A little bit of Shephard, a little bit of rock n’ roll

I’ve been lucky enough to co-head arguably the coolest group on-campus this semester, Imaginet (a pre-professional communications group…we do marketing, advertising and pr for groups at Tufts). As co-prez, I’ve helped the group build accounts and be organized with a stable model for the future.  One of the things I’ve been most interested in, however, has been to grow the design and creative thinking skills of members of the group.  Because of this, I organized a group trip to the Institute of Contemporary Art to see Shephard Fairey’s exhibition there.

I assume that you all know who Fairey is, by name or by his work.  His iconic ‘Hope’ poster became the symbol for Obama’s campaign, and the three-tone portrait he created has become ubiquitous.  His other work is equally as poignant; each piece is laced with social or political commentary.  Tufts, the awesome school that it is, was a spot used for Fairey’s city-wide installation, a precursor for his ICA showing.  Getting a glimpse of his work on-campus only cemented the idea that Imaginet should see his more of his designs up close, to inspire our own creativity.

The ICA is easily accessible (T Silver Line, World Trade Center), it only requires one T train switch and then a short walk following the signs to the waterfront. The building is a relic from the 70s, but the amazing views of the harbor make up for the less than stellar facade (the views get even better when you’re inside).

One of the first things you notice about the museum is the HUGGGE elevator.  It’s bigger than any studio apartment I’ve ever seen.  Beyond that, you notice the how incredibly diverse the collection is at this museum.  There were video installations, paintings, photos, and sculptures of various media. There were performance spaces as well. Between the Fairey exhibit and the other pieces in the collection, we were exposed to many different types of thought and creativity…it was inspiring to see what different original works people can produce.   That + the fact that every Thursday night is free for the public =a fantastic Thursday night.

(Additionally, as Tufts students you get free admission to the Museum of Fine Arts…a great deal for a great museum!)

This week was a two-fer!

SO one may say that I had a little too much fun this week.  School has been driving me a little crazy lately and so I have been off-setting potential implosion by doing super fun things.  What are these things you may ask? Well…last Saturday, my friends Nicole, Amanda and I went ice skating at the Frog Pond on Boston Commons (Park Street T stop!).  Because for some reason I was a deprived child, it was only my second time ice skating (incidentally the first time was also with Tufts kids).  It was a really nice day out, so much so that they brought out the zamboni every half hour or so to do whatever it is that zambonis do.  Families, couples and groups of friends were all there, and even more people sat in the park watching and buying goodies from the food carts that lined the paths.  From the Frog Pond,we could see the state house? the movie theater that we always go to and more.  The day was amazing, except for the few instances where I fell on my butt and almost took my friends down with me–whoops!

The next day there was an awesome event offered through Tufts (a counterinsurgency exercise involving paintball and roleplaying?! um…I hated all of my professors that had assigned me work that had to get done on Sunday).

This past Wednesday, U2 came to do a secret show in Davis Square, at the Somerville Theater.  Lucky Tufts students (unfortunately not me…I was too lazy/ did not want to face Bono’s rejection when I asked him to adopt me).  Some of my friends talked to or got pictures of the band members.   I kind of regret not going…maybe some ice cream from JP Licks would have taken The Edge off! (Ten points if you got that, twenty if you groaned after).

And finally, on Thursday, me and a bunch of friends went bowling at Lanes and Games in Alewife (Alewife T station).  I hadn’t been there since freshman year and  no one else in the group had ever been to the Alewife stop despite it’s proximity to Davis, perhaps because it seems like nothing is there.  Leaving the station is like trying to escape a very difficult  labyrinth.  Luckily, we were finally able to find an exit after some searching.  Then came the more difficult part.  To get to the alley, you kind of have to walk along a highway.  The sidewalks are paved, so it’s considerably safer than you would probably assume reading the preceding statement.  The bigger problem was that I had absolutely no idea which highway path to take and where that was in relation to where we were standing outside of the station.  After asking a cute older couple as they left Bertucci’s (yeah, there’s a Bertuc built into the T station) if they knew where the alley was, they pointed us in a very general direction.  I vaguely remembered which dark highway path it was and after urging my reluctant friends to follow me (even though I had no clue if we were going the right way) we found the alley! Lanes and Games is kind of awesome because it has candlepin and ten pin bowling, plus an arcade with AIR HOCKEY, and food, and lots of other wonderful amenities.  The shoes and one game came to $9.50–a really cheap, fun night out.  Though I got a few gutter balls (I blame my left-handedness and tiny wrists for these blunders), I also got a few spares (and when I say a few I mean like one or two, but a few sounds more impressive).  Furthermore, I came in third in our lane (that NEVER happens).  I’m sad there are only six weeks left after break, because I would love to go back more often.  Take my advice, go for the sketchiest and most fun adventure of your lives at Lanes and Games, you won’t regret or forget it.

