Actually I’ve been here for about a week just spent most of my time filling in stuff and wandering around the extremely large campus (I’ll need to buy a bicycle or something).
Classes start next week and as of now I have pretty much all my classes on Tuesday and Thursday because I was late to register classes. I have one class in the middle of of the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday and Friday though.
Right now I’m really really bored. I’ll also need to buy a computer, and i’m thinking more in terms of desktops because I’ll probably break or lose a laptop really quickly. Any recommendations?
I’m at the Univ. Park campus so if any alumni or current penn staters want to give advice, or say anything, feel free.
Where are you living? What do you like to do? What classes are you taking?
If you go up past North halls, there’s a cute little park/playground called Sunset park. It’s a nice place to hang out, grab a couple of friends and go.
India Pavillion on Calder Way has a great lunch buffet. Arboria Records on Beaver Ave tends to have better used cd selection/prices and more knowledgable staff than the other cd stores.
Buy your books early so you can get the best used ones.
The orientation stuff is lame–but do go to your floor meetings if you’re in the dorms. Good way to meet people.
If Bill Kelly is still teaching the history of rock and roll class you must take it sometime before you graduate. Also, take geography classes to fulfill some of your gen eds if you can.
I say blow all your money at the arcade whose name I can’t quite remember, and get a hogie (Sub/hero) from Bubba’s Breakaway (Where I used to work), and call WQWK (Where I also used to work as an overnight DJ).
And wherever you go, when you meet someone say “I go JOPA you say terno, JOPA!”
Go to The Diner and eat a grilled sticky. Or, my personal favorite meal: vegetarian vegetable soup (otherwise fondly known as veggie veg), grilled cheese with tomato and a vanilla coke.
If you’re living in one of the Towers in East Halls, go up to the tenth floor with a banana from Findlay, mush it up inside of it’s skin and drop it down the stairwell between the handrails and see if it you can get it perfectly launched so that it explodes banana goo in the basement. Don’t tell anyone I told you to do that. The custodians don’t like it.
Lay out on the Hub Lawn.
Head down to the Hammond engineering building and wander around to the backside and see if the rock climbers are practicing on the walls back there.
Sell some plasma at Sera-Tec and then use your cash to go play pinball at Playland. What? No one else did this?
I don’t know if Gumby’s Pizza is still around, but if it is, and they still serve these, you have to try them. I recommend the ranch dipping sauce. I ate these at least two times a week.
There used to be a really nice flower garden out by the student parking lot by East Halls. It’s a nice place to take a romantic stroll.
I bought a bike my sophomore year, and it was the best buy I ever made. Just make sure to get a good lock.
Would it reveal too much about my college years if I mentioned that, even though Playland technically closes for a few hour each night, they don’t really throw anyone out…
Don’t go to the Rathskellar if you’re wearing shoes you’re not willing to leave behind, permanently stuck to the floor.
The Gingerbread Man does good mixed drinks (Long Island Iced Tea and Kamikazes a speciality).
There are oodles of student activities to join, some of which are actually not lame. Or find someone to play racquetball with at one of the many fine sports facilities.
Oh, and be sure to heckle the Willard Preacher. It’s ever so much fun.
Never went to the State Penn, but spent time nearby. It’s a great place to do some hiking/backpacking/mountain biking. Get out and explore the nearby wilderness.
Ditto on the ‘skellar shoes’ we extended that up to pants and shirt. We had specific skellar clothes. It all depends on how you hold your liqueur and if you can remain upright. Remember if you drop something… it now belongs to the skellar… you DON’T want it back.
Zeno’s has something called a passport. You get one, then over time, buy beer from around the world and have your passport stamped with the country it’s from.
The art gallery by the library is a perfect place to go on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Go to the HUB lawn at night with a group of inebriated friends and do something unkind to that horrible red metal statue. That’s not ‘art’.
During a good rainstorm, go puddle-splashing, then go streaking then go sit naked on the Nittany Lion Shrine… ok maybe only my friend and I did that.
Climb Mount Nittany and spend the night with friends around a camp fire.
You gotta regotta!
Believe everything you heard about the Library Stacks.
On the west end of Beaver Avenue - The Penn State Sub Shop makes the best hot wings in the world!
Mifflin Streak…
Go to the Engineering Building on College Avenue (right across from the College Diner - grilled sticky a la mode is a MUST) at night and sit in the 4-story study lounge. It’s beautiful.
Buy a very loud, very unique umbrella. Much less chance of it getting stolen while you dry it out in the dorm hallways. Carry it with you everywhere from Sept - Nov and late Feb-Apr. Freshmen are always marked by being unprepared and wet.
If you get a really good snowstorm, ‘borrow’ the vinyl couch cushions from the dorm lounge or a cafeteria tray will work in a pinch and sledride down the main road that leads from East halls to College Ave (I CAN’T THINK OF THE NAME).
Brings back many a memory. I lived next door in Hartranft and participated several times. Luckily I ran track and was able to outrun the authorities. What an adreneline rush.
As of June 2003 Gumby’s was still in business, though they’re under new ownership and the pokey sticks aren’t quite as good though still excellent. They switched ranch sauces though and the new ones come in a different shaped tub which is narrower and therefore not as good for dipping.
I think they have removed the “fighting red onion head” (the red metal statue mentioned above).
If you’re feeling mean, you can convince someone that Palmer Museum also has a tail to go with the paws out front.
Damn this thread brings back so many memories. Loved lots of things about the campus which is why I’m heading back up to see the place this weekend despite all the football traffic. I’m not heading to the game although I do miss football and football weekends. I’m just going up to see what’s changed and meet up with a friend or two hopefully. One thing I definitely miss is sitting out at Cafe 210 on a Friday having iced teas until my vision was blurry plus other drunken adventures.
Brian
(BS 1999, MS ??? whenever I finish my damn thesis although I left in July 2001)
I was at PSU a couple of months ago for a meeting. I was there for two days, and ate at the Creamery three times. It would have been four, but one evening someone made me eat ice cream at a different place south of town a bit.
The chocolate chip is incredible, and that paled (literally, I suppose) to the Coffee Break ice cream. Astonishing, and I am an expert on good ice cream.
