Things To Do on Campus During The Weekend
Whereas my last IP was about what to do during the week, for those of you who are here for the weekend but can’t be bothered to get on the 1 train, here’s a post about things you can do right here at Columbia on the weekend. I’m sure some of the things here you can do during the week too, but it’s guaranteed that you can do these on the weekend as well.
Visit St. Paul’s Chapel
St. Paul’s Chapel is a beautiful building that is often overlooked, with odd hours that mean you have to plan when you’re going. The entrance level has the main chapel, with the organ and the nice acoustics and the mass area and whatnot (sorry for being so ignorant, I’m not religious at all). At either entrance to the chapel there are stairs that lead both down and up; up will take you to the balconies, which is usually locked. Downstairs will take you to the basement, which houses Postcrypt, our most well-known coffeehouse, and a lot of boring admin offices. The stairs lead to boring places because most of the doors are locked, but walk around the main floor and take cool pictures or just sit and listen.
We’ve got two locations of Joe’s Coffee; in Dodge Hall, the music building, and in the Northwest Corner building. NoCo has the bigger and better Joe’s, so visit there if you want the full aesthetic experience. Otherwise, visit the much less well-known Joe’s in Dodge to save the effort. Note: if you visit the Joe’s in NoCo, it’s a floor down from the campus entrance and a floor up from the 120th entrance: take the escalator down or take the stairs up. It’s got glass walls; you can’t miss it.
For those of you looking for more risque things to do, you can visit the legendary underground tunnels beneath campus. Originally built for the insane asylum that used to be on the land, most of the tunnels were closed off to the public once Columbia moved in, and with each passing year security grows stronger as more people find ways around them. So be careful. The most well-known tunnel pathway runs through John Jay, Wallach, and Hartley: go to the basement floor of any of the three and walk around. However you would have to be swiped in to gain access, so for anyone else, you guys can try the Kent system, where you just go to the basement of Kent, Hamilton, or Philosophy, and try pulling/pushing on seemingly locked doors.
Find the best place to take a pic of campus
This might require roof access, so the next thing on my list is:
See which buildings you can get to the roof of without getting caught
Something not to be attempted during the day; roof access is strictly prohibited and can result in things like rescinded admissions offers. Butler and Carman roofs are popular, but I have no idea how most people get there: I have only ever found my way to either roof through outstanding circumstances and in unusual ways, opportunities that never showed up again.
There is one building that has unobstructed (if still illegal) access to its roof. I’ll leave it to you to find out, if you can. DM me if you discover it.
Back to conventional things: visit Cafe East on the entrance floor of Lerner Hall and try some of our bubble tea. This is one of the places where you can use Dining Dollars, $125 of which are usually provided on freshman meal plans. Sushi and other things to eat are also offered here, and the sushi is better than the sushi in most places. I personally stick to the Stumptown’s and bubble tea, going to a restaurant for any of my sushi cravings.
There are two things called “the sundial” on campus, both of which you can feel free to visit. The first is an actual sundial in front of Pupin and NoCo, on the northwest side of campus. It’s about waist-height, kinda easy to miss. See if you can actually tell the time--it is supposed to work, after all. The other “sundial” is a circular pedestal right in between Low and Butler Libraries. It did in fact used to be an actual sundial, with a giant granite orb resting upon it. The sphere developed a crack in it and mysteriously vanished from campus for several years, turning up in Michigan later. Given the fact that this is common knowledge, it’s also a mystery why Columbia still hasn’t bought it back.
Find the prettiest reading alcove, or venture through the stacks and find some quirky book written in the original Sanskrit. Instagram the third floor reading room, or get coffee from Blue Java. There are tunnels through Butler as well, but the basement is difficult to get access to.
See how long it takes you to find and get to all 22 libraries on campus
Speaking of libraries, it might be a fun competition to get a group of friends and race through all of our libraries. A hint (but not really a hint) is that Avery is located directly across from Mathematics, and is right next to St. Paul’s. Lehman is on the third floor of the International Affairs building, across Amsterdam bridge.
Technically tours aren’t offered during the weekend, but what I meant by this is to find out when gag tours are happening and latch onto one. Gag tours are tours given by trained tour guides, founded by yours truly, but spout alternate or funnier versions of Columbia, including things we’re not typically allowed to mention on real tours. You’re seeing a lot of it just by following this blog, but gag tours are in the flesh, and at night, when we can all get properly ~wasted~.
Visit the most filmed lecture hall in the US
Back to kosher. 309 Havemeyer is the most filmed college classroom in America, and it’s where I have my chem lecture. Havemeyer is, after all, the chemistry building. You can sit where I usually sit, on the upper right balcony, or sit anywhere at all and just get a feel for college. Ha. Afterwards, go see Spiderman or Gossip Girl or Kinsey or something.
Athena gracefully watches over campus with her staff and wreath crown. Her lap does look awfully comfy, though. Another stunt to be pulled after dark only, climb up onto the statue and sit on the tome she’s just been reading, or drape your body dramatically over her outstretched arms (kind of hard unless you’re like 6’8”). For the record, a similar feat can be pulled on the Scholar’s Lion by Havemeyer and Dodge Fitness Center.
Chill on campus somewhere
Last but certainly not least. Nothing really gives you a feel for how campus moves and acts more than sitting on Low Steps, or on Butler lawn, and just watching people go by. See if you can tell the time by the amount of people swelling and diminishing. Columbia’s a perfect campus for both lazy days preserved delicately in a bubble, and the vibrancy New York life that’s always there on the backburner should you ever miss the hum of the city.
