Classes:
This is the Temple program that specializes in the School of Communications and Theater, so if you’re planning to go as a non-SCT major, expect to get lots of elective credit done that semester. London offers at least one class for every SCT major. I took British Mass Media, which satisfies the International/Intercultural Media Issues Requirement; Travel Writing; an internship seminar; and a Special Topics course taught by the Temple faculty member who came with us, called “Visual Communication in London.” That last one was especially great because it incorporated field trips to places that I wouldn’t have thought to go on my own, like to the Imperial War Museum and 7 July Memorial in Hyde Park.

Classes are held once a week. The internship seminar, if you choose to take on an internship, is held only five times across the semester. Don’t forget: ANY for-credit study abroad program satisfies the World Society (GG) GenEd!

Housing:
FIE housing is located in Kensington, which is in the Royal Borough, a.k.a. “Right Down the Street from Where Will and Kate Live.” FIE offers multiple flats in the area, but I can only speak for Metrogate, which is fabulously located near the FIE classroom building and Gloucester Road tube stop. My entire floor in the flat was filled with Temple kids, which fostered a sense of family despite our distance from the real ones. (Awww!)

Work:
London is one of Temple’s only study away programs that offers an internship option. That is, FIE will find you an internship. Yes. Let that sink in. I didn’t realize how magical that was until I began searching for a summer internship on my own, because they are ridiculously difficult to score. To qualify for the internship, you need to write a separate essay explaining what you want to get out of one, what you ultimately want to do in your field, etc. and submit your resume (called a CV – curriculum vitae – in the UK) to FIE. They then do the tough stuff of matching you up with a company that fits your field. Heads up, visas are wickedly expensive.

It takes a while for FIE to confirm the internships, so you won’t find out what yours is until you arrive in London. Once you’re there, you’ll have an “interview” with the company that is usually just a get-to-know-you sesh, and then you officially begin the work during the second full week of the program. The internship requires two full work days every week except during spring/fall break, when classes are cancelled as well.

I got to work for an international entertainment trade magazine because I indicated in my application that I wanted writing experience and to “understand the inner-workings of a media company.” Done. Other people worked for production houses, public relations firms, theatre companies, record labels, advertising agencies, local newspapers, etc. etc. etc. … Not everyone had a great placement, but I rationalize that by remembering that no internship promises to be glamorous.*

So that’s that! There’s so much more to talk about it, but by golly, gee willikers, dang nabbit, you’re just going to have to go to find out for yourself what else there is!

*However, many of them DID turn out to be glamorous – at least on some days. One person sat in on a recording session of Colin Firth. One attended London Fashion Week. I covered the BRIT Awards and Hunger Games premiere. Just sayin’.

We hung out.

Repeat this as many times as necessary over the next 10 days and breathe.

I’m not exactly the best source of advice when it comes to studying for finals. Studying for anything is not really my strong suit, unless you count that time in middle school when the theater class was doing a trip to the Statue of Liberty and I memorized the entire Emma Lazarous poem in the hopes of impressing one of my male classmates (I failed miserably, thank God. He has not aged well.). I am not ashamed to admit that finals week teaches me more about hustlin’ than any ROTC or Rick Ross song ever could. That being said, I do have a redeeming quality. I am a master of procrastinating relaxing through the most terrifying time of the year. And trust me, when the only thing standing between you and pre-bio final psychopathy, you will need my gospel.
So, from one underachiever to another, here’s my ultimate prone-to-failure-and-not-entirely-healthy Guide to Surviving Death Week.

1. Caffeine
I don’t like coffee, but I don’t like finals either. And the truth is, you’ve got to band with the lesser of evils here. This point does not restrict itself to coffee specifically- caffeine can be in everything from Coca-Cola to tea, to certain illegal substances (we jest, WE JEST! DON’T DO IT! YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LIVE FOR!). If you’re going to stay awake, might as well have it be for a good cause. Don’t worry about screwing up your entire brain with the extra sugar and unhealthy stuff, we know you’ll make up for it by doing extra rounds at the Center City Trader Joe’s. Yeah.

