Best Place to People Watch: Norris University Center

In the beginning of Winter Quarter 2019, heaps of exhausted students in immaculate dresses crumpled throughout the halls of Norris University Center, loudly and tearfully debriefing their ongoing sorority rush experience. Picking up strains of juicy gossip on my way in and out of The Daily newsroom every day that week, I — a self-aware busybody — knew that I had found my place. Not within the Greek system, but around Norris.

Norris is THE place on campus for people watching. The brutalist, open-concept construction ensures that even the most private of nooks on all three floors are extremely visible. Think the echoey couch area on the second floor landing, the dramatic blue cubicles near Norbucks and the extremely camp bowling-themed booth next to 847 Burger.

Its central location and ample supply of caffeine makes Norris an easy spot for the loudest of casual meetups, though sometimes I wish the theater majors would suddenly forget.

People don’t choose to study at Norris unless they want to be seen. The moderators of @northwesterngarb, an Instagram account dedicated to student streetwear, regularly feature those who flaunt their fashion sense around the building.

Lemonade Mouth had the basement. Gossip Girl had the steps of the Met. And for Wildcats with a reputation to maintain and a penchant for distraction, Norris will always be prime territory.

Best Landmark: The Lakefill

Imagine this: On a warm day in May, you’re lying in a hammock on the Lakefill. The sun shines down on your face — a springtime reward for the brutal Evanston winter. You have a final coming up, but that doesn’t cross your mind. On the Lakefill, time seems to stop, and students become engrossed in a sense of peace.

As its name suggests, the Lakefill is on top of a lake. After World War II, Northwestern sought to expand its campus, but there was a big problem: There was no land to expand toward. So, the University pulled a quite literally walk-on-water move. In 1962, NU began a construction project to build new land off Lake Michigan’s coastline, which we now know as the Lakefill.

The Lakefill was voted as this year’s best landmark and for good reason. From Dillo Day to beach walks with your bae, the Lakefill is the cornerstone of many NU experiences. It’s the perfect location for sunrise-watching, or even creepier — people-watching.

It may be a warm spring day or a freezing day in December, but all year round, our love for the Lakefill runs deeper than Lake Michigan.

— Jessica Ma

Best Place to Cry: The Beach at Night

It’s a miracle Lake Michigan still has freshwater after the tons of tears Northwestern students have shed into it. Whether it’s a situationship gone sour or a midterm that was … quite mid, Northwestern’s beaches perfectly muffle your cries of despair. There are two beaches close to campus. North Beach (also known as Lincoln Street Beach) is right behind Ryan Fieldhouse, and South Beach (or Clark Street Beach) is behind Segal Visitors Center. So whether you receive your 600th internship rejection letter or just finished watching Toy Story 3, there’s a sandy escape within a few minutes’ walk.

NU’s beaches comfort you, too. The sound of waves crashing, the blue water and the night sky dotted with stars reminds us the world is way too beautiful to be sobbing over a tough professor. But who said the beach is only for sadness? Some of my best memories at NU are of my friends and I sitting on the beach gossip ing and drinking 7-Eleven Slurpees, and those memories are good enough to bring tears to my eyes.

— Anita Li

Best Beach: Lighthouse Beach

The peaceful atmosphere of Lighthouse Beach is the exact reprieve Northwestern students need from our bustling campus.

Tucked away along Sheridan Road and only a 10-minute walk north of campus, Lighthouse Beach is named after the neighboring Grosse Point Lighthouse, which was constructed in 1873 in response to multiple shipwrecks near the Evanston shore. Beyond the historical lighthouse, the area contains a cute garden, playground and beach. Lighthouse Beach is especially picturesque in the spring and summer, when the garden’s wildflowers provide a pop of color to the lakefront. On warm days, you may find people sitting in folding chairs immersing themselves in a book or children running in the sand.

A walk along Lighthouse Beach always leaves me feeling rejuvenated. I’ll often end my time there sitting on the rocks, using the quiet solitude to contemplate what I’m doing with my life. So next time your chemistry midterm gets you down, I invite you to head up to Lighthouse Beach.

Lily Shen

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