At this point, you may be wondering, ‘Laura, do you actually attend college?’ The answer is resoundingly a yes. But, if you manage time well or have a free second, you can explore the many, many options and take advantage of all the great events that pop up around our Jumbo Haven.

P.S. I envy any and all of you who live downhill next year.  There is a new Dunkin Donuts opening up (and it’ll be more accessible to the downhill kids that the uphill one is for uphill kids).  I feel like that makes three DDs in walking distance of Tufts–the franchise must be really banking on midnight coffee runs!

So I definitely saw the Jonas Brothers 3D Concert Experience this weekend…

Um. I’m kind of embarrassed about the title of this post, but the information is completely factual.  I wasted $15+ going to see the Jo Bros on the big screen with my friend Laura (yeah, it was full-fledged Laura date…amazing!).  Other than the fact that we were the only people in the theater that had graduated from middle school (save for a few mothers), I thought it was probably one of the better movie viewing experiences I’ve had in recent history.  Slumdog was definitely a winner in my book, but since then, nothing hitting the movie theaters has seemed incredibly entertaining.

Too see this musical extravaganza, Laura and I travelled to Park Street to go to Loew’s Boston Commons.  It is a huge multiplex with many, many, many screens.  I love this theater for many reasons, the biggest probably being that they still card me (I feel like this means I can probably start anti-aging creams after most, score for my future bank account!).  It is located in the heart of Boston, right across the street from Boston Commons, steps away from the Theater District and Beacon Hill and minutes from any edge of the Boston city limits (I swear that Boston is the tiniest city ever…I once walked the entire city in an afternoon practically).  If you’re hungry, there are restaurants aplenty–my favorite, Bennigans, has passed away RIP, but there’s still California Pizza Kitchen, P.F. Chang’s, UFood Grill, and more.

Closer to Tufts is Somerville Theater, right in Davis Square.  They have concerts, epic movie festivals (um, 24 hour sci-fi fest anyone?), and the cheapest, tastiest ice cream cone in Davis (JP Licks is also good, but they charge a bit more for their creamy concoctions).  Concert Board is newly replacing Dewick with Somerville Theater as the concert venue for their smaller shows, so there will be plenty of opportunities to see your favorite acts on their stage.  The theater used to play movies in delayed run (meaning the movies would come out there a month or so after they had hit most theaters), but now most movies are first run. The theater looks and feels like an old movie haus, so definitely grab a bucket of popcorn and taken in a show there.

If these theaters don’t sate your need for a movie, there are many other options…IMAX at the Aquarium or Museum of Science, the theater at Fenway (next to a Coldstone…clearly I have ice cream on the brain, even though it snowed 5+ inches today), and the theater at Alewife (you may have to walk on the shoulder of a highway for a bit if you take the T there, but what’s life without a little adventure?).

Though you probably won’t be able to see the Jo Bros in 3D in any of these theaters by the time you get here (it’ll probably be Selena Gomez at that point…the Disney Channel just churns these kids out!), they are definitely places to check out some flicks.  And, bonus! if you buy your ticket from the campus center, you get a discount for select theaters!

Such an epiic time…

Hey everyone, long time no see! I wish I could have shared with you the many things that have happened recently, but I’ve been buried under the class that is EPIIC (that’s right, 2 bloggers are members of epiic’s class of 2008-09, but not everyone is in epiic…there are only 40 students–out of the entire school– in this year’s class).  Last week, Wednesday through Sunday, we hosted our symposium ‘Global Cities: Forging and Urban Future’.  Partly because I haven’t been able to get off campus for non-EPIIC purposes and partly so you know about some of the opportunities that Tufts offers before senior year rolls around and you’re like ‘what? I could have done that?’, I’m going to tell you a little about the Institute of Global Leadership at Tufts (for more information, definitely check out Eileen’s blog for her research and feelings about the program).

