spectrum: lifestyle

Though the Upper West Side and Harlem may not be renowned for their booming art scenes, that doesn’t mean that art doesn’t exist this far uptown. Dozens of independent art galleries are scattered up and down the UWS and throughout Harlem—it’s just a matter of finding them. We’ve done the dirty work for you and have found some of the best galleries in the neighborhood so you can take a break from studying for your ArtHum finals and actually go see the kind of thing you’re learning about.

When it comes to parks, New York has a lot to offer. That being said, one of them does beat out the rest: Central Park. As the weather gets warmer and the end of the school year approaches, be sure to take advantage of everything Central Park has to offer. Knowing where to start your Central Park exploration can be a little overwhelming, so we’ve narrowed down some of the best spots for hanging out, picnicking, studying, or avoiding memorizing 200 bio terms.

The best way to spend your afternoons now that the sun has finally emerged is to have a picnic with some of your friends! Here is a step-by-step plan to help you create the perfect on-campus picnic where you can eat some food, bask in the sun, relax (or even nap), and say you’re going to do work on the lawn (though we all know the WiFi is abominable. Thanks, Columbia.)

Kicking off April with a couple inches of snow, I am sure y’all are as pumped and ready for warm weather as I am. After a long winter, we are all ready to shed a few layers and glow with some spring fashion. Shy of your closet? Don’t worry, Spectrum’s got you covered! For our April issue, we invited the e-board of Hoot Magazine, the fashion magazine on campus, to share with you some of their favorite spring trends.

Let’s face the truth: We’re never going to get our hands on some “Hamilton” tickets. Sure, “Mean Girls” and “Frozen” also sound like interesting prospects, but the tickets are crazy expensive and definitely sold out four months in advance. Here are six lesser-known Broadway shows to check out, all of which have much better prices than other shows.

Have you been watching the news this semester? Don’t worry, neither have we.

With the start of a new semester comes the inevitable “I want to get more involved on campus” spiel you give every single September and January. We get it—going to Columbia is difficult enough, but when it seems like everyone else is involved with ten different extracurriculars, it can be easy to feel a bit out of the loop. This semester, we’ve made it easier than ever to actually live up to that new semester goal by compiling a list of all of Columbia and Barnard’s clubs, programs, and organizations that are still recruiting new members this semester.