That being said…

2. Nap. A lot.
I don’t know what it is about me but for some reason I seem to wait until the last possible moment at night (usually by 2 a.m.) to go to bed, then wake up at 9 a.m. every morning and wonder why I can barely drag myself out of bed to shut off my alarm (“Snoop D.O. Double G” by Snoop Dogg, if you must know. It’s the only song terrifying enough to get me out of bed). But the thing is, you need sleep. You do. Even half an hour of rest will give you more energy to tackle that 15 page studyguide better than that extra cup of coffee I suggested you take earlier in the article. See what I’m doing? I’m so tired I can’t even remember what I wrote earlier in the blog post! That’s exhaustive journalistic research for you!

If it's good enough for the Brobama, it's good enough for you.

3. Put on Some Mood Music
For the actual studying part, I’ve found music actually helps me concentrate a lot more than if I just stare at Microsoft Word. There’s something a little disconcerting about trying to remember the details of Franz Ferdinand’s assassination at 3 a.m. with nothing but dead silence around you. Pull up Grooveshark and plug yourself into the zone. I’ve found that instrumental soundtracks like The Social Network, Pride and Prejudice, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo work exceedingly well.

Don't turn into a bad episode of "Moody's Point". And by that we mean please do.

3. Take a Break or Else you May Actually Scare People With Your Obsessive-Studying-Bordering-On-Sociopathy
Otherwise known as my favorite hobby in the world, unwinding is amazing. I do this even when it’s not finals week. I do this when in school, and I do this when at home. Dare I say it…I even do this during the summer. I know. I sicken myself. Even though you might find yourself swamped with Italian verb charts, try to find some time to take a walk, or read a magazine, or watch an episode of Miranda. If you structure in regular free time instead of straight-up working for the entire day (aka Facebooking every five minutes), it will be easier for you to concentrate during the times your body knows to work. Staring at a computer screen for 6 hours never helped anyone (except maybe Mark Zuckerberg but that’s another story entirely).

Actually while we’re at it…

4. Watch this video
It will automatically make all your problems disappear. And you can quote me on that.

This is the life that awaits you so long as you manage to overcome this week, o valiant knight of righteousness.

5. Keep it in perspective.
Visualize yourself acing this thing. Imagine… you wake up in the morning feeling like Kanye West (because, let’s admit it, P. Diddy’s twitter account isn’t nearly that excellent). You grab a homemade muffin off a polka-dot buiscuit tin and wear sneakers to show off that you’ve powerwalked to class. When you get there, the door opens with an explosion and when the air clears, it’s you, doing a pose in the doorway because you’re self-confident and that makes people do strange things for some reason. You’re walking up to your seat, Starbucks coffee in hand, but it’s filled to the brim because you don’t even need caffeine to get you through the day anymore. You have 5 number 2 pencils, just in case. The hot T.A. actually notices you for once. You are no longer yourself. The old you is no more: the new you has risen from the ashes, and it is beautiful. You are beautiful. You. Are. Ryan. Gosling.

And finally…

6. Don’t sweat it.
Literally speaking, please remember to shower- it’s bad enough showing up to an 8 a.m. exam without having to plug your nose because everybody was so nervous they forgot to follow basic rules of hygene. Figuratively speaking, try to remember that this is only one exam. Hopefully some of the classwork you did throughout the year will help pad the horrendous F you’re not going to get. And even if you drop out of college because you failed every single one of your courses and are chin-deep in student debt and can’t find a job and your parents throw you out and the Pope excommunicates you, you can always lead a good life. As exemplified by Mr. Alan Moore, below.

Livin' the dream

Get out.

If you know me at all, you know that while I appreciate and respect truly innovative and creative and overall GOOD music, my reasons for listening to certain artists can sometimes be quite shallow. As in “OHMYGODHEISSOATTRACTIVEUNFLOOKATHISFACEANDHISHAIRIDONTKNOWWHO
YOUAREDONTKNOWWHEREYOU’REFROMBUTDAYUMBOYYOUISFINEIBETYOURMUSIC
ISFINETOOLETSGIVEITALISTENEVENIFIT’SBADIWILLSTILLLIKEYOUBECAUSE
ICANNOTHANDLEYOURFACE” shallow.

To my credit, bands with attractive members usually do end up being really talented. Unless you’re talking about One Direction- there’s all sorts of catastrophes going on there that I will not even get into right now.

Case in point, going into the Alumni Concert for John Legend, I did not have entirely pure intentions. And can you blame me? Ever since stumbling upon the video for the appropriately titled Estelle song “Let’s Fall In Love”, and hearing his sudden, strident verse smack in the middle of a song about falling in love (clearly it was a sign), it was basically all I could do not to throw my computer out the window and just lay down on the floor, facedown, crying.