I think I’d like to start off by saying that EPIIC has been incredibly fun.  You work hard, but it pays off in so many ways.  EPIIC is the capstone program of the Institute, a full-fledged class as opposed to some of the other programs that fall under the IGL’s hat.  In the class, you get the opportunity to learn about research opportunities worldwide; from Shanghai to South Africa, Rio to Raleigh.  You can create your own adventure or you can go with a program that the IGL has already set up. Additionally you get access to incredible speakers dealing with your topic (this year’s was Global Cities, and we had experts on everything from sustainability to urban violence to the power of public spaces).  The program culminates in a symposium with students from around the world; I hosted a Singaporean student, Heather and a Korean student, Janice.  It was awesome to meet them and to get these amazing new friendships (and it was especially awesome to have someone to watch my favorite Korean drama du jour (Coffee Prince) with.

The IGL also has EXPOSURE, a photojournalism organization that travels EVERYWHERE and chronicles the stories of people we may not typically see or think about on a daily basis.  Their work on the violence that occurs in some areas of my hometown, Philadelphia , was especially poignant to me but they have pictures from every location you can think of (National Geographic, you’ve been put to shame).  Tufts Energy Forum, a group that discusses worldwide energy issues went to DUBAI last year as one of the few if not only student groups to attend this incredibly important conference. BUILD has sent kids to Nicauragua to well, build things for some time.  There’s a program in Haiti, there are opportunities with alums and affiliated associations (check out the website to see all of the connections the IGL has).  If you’re interested in global and domestic issues, you should definitely check out the work of the IGL (or Tisch College of Public Service if that’s more up your alley).  It may not allow you to

Winternship Week!

The new semester has begun! Yay!

I’m happy/sad about the lack of days I’ll be spending in class…I have Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays off (though somehow my friend Janette only has classes on Mondays?!!? huh?).  That means I have to spend time on projects, my internship and finding a job.  Ew.  But luckily, I got a huge resume boost this winter break.  This past fall I applied for the Communications and Media Studies and Career Services ‘Winternship’ Program.  The winternship program places accepted students in week long internships with Tufts alums in the communications field.  I went to New York (and stayed with my friend Emily’s fam….thanks Em!) to intern with KP Communications LLC.  We worked on the publicity campaign for the upcoming book ‘Great Races, Incredible Places’, a guide to marathons around the world, many of which were run by the author, Tufts’ alum Kimi Puntillo.  She has the distinction of being the first woman to run a marathon on every continent (even Antarctica).  It was a great experience; even though Tufts doesn’t have as big a communications department as other schools, they definitely help you find the opportunities that you will need.  Students worked in world renowned firms ranging from the Boston Globe to Walden Media. to Young and Rubicam.  There was an internship for any and every facet of the communications industry.

Tufts gives you other real world experiences as well.  Two summers ago, after doing the Tufts in Talloires program (definitely look that up!), I spent a month interning with New Orleans Habitat for Humanity.  Though I didn’t apply for the grant (truthfully, I didn’t know about it), I did have the opportunity to apply for an internship grant that would have covered all of my expenses.  My advice? Some of you have heard from Tufts and many of you will hear in a few months.  Take the time to look into how Tufts can facilitate any off campus life experiences that you may want to have.

It’s 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Everyone!

It’s 2009! Weird…graduation looms on the horizon (but that’s good because all of you new Tufties seem more than able to fill the shoes of the class of 2009).  For this post, I’ll keep it simple and instead of telling you about the Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker performance that I attended during finals, or NQR (don’t worry, I’ll definitely write about those things soon!), I’ll just write a list of all the things I didn’t do last semester that I want to do this semester.  It’ll be your job to keep me honest, and get on me to do these things (okay, the uneventfulness of break is finally getting to me…I just envisioned Smokey the Bear telling you guys that…wow….)

But anyways, onwards! To the list!

