It had to happen at some point, right? This city is expansive and colored with many different shades of culture and creativity, and a huge chunk of it comes from both sides of Commonwealth Avenue. One of the things that some students find odd about our campus is that, well…we really don’t have one. Not in the traditional sense anyway. What we do have, though, is a unique take on the “city school” approach to college life. At BU you walk away having experienced a completely different side of college that those off in vast campuses in the middle of hills and valleys just don’t get to say they’ve experienced. It’s almost as if these streets are preparing us for what lies immediately ahead of the red caps and gowns. Here, you almost feel as though you’re living in the city going about your day-to-day life while attending class for a few hours here and there. You’re able to then get your work done and walk about 15 minutes down the street and into the heart of the city–assuming you don’t hover within the BU bubble.
Many claim that we don’t have space to just sit or relax, but if you’re a terrier you know this to be false. We have the cleverly named “BU beach” to sit on and the beautiful sounds of traffic passing on Storrow Drive…that remains eerily hidden unless you venture over the hill onto the Esplanade. And there’s yet another thing that us BU kiddies get to take advantage of. Not only do we pretty much own the more prominent area of Comm Ave, but we also get to abuse the privileges of a long, long, long…long stretch of grass and trees and beauty. There’s always something happening on the Esplanade and if not, it’s more than doable to pack a basket, throw a blanket over your shoulder, grab some books, and have a perfect afternoon by the river.
As for our dining halls, we like to complain about them…a lot. And sometimes for good reason (those burger lines, come on), but if you were to walk into a lot of other campus dining halls—except for Northeastern’s, of course—you’d find that our mouths are better kept shut on the topic. That goes for you tweeters as well. With the addition of Marciano Commons last fall, BU’s dining services are pretty stacked and hard to complain too much about. Same goes for the fact that you can use your BU ID to order dominos well into the wee hours of the morning if you wish. We’ve all been there, and if you’re a newcomer to campus then you most likely will be as well. Pepperoni and lava cakes are just too hard to say no to at 2:30 in the morning.
There’s a wealth of other nifty BU staples that I could rattle off, like those ambiguous sculptures outside of Towers, but in keeping with the theme and purpose of this column I think it best to let readers of all grade levels explore a little BU beauty on their own. Until next time!