I am not even exaggerating this, I literally had it on loop in my iPod for about 68 hours straight. Patheticness Scale- 50/ Magali's Dignity- 0.

But hey, if it leads me to good music, does it reeeeally matter what sign pointed me in the right direction? It’s all about the journey, after all! Isn’t that what Ghandi was always saying?

Or was it Lance Armstrong?

ANYWAY. The point is, being fully aware of every aspect of John Legend save his music (well, not really. I do know “Wake Up Everybody”. I’m not stupid, you know…), I couldn’t wait to see whether I was the only pathetic girl in the audience who scrambled to get a ticket on her hands the minute Temple announced its Alumni Weekend headliner.

I’ll going to go ahead and spoil it for you right now: I wasn’t. Not even close.

After a short opening act by Maryland rapper Dunson, the lights dropped, a spotlight appeared out of nowhere and focused on a lone man wearing all black standing smack in the middle of the audience in the floor seating area.

For a moment it was like everyone was slightly offended that this punk got a spotlight when some of us barely got a pretzel at the concession stand, and then it hit us… the punk was John Legend! In the flesh! In the middle of the audience! At his own concert! He was literally a spectator in his own performance!

I mean can you say #YOLO or…

I think it was right around then that everybody’s dignity decided to take a few hours off and there was enough screaming to put the entire Twiligt fandom to shame. It was fully ridiculous, to the point where my seat neighbors started having what any certified psychiatrist would define as “An Experience”- mainly, clutching at their hair and shouting. It didn’t exactly help that once he finished serenading the audience literally face-to-face, he sauntered over to the stage and began the show with as much ease and confidence as only somebody with 9 Grammy wins under his belt could pull off.

I don’t usually use the word “swagger” unless I’m making fun of my father, but in this case I’ll make an exception. The entire performance just reeked of it. From his backup singers, who conveyed more sass in one synchronized dance move than I will ever have in my entire life, to the seamless transitions from swaying by the mic stand to taking the piano, Legend played it all as smoothly and naturally as if he didn’t have over a thousand people screaming “I LOVE YOU JOHN LEGEND” at regular intervals throughout the stadium. I mean, you’d have though that would have at least broken his concentration a bit. But then again he’s probably used to it.

At a certain point, he even invited a fan on stage to dance with him, and they got so frisky that right about then my seat neighbors and I went from having an Experience to having a full-on meltdown that I can only describe with the help of Golden Girl Blanche Deveraux:

To be honest I’m kinda glad it wasn’t me up there because if it had been I might have done something drastic like stare at him in awe without moving and put him in an awkward situation (like personally sending me to a mental hospital, for example). Thankfully, the girl handled it expertly and simply swayed along like it was no big deal, which to be frank is suspicious, judging from the amount of people having heart attacks simply from watching this. And when he gave her a rose at the end of their dance, everyone was basically gone.

Beyond the adventures of the Sexually Frustrated for John Legend Club, the performances given were pretty amazing. Although the sound quality was poor at times, and the speakers were angled in a way that it was tough to hear certain words, I don’t think anybody had any trouble hearing him when at one point he wailed “I DON’T WANT TO BE ALOOOOOONE TONIIIIIIIGHT”.

Honestly, it’s like he knows.

Sound quality withstanding, highlight songs included “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”, a rousing performance of “So High” (click the link for a video of the concert!), “Wake Up Everybody”, and a closing rendition of “Green Light” in which Legend fully walked into the audience again, came back on stage, stood on top of his beloved grand piano singing, and thanked everyone for a wonderful night.

This was our only response:

Is there anything better than film festivals? I think not. Any event where large numbers of important celebrities gather to watch and present gritty, deppressing films to impress otherwise unimportant Utah residents just takes the freaking cake as far as I’m concerned. I’m no film major, but I’m a pretty avid follower of the festival circuit, or at least, the actors gracing the red carpet. I’m practically glued to the television during Awards Season, relentlessly cheering on Woody and Scorsese for their prospective prizes as passionately as if I were some kind of demented Eagles fan who actually believed the Eagles have ever stood a chance of winning anything. Who wouldn’t give anything for a golden ticket to Sundance, or Cannes, or, let’s face it, your local multiplex cinema (have you seen movie ticket prices these days?!).