The first thing I want to do in 2009 is go to Limelight Karaoke.  It’s kind of blasphemous that I haven’t been there yet this year…Limelight is a karaoke bar on Tremont (Park Street stop on the Red Line, Boylston stop on the Green Line) and it is AWESOME.  Their catalogue has any and every song you could wish for and the people watching/ performance opportunities are endless.  The first time I went, I went for a friend’s birthday.  Nothing was better than sitting with her and some other friends watching two of the guys in our group outperform Cyndi Lauper at ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’.  Everyone had fun that night.  I’ve been back a few times, and every time is a great time (especially when everyone in the bar gets into it…if you do Sweet Caroline, without fail, you will make a new friend).  Plus, its location is central; it is in the Theater District, close to restaurants, shopping, the Commons, and pretty much anything else you could ever want to see or do.

I want to go to the Loj really badly.  The Loj is a Tufts owned lodge in New Hampshire I think? The Mountain Club is in charge of it and, though I don’t know too much about it, I feel that it’s one of those places you have to go to.  I want to camp, snowshoe, and do whatever else it is they do there…(Hopefully I can find out some more information about it! If that fails, then I definitely want to go camping on the Cape…there are many, many, many places to go camping out there and it seems fairly easy to access by commuter rail or bus).

Seeing the Blue Man Group or some a play or some other performance in Boston is high up on the list.  My freshman year, the Blue Man Group had this fantastic deal where, if you were in college and got a group together, you could usher a show and get whatever seats were leftover in the theater (and sometimes they were some of the best seats in the house).  You would simply call in with some dates that your group could usher, tell them the number of people ushering, and then show up to the Charles Playhouse–also in the Theater District, pretty much across the street from Limelight–dressed in all black and Voila! Free BMG action).  Unfortunately, they soon got rid of the ushering system in lieu of a system 2500% more expensive.  Now, if you’re a poor college student, you can show up to the theater the morning of the show you’d like to see and get Student Rush tickets for $25.00 (this applies not only to BMG but other shows that come through like Spamalot, Wicked, etc.).  You still get access to some really good seats, but the commitment is  more intense.  Hopefully I’m up to the task!

I want to either do a duck tour or see some of the other museums…then again, if they don’t have student rates, I may wait until a parent visits or I have a real job.

I definitely want to see another laser light show at the Museum of Science…Laser U2 was AMAZING.

Probably should try cannoli at that place that isn’t Mike’s Pastry but supposedly has better cannoli and is the place where all the locals go.

And there are so many other things! Ugh…I’m not sure this list was a good idea…too many things to see or do.  I’ll probably keep thinking of things, if you have any suggestions from your visits to Boston or research, let me know! I’ll get back to you guys giving you my opinions of those places and activities, and who knows? I might be able to try something new.

Next week, I’ll be in NYC doing a week long internship with a communications firm, so I’ll probably tell you a bit more about how Tufts helped me get this apprenticeship.  Until then, enjoy the beginning of the mighty fine 2009!

Oh hello!

Hey hey! I hope all of you had wonderful Thanksgivings…I certainly enjoyed mine, though it was entirely too short.  This post is going to be about one of my all-time favorite subjects: live music performances.

Since freshman year, I can say that I’ve been to more than 50 concerts..some on campus, some off.  There are some wonderful performances at Hotung in the Campus Center and at Oxfam, not to mention the music performances in Distler, a cappella shows and BEATS performances (BEATs is an on campus percussion ensemble…anything you give them, they’ll drum on it).  Though all of the performances have been enjoyable (save the few heavy metal/experimental shows that I’ve had to endure at Oxfam on particularly grueling occassions), I’ve enjoyed some of the shows at Dewick (the downhill cafeteria–we transform the dining hall into this amazing concert hall!) the best.  Concert Board is one of my activities and we put on Spring Fling, Rock Show, Hip Hop Show, Battle of the Bands and Jumbo Jam (a show for good music that doesn’t fit under the banners of any of the other shows). We’ve had some really good people, T.I. before his arrest, Guster, Common, Ted Leo, the Dropkicks, Girl Talk…I could keep going.   Anyway, a few weeks ago, we had the honor and pleasure of welcoming hellogoodbye to our lovely cafeteria. There is only one way to describe hellogoodbye: fun.  During the openers, the guys from the band danced in the back of the crowd and harrassed everyone in sight.  At one point, a girl turned around to yell at the lead singer…minutes later she realized that he was the lead singer and she whispered her shame to the concert board members behind her.

Eee….

