Envision this: It’s the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning. The cool October air crisps you up. You peer out of your window to see droves of Pantone 290 blue and smoking grills decorating the lawns outside Butler. People’s smiles permeate the cold metal of Alma’s heart as someone slips a freshly grilled hot dog into her hand. Music is blasting. Cheerleaders are chanting spirited songs by the sundial to a roaring crowd.

When descending into the heaven and hell of the New York City subway system, it’s unlikely you’ll ever experience a boring ride. With rows of seats facing each other and conveniently communal poles to grip, the mystical beast that is the subway forces you to get intimate with your fellow riders. High on the sewage-y and noxious evaporated juices of the best public transit system, Spectrum has cataloged the greatest hits of New York’s public transit.

As calendars across campus fill with impending midterms, due dates, and events, the excitement of our return to the big city for the fall semester is waning. It’s easy to lose sight of the things that spur happiness when everyone is busy sifting through the backlogs of their memories to remember how to solve a triple integration problem and figure out when to start reading Plato’s “Republic” to get at least five hours of sleep. Despite the challenges ahead, students are equipped with their beginning-of-the-semester “optimism goggles,” and all the possibilities to be entertained allow their passions to burn brightly across campus.

To anyone who needs to hear it: Your friends miss you too.

To the acting Lorax of Columbia EcoReps,

As someone who goes to school in the middle of a bustling city, you probably constantly hear about exciting things people have done beyond the no-longer-twinkling trees of College Walk. But when you finally decide to take a break from studying and scour the Internet for such fun events, there is so much information that it can be hard to know where to look. This St. Patrick’s Day has brought you some good ol’ luck. Below, you can find a complete list of ways to celebrate. Check out some of these events and restaurants as New York dons an emerald cloak.

Staying on budget is not always easy in the Upper West Side, a neighborhood full of various, but sometimes expensive, options for food. But eating out as a college student doesn’t have to mean emptying out your pockets, and exploring New York City’s culinary scene doesn’t even have to be in the form of a sit-down dinner or take-out—you could be the culinary mastermind behind your next favorite meal. With spring break fast approaching, dining halls will follow a different schedule or close entirely, so thinking about your meals might be anxiety-inducing. Here are some affordable meal options to consider during the long-awaited spring break: