There are few things you can count on at Penn like running into someone you know on Locust. From that kid who sits next to you in bio to your ex-roommate (Ed. note: #sorrynotsorry for the sexiling, bud), to the Frontera cashier who knows your order by heart, Locust is like a physical Missed Connections page.
But during summer, the Locust experience completely changes. For those of you who can't experience this phenomenon, I've documented my trek to DRL during prime day time– which would typically qualify as Locust Walk rush hour. Here's what I found:
1. We can finally pant, grunt and groan as much as we want while walking over the wind tunnel because no one will be there to judge us. Literally no one.
2. Remember all those times you met someone at the compass but still had to hit them with the “where ya at” text because it was so crowded? Well, now you can spot your friend from a mile away, because there’s absolutely no one in sight who could distract you from being able to find them.
3. Buh-bye, SABS central. Oh the good ol’ days: the times we spent trying to see and be seen, the hours we’d wait just to snag a table to get some quality time in the spotlight, the judgements we made about our less fortunate passersby. Unfortunately, that time has passed. The average age of the new occupants of our beloved tables has skyrocketed to an all time high of 42. Goodbye to the days of undergrad gossip and hello to business meetings and quick lunch breaks during legitimate 9 to 5 jobs.
4. Where is the love? With all of the tours that occur during the summer, you’d think the LOVE statue would be jumpin’. Aside from this one lady, there wasn’t a tourist in sight. Not even an eager pre-frosh :(
5. I thought College Green would be promising for some people sighting. I was banking on seeing some of those cool hammock things, or at least a few picnic blankets. I was wrong. There wasn’t a human in sight. Even more devastatingly, I barely got to see any squirrels.
After a heartbreaking and lonely walk to DRL followed by a “riveting” two-hour class, I decided to see if the lack of people had been a coincidence or a result of bad timing. To my dismay, the walk back was even more depressing. The adults had gone back to the real world and no one remained to SAB in the sun of that bright and beautiful Thursday.
Although it was a somewhat tragic commute, it should be noted that summer session is actually pretty lit. We may be lesser in number, but the kids that stay here for the summer know how to have a good time. So, if you’re bored at home and feel inspired by the intrigue of what it’s like to spend your summer at Penn, come and pay the summer students a visit. You might even get an outlet at HubBub.