After that debacle, hellogoodbye took the stage.  Dewick actually unrooted itself from the Tufts granite on which it sits (yeah Geology! Addendum: take geology at some point, in my wholly unbiased opinion the geology professors are the nicest people at Tufts) in order to bounce up and down to the music.  Even the music snobs among us (i.e. me) were rocking out by the end of the show.  My good friend Janette, who also happens to be co-chair, happened to get onto the guest list for the show the next night at the Middle East (note: this happened because of her sparkling personality…Concert Board does not entail free tickets).

The Middle East is an incredible venue three stops on the Red Line away from Tufts.  It has two concert rooms; upstairs, where smaller, local bands usually play, and downstairs, where nationally touring acts take the stage.  They also have two restaurants.  In other words, it’s the total package.  At the show, we talked to some of the people we had met the night before and then danced to the tunes that made the night before so much fun.

The Middle East has a variety of performances types, upstairs and downstairs typically having rock or hip hop, while the restaurants may have Middle Eastern music or belly dancing.  I’ve seen some of my favorite bands at the Middle East and grown to love more of them there.  Right behind the Middle East is T.T. the Bears which, though I’ve never been to, has had some great shows.  Other concert venues of note? The Orpheum (a half hour T ride from Tufts, at the Park Street stop on the Red Line) puts on some good shows…seeing Mika there changed my life (anyone and everyone should see a Mika concert provided he has not become irrelevant…Cirque du Soleil has nothing on a Mika performance…I also saw Bloc Party there and danced with some random guys standing in front of me, dripping with happiness the entire time).  If you ever go to the Paradise, make sure you have all of the identification you need; I once went there and either me or one of my friends left their state ID at Tufts and had to take the T back from the Paradise…and the Paradise is practically on BU’s campus).  The Paradise also has an eclectic range of performers.  I saw my all time favorite band (of right now), Wolf Parade, there this summer. It was magical, and I’ve practically built a shrine to the set list the bouncer gave me (thank you Mr. Bouncer!).

If your music tastes veer a little more towards jazz, or classical, or underground, or world, or anything…there are also places for you. Boston is a great city with a thriving music scene…I’m sure you’ll find something that’s music to your ears.

Election Day!

So November is almost over–I’m incredibly sorry I haven’t been able to update you all on what’s been happening.  I’ve been buried under a pile of work and activities that has actually taken over my life and then some.  But now, the blog is back on track–I fully expect to be posting more regularly.  The first thing I want to tell you guys about is Election Night ‘08…now also known as one of the best nights to hit Tufts.

I think I might’ve mentioned before how horrible my Tuesdays are.  Class straight through from 1.30-8.30 with little time to eat/ walk to other classes/ do much of anything.  On Election Tuesday however, the professors of my 6.00-8.30 class granted us a by, and let us out to see the Election Night coverage at the campus center.  The cc was completely transformed and overflowing with people (probably more people there that night than at the pep rally–whoops!).  WMFO had a booth set up for student commentators, and other organizations had tables set up in the main dining area.  In Hotung, the screens were broadcasting from CNN and other channels as people milled about grabbing cookies and beverages from the table lain about (selling point: despite some flaws that Tufts may have, we have the best cookies around).

I walked around with a few friends, seeing who was around before deciding to go to watch the results come in at a friend’s apartment.  There were six or so of us gathered around a television, flipping between the stations until we got word that Obama would be the president-elect.  At that moment, we all flipped out (I’m sorry McCain supporters…one thing I can say about Tufts is that we do try to have conversations about politics even if the campus tends to be liberally biased. I also think that everyone who wants to participate in that discussion, no matter their beliefs should try to be informed before speaking up…there are many, many instances when people on both sides have said things that don’t necessarily make any sense). Flipping out for oh, say a minute or ten, we decided to take to the streets.  We sprinted out of the apartment and screamed our heads off along with the other students who were yelling Obama’s name.  By the time we reached the campus center, it was ready to combust with all of the energy emanating from it.  People stood around the screens cheering, hugging, dancing, living in the moment.  Me being me, I sprinted everywhere trying to see who was there and what was going on everywhere.  It was actual chaos, but it was vibrant and full of spirit (I am excited to see what kind of activism and change will happen now that we know that our generation has successfully been enfranchised by the system. Si se puede!)