Philly’s no Hollywood, and, admittedly, that’s probably a really good thing. This month, however, two very different film festivals are sweeping over Philadelphia, and we couldn’t be more excited. The topics are incredibly diverse, ranging from science documentaries to behind-the-scenes featurettes of the music industry and student films- there’s really something for everyone.

1. Science Film Fest
April 21-29
As part of the Philadelphia Science Festival taking place this upcoming week, the Science Film Fest is screening more than a dozen top science films with related lectures and programs at the IMAX theater of the Franklin Institute. “Man on a Mission” (April 21st), for example, gives a behind the scenes journey to space with one of the first civilians to make the trip, and “Pink Ribbon” (April 28th) uncovers the devastating reality of breast cancer, juxtaposing it with the shiny pink story of success it’s become. With ticket prices ranging from $10 to virtually free, it’s definitely a that won’t trim your wallet. Skip the line and buy your tickets here.

2) WXPN Music Film Festival
April 26th-29th.
Produced by Philadelphia Film Society, and sponsored by the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the University of Pennsylvania among others, the WXPN Music Film Festival‘s bringing some of the best movies centered solely about music curated by the local leading authorities on both film and music. And with Record Store Day looming on the horizon (April 21st, people), it could not come at a better time. Plus, it includes a midnight screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday, April 28th. The festival will take place at the Annenberg Center and other theater locations throughout Philadelphia, and with only $8 per ticket with a student I.D., it costs less than seeing “The Artist” for a fifth time and packs a decidedly louder punch (Ha. Ha. Haaa. Get it? Because it’s a silent film!). Check out the lineup here and below.

Its name is the Wagner Free Institute of Science. Frozen in time, the collection hasn’t been updated since the 1940s, and the whole place smells like old wood (in the best way).

The downstairs has a library and an enormous lecture hall where Wagner used to give free lectures to community members and scholars alike who took an interest in the natural sciences.

The upstairs is an enormous exhibit hall with cases upon cases of found species. Identified by handwritten cards detailing species information, the museum is stuffed with shells, rocks, starfish, crustaceans, insects, birds, snakes (and even a human skeleton).

The collection is impressive, and even if you don’t consider yourself a “nature person,” some of the specimens were so beautiful it was like walking through an art gallery. The one downside is that you’re not allowed to take pictures, so you have to go see it for yourself.

It’s fun, it’s close, it’s free, and you can spend as much or as little time as you want (I went with on a class field trip, and none of us were ready to leave after half an hour). Take an afternoon and check it out- worst case scenario, you can still get Rita’s on the way home.

Before there was Cameron, there was Hitchcock. Before IMAX, there was film stock. And before “The Artist”, there was “A Trip To The Moon”. In an age where most movie scripts could be summed up in a simple mediocre episode of Gossip Girl (Don’t leave me! I love you! No you don’t! Yes I do, let me prove it to you at the last possible minute!), perhaps the best solution to the cultural drama overload is to just silence the actors once and for all.

Ah, for the golden age of silent cinema. A time when movies were called “motion pictures”, popcorn cost two cents, and hormone-inbalanced vampires didn’t rule the ticketing office. If you managed to catch any 2012 awards season footage, you’re aware that early silent film is having a huge moment. Jean Dujardin won his Oscar for his role as silent film star George Valentin in “The Artist”, and Martin Scorsese’s beautiful “Hugo” tells the story of Georges Méliès, a retired silent film director who directed the unforgettable picture “A Trip to The Moon”. With the charming cinematography and antique production, it’s enough to make us actually wish for the days when the most sophisticated film effects involved a pulley rope and smoke machines.

Aww, come on. How can you say no to that face??

But never fear! It doesn’t have to be that way! Thanks to International House Philadelphia, a local nonprofit presenter of international arts and cultural programs, you can still immerse yourself in the magic of silent film screenings. IHP is presenting a two-part feauturette this Wednesday, April 18th at 7pm:
“A Trip to the Moon” was the first official science fiction film to hit screens in the early 1900s, and has been ranked in the top 100 most important films of all time. Thanks to one of the most technically sophisticated and expensive restorations in film history, “A Trip to the Moon” is now screening in full color. “The Extraordinary Voyage”, a documentary featuring interviews with some of contemporary cinema’s most imaginative filmmakers like Scorsese and Jean Pierre Jeunet, follows the digital restoration of the film from Méliès’ fantastical original 1902 production to its premiere at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

With student ticket prices averaging at a mere $7, this is one screening you definitely don’t want to miss. And with a brand new soundtrack created by Sofia Coppola favorites Air just for the occasion, who could stay away?

