Staff editorial: How to take advantage of spring weather

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and midterms season is pressing onward. Rejoice! On the off chance that you have some free time, here are some tips for ways to enjoy the spring weather from our Editorial Board.

Cry in the rain instead of in the shower

April showers bring May flowers, and May brings finals season and the crushing pressure to do something productive over the summer. It’s finally warm enough to stop having those major life crisis, existential dread-driven sob fests in your shower and start having them in the nonstop spring rain instead! — Lauren Alley, Senior Forum Editor

Stay inside and study

We’re past seasonal depression season and into rebuilding-our-academic-careers-over-the-last-month-of-the-semester season. Open a window, take a deep breath, crack open those books and get to work, champ. — Dorian DeBose, Senior Sports Editor

Go to a different St. Louis park

Did you know there are other parks in St. Louis besides Forest Park? Tower Grove Park, Lafayette Square Park and more are all wonderful parks that are also firmly outside of the infamous Wash. U. bubble. Try one of those out for a change of pace from Art Hill! — Jon Lewis, Associate Editor

Go to Forest Park and paddle

If you still decide to go to Forest Park (sorry Jon), go to the Boathouse and rent a boat for an afternoon. The Boathouse Paddle Co. rents paddle boats, canoes, kayaks and paddle boards. Get outside and pretend you’re on a real lake instead of a large pond with a fountain minutes from campus. — Elizabeth Grossman, Copy Chief

Go to the zoo

The St. Louis Zoo is conveniently located in Forest Park and is a short drive, or a not excessively long walk, from campus. Now that the weather is warming up and it’s comfortable for both people and animals to spend time outside take a trip over to see some bears, penguins, cheetahs and more! — Josh Zucker, Senior Cadenza Editor

Apply for jobs, but outside

That’s right people, it’s that time of the year. Time to open Indeed, Monster, ZipRecruiter and Glassdoor in separate tabs and get to work. To make yourself feel better about your impending unemployment, get some fresh air while you do it! — Aidan Strassmann, Managing Editor

Break out your spring wardrobe

People usually look forward to fall to “really start dressin,’” but spring fashion is where it’s at. Less (clothing) is more, so shed those clunky winter jackets and sweaters in exchange for shorts, dresses and short sleeves. — Elena Quinones, Senior Cadenza Editor

Study outdoors

The Danforth Campus has some underrated outdoor study spots, but my favorite is the Hillman Hall balcony, where you can look out at the East End construction and also grab a coffee or a snack from the cafe downstairs. But if you live on the South 40, study near your dorm! Seriously, those tables and chairs adjacent to your dorm are good for studying. Use them. — Ella Chochrek, Director of Special Projects

Fall off something in front of people

Rather than facing the great outdoors alone, bloom some springtime friendships by hopping on your nearest wheeled object (whether that’s a skateboard, a bike or even a trusty Lime scooter), taking it for a ride and falling off of it in front of strangers. When they check on you, don’t let them go. — HN Hoffmann, Director of Online Content

Go grill

Warm weather not only means you can go outside, but you can bring your food out with you. The best food is grilled and eaten outside on a warm night with great friends. Do yourself a favor and get to grillin’. — Matthew Wallace, Forum Editor

Ride the Loop Trolley

The Loop Trolley was and is an unmitigated disaster, folks. It cost millions upon millions of dollars, put multiple restaurants out of business and generally predictably failed. That said, it’s here and we’re stuck with it. You might as well see what all that money bought and experience the Loop in a new way—a few feet above ground in a cheap imitation of the 1950s. — Sam Seekings, Editor-in-Chief

Take a walk

That one Passion Pit song got it right. Grab a friend or just your thoughts and start going with no destination in mind. — Jaden Satenstein, Senior Scene Editor

Spend time with stranger’s dogs

Nice weather brings out the puppers. If you have the dire urge to give out some TLP (tender loving pets), venture into the outside world. It’s much more likely dog owners will be frequenting the dog parks, so grab a leash and a green plastic baggy and stake out those pups. You just have to pretend “Fido” is on the other end of the field. — Katy Hutson, Senior Scene Editor

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