After spending about forty minutes in the campus center and seeing the speeches of both Senators, I ran home to see what was going on at my house.  My housemates were gathered around the television with baked goods, hanging out and being generally happy.  It was cool, but I wanted to do something…I wasn’t done celebrating by any means.  Then I got a text telling me that a mob had collected outside of Olin, the language building.  Walking up the hill to Olin, I barely saw a person.  When I got there, however, there was a mob of about 500 people.  Somehow I found my friends, chanting with the rest of the crowd.  The kids I was with decided that chanting was not enough, and so they decided to start a victory lap around the res quad (the same route as NQR, one of Tufts’ funniest traditions).  I started running with them and then stopped and almost fell to the ground laughing–picture 500 Tufts kids just up and running around the res quad (the next day, when it was in the Daily, I was so proud to say that I knew the kids that started the run–I know, I’m lame…but it was amazing to see).  One guy even ripped off his shirt (I guess he was really into that lap!). After that epic November jog, we regathered and sang and chanted some more.

Not knowing what to do with ourselves, we next decided to march to Davis.  We got halfway down the hill before we were stopped by TUPD.  Never before being confronted with the police in a setting that didn’t involve a) being at a frat party or b) being locked out of our rooms, we at first did not know what to do.  A few kids decided to run around the car and then we all followed suit.  We picked up momentum and marched through the streets of Somerville yelling and singing off-key renditions of ‘America the Beautiful’. Several houses flickered their lights on and off in agreement.  Several Somerville police cars followed us to our destination (never had I felt so protected!) and we finally arrived to our destination.  In Davis, we stood in the center of the square dancing, doing the wave, and screaming out to the night. Midnight revelers driving by in cars or riding past on bikes stopped to stare and take pictures.  Around 1 or 2 we decided that we didn’t know what else we could do so we kind of trailed off, dispersing as we made our ways back to campus.

That night was an incredible night for Tufts and I think it shows how Tufts students are so passionate about making a difference and being open for new opportunities.  I met a lot of people that night, many of whom voted for the first time.  Everyone was excited to participate in the process, and what’s more is that everyone gathered together to show solidarity in moving forward towards a new chapter of American history.  I do not know what the future holds and I know that Obama is not going to be able to change everything (I do not doubt that some things will improve, but in four years I’m not sure how much can be done).  What is more important is that on Election Night, a bunch of kids from Tufts (and undoubtedly countless other schools..but here we love Tufts) made a difference and got their first glimpse of rallying and activism.  Let’s see what we can do next!

Midterms Ew.

So I have been overwhelmed by that beastly little occurrence called midterms and have been unable to write for a while.  That’s okay though, because I have much to update you guys on.  In fact, I will probably be writing another blog entry about music later this week…look for it!

In the mean time, I’ll tell you guys about the wonderfully relaxing weekend events that kept me from becoming a crazy over the last two weeks.  Last Sunday, a group of friends and I took the T down to Harvard (I’ve probably mentioned how close it is…two T stops away!) and strolled over to the Charles for the Head of the Charles Regatta.  I am hardly a crew aficionado, but the Head of the Charles always gets a HUGE turnout of people from around the country.  Here’s why: you can support your friends/school (I feel like I know a ridiculous amount of rowers, maybe more rowers than any other sport?!), and you can get SO MUCH FREE STUFF. We got free samples from Kashi, we tasted cheeses and juices and cookies and other tasty treats (FREE! FREE! FREE!).  Unfortunately, the slices of pizza we got from Upper Crust Pizzeria were not free ($3 a pop), but well worth it…I’m planning a trip to one of their locations soon.  At the regatta, you get to see some impressive rowing when you’re not cheering on your friends or trolling for free eats. Some rowers even wear costumes (the Ninja Turtles boat was pretty sweet!).

This past weekend meanwhile, I went on a daytrip to Salem to further put myself in the Halloween spirit (at that point, my Halloween spirit consisted of inhaling all of the Halloween themed Reese’s cups in sight).  Salem was only about an hour away by T and Commuter Rail (it cost about $8 each way), so it was a pretty cost and time effective break from studying.  My friends and I went with the Tufts Historical Society who paid for our entrance to and tour of the Salem Wax Museum (the wax museum, I’ve got to say was pretty uneventful…the food court behind it, however, had this Salem delicacy of a cinnamon bun topped with warm apples and ice cream…I’ll have to try it the next time I go…).  After our tour, we walked around trying to get into the different museums, but they were all booked until six (and we started our stroll around two, needless to say we only saw the wax museum).  If you get the chance to go, make reservations! We ended up strolling around, purchasing random pieces of our costumes, and being assaulted by the Joker (he actually strolled over and asked us why we were so serious as my friend looked horrified and I laughed and laughed and laughed). I think I was expecting Salem to be a bit more Colonial Williamsburg-like (it was very residential and kitschy), but it was definitely a great chance to get off campus!