We'll even spare you the usual hipster hate. This album is THAT good.

Check out this clip from the beautifully hand-colored film, and hear a sampler for Air’s album here.For more information about the screening and to find out more about International House Philadelphia, and upcoming screenings, check out their official website.

Hey Philly. We need to talk.

I know that it’s really cool to pretend to not have fun these days. And hey, I get it- the hipster mentality of standing around nodding your head to live music probably looks like a cooler alternative than dancing around like an idiot and showing that you’re enjoying yourself.

But please. Let’s get serious. What’s the point of paying $25 to stand for four hours? You may as well get some exercise, and, imagine that, maybe even enjoy yourself in the process. A little electric slide never hurt anyone, right?.

Unless you’re my grandmother Yeta and it’s 2005 Bat Mitzbah season. I don’t think her hips will ever be the same after that.

Let’s back up a bit. We’ve already established that I suffer from post-depressive Beatlemania. From the floppy haircuts to the chelsea boots, the minute a rock band starts “La La La”ing, I’m hooked. Leeds natives Kaiser Chiefs are no exception. The quintet are an interesting experiment not only because they employ said catchy riffs but because they make their sound so interesting. In a sea of Fab Four impersonators they manage to keep their sound true to their Britpop genre yet throw in a couple good hardcore guitar drops to set them apart from the rest.

Basically, think of them as the punk cousins of The Beatles.

Kaiser Chiefs took over Union Transfer last Thursday, April 12th, on the Philadelphia leg of their US tour promoting their latest album, “The Future is Medieval”. After first hearing their song “Everyday I Love You Less and Less”, which pretty much sums up my feelings on everything from ex boyfriends to Glee, I was hooked, and there was no way I was going to miss this gig.

Judging from the ringing in my ears that has not eased up since last Thursday, I’m pretty sure we can all attest that the show did not disappoint. From the wildly acrobatic stage moves to the impressive setlist (a large compilation of their greatest hits, including “Ruby” and “Never Miss a Beat”), it was one of the most entertaining performances I’d ever seen. But even though the Chiefs were everything you’d want to see in a live rock show, some other parts of the experience left some things to be desired. While the band’s infectious rock and roll was enough to make half the crowd jump up and down like a Russian folk dancer, the rest of the audience failed to do more than nod their heads along to the beat and scream along to the lyrics. Unfortunately, it seemed like Philly talked the talk but utterly failed to walk the walk.

Sensing this, frontman Ricky Wilson improvised. Halfway through the show, he surprised the crowd by jumping off stage and climbing onto the side railings separating the bar from the general standing/dancing area (although in this case, it was more like the stationary area), where he openly shared the mic, encouraging everyone to scream at the top of their lungs. Freudian, but effective- the tension was released with every shout, yell, and squeal that Wilson got out of them one by one. It seemed as if even though most Philadelphians were too embarrassed about their moves, you can at least count on us to out-yell anyone in the tri-state area.

Which I guess counts for something. I mean, where would we all be without The Clash’s legendary wails that inspired over a thousand kids with newly purchased guitar picks and parents who’d rather they go into a sensible career to pick up a guitar and start a musical revolution?

So. For now you’re forgiven. But come on, y’all. Get it together in the future. I don’t like being the only one making a fool of myself on the dance floor.

If you want to know more about Kaiser Chiefs, you can check out their website here, and if you’re banging your head against your laptop keyboard for missing this gig, make sure to check Union Transfer’s website for some other awesome upcoming shows.

Also, I have excellent taste in music, so if you’re so inclined, feel free check out my favorite tracks:

1) “Kinda Girl You Are” (Off “The Future is Medieval”)
2) “Heat Dies Down” (Off “The Angry Mob)
3) “Can’t Say What I Mean” (Off “Off With Their Heads”)

There’s something urgent that I want to tell you about. It’s so cool that I’m letting you know about it before I actually do it myself.

As I was browsing through City Paper this weekend I noticed ad for “Delicacy,” a French film from 2011 featuring Audrey Tautou (who I happen to have an enormous lady-crush on). I immediately googled it, and found out that the movie is playing at the Ritz 5, a fabulous movie theater that I consistently forget about. Ritz 5 is one of several Landmark theaters in Philadelphia. Landmark is the “largest theatre chain dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent film” in the nation.

