First, there’s ice skating in Forest Park at the Steinberg Rink. Located at the back of Forest Park toward the School of Medicine, the rink offers a city park skating experience that rivals ice skating in Central Park. The snow-covered landscape and the Central West End buildings that peek over the trees create a gorgeous view as you swirl around the rink. During the winter, the rink is open seven days a week: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-midnight on Friday and Saturday. It costs $6.50 to skate and $3 to rent skates. To get to the rink, take MetroLink to the Central West End, and cross back over Kingshighway to the park. The café at Steinberg offers food and hot chocolate to warm you up. If you get a group of friends together to go skating, I guarantee it’ll be a good time, despite the 8-year-olds who will do triple salchows while you’re falling on your butt.

Aside from ice skating, there’s also the long-held tradition of sledding on Art Hill. The aptly named Art Hill is the big slope in front of the art museum in Forest Park. Whenever there are a few good inches of powder, the hill is perfect for sledding. For decades, people of all ages have ditched class and work to head to the hill, so I recommend getting there fairly early in the day so you’re not left with an icy, muddy sledding experience. The bonus to this activity is that it’s absolutely free. And if you don’t have a legitimate sled handy, you have an opportunity to be innovative. Pointers Pizza boxes are always a good option, but they’re normally only good for a few runs. I’ve also heard food trays or large garbage can lids work well, especially when the underside is spread with Pam or some other cooking spray.

So, can snow suck? Yes. But now you’ll be prepared with something to do the next time you just can’t stand staying inside anymore trying to wait it out.

Such an organization would tackle both the issues of publicizing attractions and activities, and of easing the logistics, allowing students to enjoy them. An example of a service the organization might provide is an informational service, perhaps in the form of a magazine or e-mail list, detailing places to go, things to do, and how to do them. In addition to providing information, the organization could help lower the organizational and financial difficulties of certain activities. Basically by buying in bulk and through subsidization, the organization could offer discounts on everything from Cardinals and Blues tickets, to attraction and museum entry fees, to contracting with a taxi company for discounts or subsidized rides.

While this organization would do work that is currently done in bits and pieces by the intricate blend of student activities, clubs, and Student Union structure at Wash. U., there would be advantages to centralization. The first advantage is the one mentioned above, the ability to buy in bulk and save money. Another advantage would be the ease with which students could use the resource. Instead of keeping tabs on an enormous number of clubs and class council events and opportunities, students could instead enjoy a one-stop shop for St. Louis fun. Imagine walking into an office on campus and 10 minutes later walking out with a dinner recommendation, low-priced tickets to a Cardinals game, and discounted passes to a nightclub after the game. I would certainly visit that office almost every weekend.

Now comes the question of how this organization could come into existence. There are several ways that I could see this happening. The first, and probably best, option would be for SU to sponsor the creation of such an office. SU has the necessary funding and know-how to promote such a program. Another option would be for Wash. U. to set up an official program that would accomplish the goals that I have laid out. A final option would be a student-run business through the Student Entrepreneurial Program (STEP) similar to Wydown Water and UTrucking. While such a business would be unlikely to subsidize student’s St. Louis adventures, it could still provide a number of services useful to students and could earn a profit at the same time. I hope the people involved in these organizations take the time to think about how valuable such a program could be to the Wash. U. community, and consider taking steps toward starting one.

Andrew is a sophomore in Engineering. He can be reached via e-mail at ayg1@cec.wustl.edu.

Located near Saint Louis University, the theater is accessible by car or by the Grand Metro stop, which is about a 15-minute walk away. There are plenty of restaurants at various price points located on the same block as the Fox, giving you countless dinner and show options.

Aside from offering wonderful performances, the Fox is also an amazingly beautiful building. The entire theater is designed with an Indian sultan feel. There are golden elephants, lushly colored carpets and walls, and ornate decorations everywhere. No matter how much time you spend in the theater, you can always find some new, breathtaking detail.

But while every inch of the building is beautiful, it is not acoustically equal in all sections. Considering my several visits to the theater and the various places I’ve sat, I’d recommend getting seats as close to the center as possible. The music and lines tend to be garbled and more difficult to understand in the seats along the sides. As for viewing ability, there’s really no difference between the Fox and other theaters; the further back you get, the smaller the actors will look to you.

Being in St. Louis does not have to close you off to Broadway, especially if you’re a lover of all things created by Andrew Lloyd Webber or sung by Kristin Chenoweth. The Fox Theatre provides you with quality shows and an overall beautiful experience. Upcoming performances include “In the Heights,” a hilarious, Tony Award-winning musical (Nov. 10-22) and the classic “Little House on the Prairie” (Nov. 24-29). So get tickets to a show this year because we could all use a little more choreography and harmony in our lives.