A Legal Seafoods across from the Aquarium is a little fishy…

Some people would call it lame to be interested in going to the aquarium…I call it enlightened.  Last Wednesday after a particularly riveting lecture on Weber and Durkheim, my friend Meg and I attended College Night at the Aquarium.  Because Boston professes to be a college town, local points of interest will occasionally host events that cater to the 18-22y.o crowd (this is not to say that Boston presents itself as a college town when it comes to other matters–expect the T to close around 12.30.  Luckily Tufts runs a Boston Shuttle that makes stops throughout Boston until around 2).  College Night at the Museum of Science happened last month and unfortunately that little beast called homework prevented me from attending.  However, homework could not prevent me from making an appearance at this free event; I had some penguins to hang out with.

Things to note about the aquarium: 1) it is awesome, 2) it has an IMAX that plays movies like ‘Aliens of the Deep’, and 3) it is across the street from a Legal Seafoods.  I have a bit of an issue with the last matter, but the first two features negate my ill feelings of the third.  When we arrived at the aquarium, a line of Boston’s finest co-eds stretched from the door of the aquarium to the T stop behind the Legal. Luckily, the queue moved extremely quickly and we were in the aquarium within twenty minutes.  While we waited, one of Boston’s pop radio stations played music and we took a few pictures of the sea lions frolicking in the tank nearby.

Once inside, we were hit by a sea of people admiring the penguins in the first exhibit.  The penguins may have been too entertaining…we stood there for quite a bit of time looking at them looking at us looking at them.  Moving on, we wandered around the different tanks looking at the different species of fish that the aquarium had collected.   There were some awesome tanks; there was a sensor at the electric eels tank that told you how many volts were coursing through the eels at a given time…that was one of my favorites (I know, I’m a nerd).  The tide pool was also incredible; we played with some starfish and hermit crabs and even made a friend from Lesley U.

The main attraction however, is the huge, cylindrical tank in the middle of the aquarium.  Once you’ve arrived at the top, you can peer into the depths and see sharks, sea turtles, eels, and a bunch of other fish species interacting (there is also a diver platform, so you can see feedings at certain times–I also believe you can pay an exorbitant amount of money and do dives?! If someone wants to treat me with a dive as a graduation present, I’m definitely game!).  We stood there for a while, and then descended down the winding ramp that curves along the tank.  I’m pretty sure we stopped at just about each window to take a picture and see if we could spot a turtle (when we finally saw them, they weren’t moving and it was an issue…luckily they got up from their naps soon after).  We went back to the top to get one final satellite view and finally ripped ourselves away from the excitement of it all.  When we finally got to the bottom, there were booths for Fire+Ice (an awesome restaurant…especially so if the parents are treating or if you go on Monday nights–$10 for college students with your school ID), Improv Asylum (a comedy club I hope to check out this year), and the volunteer/internship opportunities that the aquarium provides.

It was a great night supplemented by the fact that we got to see kids from other schools in one place (it was also nice to see that there were plenty of similarly minded Jumbos in the mix…yeah traveling Jumbos!).  The night was made even better by the fact that it was absolutely, positively free.  Many places around Boston have  opportunities for students to experience the city; the Blue Man Group for example, offers Student Rush tickets (I believe you have to go to the theater the morning of the show and you can pick up two tickets per person for $25) and many attractions have student rates.  Being a Tufts student is also a perk at some places; we get free admission to the Museum of Fine Arts and they have an incredible collection with exhibitions of some of the most inspiring contemporary artists around (David Hockney’s work were shown there last year, his pieces are really vibrant and saturated with color; it was nice to see them up close).

Sometimes it feels hard to get off campus with all of the homework and extra-curriculars and other obligations that are on campus.  Other times, its easier to be a little lazy about it all because Mario Kart  and Facebook and hanging out at Hotung are so much more accessible options.  When I finally manage to get to things like College Night however, I realize sometimes its  necessary to stop and enjoy the penguins.