Here in Illinois, nice weather is a rarity. Coming from California, the most common question after asking me which college I go to is, “How’s the weather?”

Although the weather sucks for the majority of the year — with wind chill and random snow days in April — the side effect of having such horrible weather is that I’ve learned to really appreciate nice days when they happen.

Currently, I’m writing this column on the Main Quad on one of the rare nice days, where the sun is out and the forecast is over 70 degrees. When the sun’s out, there are a few places I like to go to enjoy the nice weather.

First and foremost, the Main Quad. It’s a classic destination on a nice day. Everyone’s out. People are playing frisbee, others are studying on the grass, people are walking their dogs; it’s a good time. The Main Quad is center of the University, so when there’s nice weather, it’s the prime destination for people to go.

But for those who want a more secluded place, the next best place would be the Japan House gardens. It’s a bit off-campus, but it has a nice little path to walk through and overall is a nice place to go to when the weather is warm.

If you want something in the middle, just go to either the Bardeen Quad or South Quad on the northern and southern sides of campus respectively. They both have large areas of grass where you can sit and work.

On the northern side of campus, outside of Grainger Engineering Library, there is a nice place where people usually sit near Boneyard Creek. It’s nice because there are tables if you want to sit and also grass if you just want to lounge.

The southern side of campus is more of an open space. Right in front of the McFarland Bell Tower is a large plot of grass where people usually play cricket. There you can play catch, or sit under a tree and do some work.

When the weather is nice, you should also walk to all your classes. It really enhances the experience of a nice day when walking around outside and seeing everyone out and about because you can really feel how big the school is by how many people are outside.

Especially on the Main Quad, the campus really looks picturesque, with people biking, skateboarding, walking, sitting, lounging, playing frisbee and walking their dogs all out in one place.

So go outside and enjoy the weather while it lasts, because it won’t.

Brian is a senior in Engineering.

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