Michigan's Campus: Part I

This week, I am going to share a few of my favorite places around campus at U of M!

There is a view of campus that I have always loved. When you stand on the steps of the Graduate Library, you can see directly through the Diag to the area by the Bell Tower and the Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Ah, spring! The Michigan sky is no longer gray but the temperature is still pretty damn cold.

You can see all the people traveling through the Diag and from the MLB and Michigan League. You can admire the beautiful architecture of Michigan's central campus. You can gaze at the open green space on the Diag as well as the frisbee players, musicians, and giant squirrels that may be occupying it. Over the trees, you can see Burton Memorial Tower silhouetted against the sky.

My mom may or may not have taken this same picture on every single visit to Ann Arbor.

The area by the Bell Tower is one of my favorites. It's a beautiful spot to sit and relax when the flowers are blooming and the sun is out. I also have connected to it for various reasons over the past four years. When I was a freshman, two of my lectures were held in the Modern Languages Building and one discussion section was on the eighth floor of the Bell Tower itself. Often, I would sit outside on the little wall reading books before classes in the MLB. Regularly for the past year, I trekked down the walkway past the Bell Tower and the League each Wednesday morning, even in blizzards, to go to the Alumni Center for Welcome Wednesdays. It is an event where Alumni Association provides free bagels and coffee to students from 8 AM to noon. (If I ever donate money to the Alumni Association, it will be for Welcome Wednesdays. Every Michigan student should have access to free Wednesday bagels.)

The entire view from the grad library steps is a favorite area for me mostly because of its beauty. I often found myself walking between the Diag and the Bell Tower area and thinking, no matter how stressed or tired I was, that I was so happy to be at school in such a gorgeous place. The buildings, especially the grandeur of the grad library, the Bell Tower, and Rackham, made the area inspiring for me. It was also always a comforting feeling. If I was worried about an exam or I felt overwhelmed by work, I was still happy to be where I was.

Where are your favorite spots on campus?