Students with ID get in for $7.25 any time except Saturdays & Holidays. Read as: students get in cheaper than they will to pretty much any other movie, even at matinee hours.

In addition to “Delicacy”, the Philadelphia theaters are featuring critically acclaimed films that you may have heard of including “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “The Artist,” and “Coriolanus”.

The moral of this short story? If you’ve been wanting to expand your horizons, and want to sit in a cool theater on one of our hot spring days, check out the Landmark Theaters.

You’re welcome,
Tori

P.S. This is a great date idea. It’s cheaper than a normal movie and you get to seem cultured. Double win.

We walked from my dorm at 13th and Cecil all the way to Penn’s Landing, weaving through a variety of neighborhoods and wandering somewhat aimlessly with the vague goal in mind of eventually getting to one of my favorite stores, AKA Music, (located right across from Christ Church). If you haven’t been there, AKA is an enormous warehouse that has a huge variety of vinyl, CDs, and posters. )As someone with a nearly diagnosable decorating addiction, the latter is my favorite aspect). Along the way we stopped at Wawa (truly the happiest place on earth) and picnicked in Independence Park (a hilarious place to tourist watch) before continuing toward the water.

After the music store, we headed toward Old City, which is so architecturally adorable that it (almost) excuses the exorbitant prices they charge in their vintage stores by making window shopping enjoyable on its own. After a string of super-expensive shops (what I call “grown up stores”) we found a spot that does bulk vintage, meaning they had several boxes of old t-shirts, that my friend got absorbed in browsing through for 15 minutes. He said it was like real-life internet surfing- he just kept picking things up, seeing if they were funny, and then putting them down until I dragged him away.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking to City Hall, then back to the vintage store where I left the posters I had bought at the music store, then back to City Hall again to catch the subway back to Temple in the hope of saving my feet. The day was mellow, inexpensive, and entertaining- just walking around Philly and exploring was enough to occupy ourselves, which, for poor (& or cheap) college students living in the city, is a pretty comforting thing to know as we head into warmer weather.

My sincerest apologies for the recent lack of content- I was traveling over spring break and then ended up with strep throat (that I’m almost sure I picked up from breathing that recycled airplane air). The good news is that I’m back and that the weather here in Philly is absolutely gorgeous. This means that I get to suggest two of my favorite activities in the world that are 100% free and guaranteed to make you feel more culturally stimulated and more connected to the city.

1) Wander. Between the biting cold and vicious winds, being outside for more than 45 seconds can be physically painful during the winter (well, maybe not so much this winter, but you know what I mean). Now that the sun is shining and things have begun to bloom, there’s no better time to explore Philadelphia. Take the subway to a stop you’ve never been to before (read as: take a subway South to somewhere you’ve never been before) and see what you find. Some of my favorite spots in town are ones that I’ve encountered by chance, whether they’re coffee shops, restaurants, or thrift stores. Tackle a different neighborhood every time- Old City (will never be prettier than it is during the Spring), South Philly (is more than just South Street), Rittenhouse Square etc. Whatever you’ve been “meaning to check out” but haven’t gotten around to- get to it now! (The best part about this is that you can grab a friend, a group, or just your iPod, and don’t need to worry about looking weird one way or the other).

2) Wissahickon Park. Despite my deep love for the city, I’m often torn by my comparable love for the outdoors. Wissahickon Park is a 1,800-acre wooded gorge that features excellent running trails, spots for grilling, a creek (yes, you can play in it), a path (for the romantic walkers among us), and a bunch of really old statues and buildings hidden throughout it. I’ve been going to Wissahickon to trail run (and rock climb, and bike ride) with my Dad since I was a wee child, and it’s easily one of my favorite places in the area. Nowhere else do I feel so encompassed by nature, and so disconnected from the outside world. Added bonus: there are highway/road bridges that run over certain parts so even though you get a nice juxtaposition of gratified infrastructure to accompany the trees, that’s pretty much the only “outside world” interference that you’ll get. I enter my favorite trails in Manayunk, which is an easy bus ride away from campus.

The moral of the story is that sunshine is free, and there’s nothing us college kids love more than free stuff, so take advantage of it.

Note: (If exploring isn’t your thing, never fear, I’ll have a specific, destination-oriented PEX activity for you later this weekend).