Staff Writer Akshara Santoshkumar writes about her love for her daily walk from Plimpton to her classes.

This year, I was lucky enough to be placed in a suite in Plimpton. Going into the dorming process, I knew that this would be my best option. Located on 121st and Amsterdam, Plimpton is a mixed bag of primarily sophomore six-person suites. Sometimes, it feels like the quad again because so many sophomores live there, which can seem like a lot sometimes, but it is nice to see people you know.

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I like living in Plimpton. Personally, I think it’s quieter than living on Broadway. Plus there are a bunch of really fun cafes and restaurants on Amsterdam, which I didn’t have the chance to explore last year. When talking to all of my friends about their experiences living in Plimpton, most of them say that the part they hate most about the building is the distance from campus. It’s an eight-ish (15 on a really bad day) minute walk from Plimpton to Barnard and some parts of Columbia. I completely get it. It’s a long walk. It’s even worse if you have a morning class and end up sleeping in, so you have to wait an extra five minutes for the elevator and then sprint up to Milbank (this has happened to me multiple times). But, even though I inadvertently end up sprinting to my classes a couple of times a week, I love the walk.

Most people don’t realize that it is also a fun opportunity to people-watch. You see the grad students walking to SIPA and TC and some undergraduates walking to and from Columbia and Barnard. I’ve learned to take my morning walk as an opportunity to get in the right mood for the day. Most days, I blast music (most likely Taylor Swift) through my headphones, which never fails to put me in the right headspace to take on my day.

Will I continue to love my Plimpton walk in December? Who knows? But for now, I’ll continue to enjoy my daily walk, bev in hand and Taylor Swift in my ears.

Plimpton Walk via Akshara Santoshkumar