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BEST SPOTS ON AND OFF CAMPUS TO ENJOY THE FALL FOLIAGE Words and Photos BY Clark adomaItIS
lenty of deciduous trees on and around campus are producing colorful arrays of leaves for us to watch and play in. They also leave a lot of work for CCNY’s Office of Facilities and Management, whom we thank for their hard and diligent work. According to Smoky Mountains’ 2019 Fall Foliage Prediction map, the peak foliage happened the week of October 19th. Nature’s autumn rainbow has littered the ground and filled our sky for a few weeks, and the variety of tints will now fade in November and December. Here are the best spots on campus where the leaves fell in large quantities and with the most range of color. Please enjoy the rainbow of hues our beautiful trees provide!
densest leaf pockets on campus. Yellows, browns, and oranges are popular on this ground. The area sees plenty of foot traffic as students and staff are constantly in and out of administration to handle tedious tasks including registration mishaps and financial aid issues. The sight of dense autumn colors or a playful kick to a stack of leaves could help stressed CCNY-goers re-center themselves.
CONVENT AVENUE
The aorta of campus is bordered by a row of trees on both sides. Cars, busy students, and fast-moving faculty must maneuver around or plow through piles of leaves. Thankfully, the Office of Facilities and Management have kept the road clean. Walkers and drivers appreciate their diligent work. Please look both ways before you cross the street. While you are looking out for cars, you will also see the different shades that color central passageway of our campus.
ST. NICHOLAS PARK
A plethora of vast trees and bushes arch over the pretty park. An array of oranges, reds, yellows, and browns cover Alexander Hamilton’s old stomping grounds. This once green park has transformed into an autumn wonderland. The blanket of dead leaves covering the recently vivid green fields enliven our visual appetites. The calming colors make this great park a relaxing sanctuary for the brisk mornings and crisp evenings that we have been enjoying this season. The sloping landscape of the park means that the leaves have more surface area of land to cover. Therefore, they spread across the park and onto the adjacent Saint Nicholas Avenue.
WILLE ADMINISTRATION’S LAWN This lawn has a few different kinds of trees that stretch over it and grow out of it. Some grow straight up, and a larger one covers the whole space, making this spot one of the 6
L I F E S T Y L E
THE QUAD Eight large trees and four small trees grow out of the Quad. The cold trees’ byproduct blankets the mostly-cement haven for lunch eaters. After you finish your sandwich, pizza, Chinese food, halal food, or bubble tea, hop into a pile of leaves and run through the layer that covers the ground. The leaves are consistently blown by the wind and by the facility’s employees. Therefore, the quad is never a safety hazard for walkers.
SHEPARD HALL’S LAWN This must-visit space has a gradient of leaf amounts. One large tree that produces many yellows hangs over the left side of the field. Many leaves litter the vast grassy area. They clog up the sidewalk entrance to Shepard Hall, and they reduce the velocity of the massive amount of daily foot traffic. The rest of the field only receives leaves from nearby sidewalk trees. If you are looking for a grassy space mostly clear of leaves, the right side of the Shepard field is your spot.
