Welcome to Getting High on Campus, a series about the best places on campus to enjoy the beauty of the sunset! Each week, we will review a different location to help you decide where you want to relax and unwind. All locations are unrestricted, elevated, and on the main campus.
Each of our reviews will be broken down into three main categories: viewing comfort, quality of view, and atmosphere of the location. Our first spot is the landing between the 4th and 5th floors of Stairwell A in the Science and Teaching Complex.
View: This location has a beautiful view overlooking Ring Road, Laurel Creek, the St. Jerome’s Campus, and an expansive treeline. The viewing angle is ideal, with a large, floor-to-ceiling window facing west, allowing a quality view any season. After the sun dips below the horizon there is minimal glare in the window, but we did not find that to be a huge concern. With these in mind, we give this location a score of 4.5/5 for view.
Comfort: As this is an active stairwell, there is no furniture to use, but the window is framed by beams that you can lean against if you aren’t afraid of a little dust from sitting on the floor. Be mindful of the gap between the landing and the window, which is the perfect size for a phone to drop through. An advantage of a large window is that you won’t need to contort yourself to watch as the sun sets. This is not an accessible location, as it is a landing between floors, but there is another landing level on the fifth floor, albeit farther from the window. For comfort: 3.5/5.
Atmosphere: This location had no foot-traffic at the time we viewed it, leading to an uninterrupted experience. This location was also largely quiet, apart from a small background buzz, compounded by the echoing stairwell. We worry about the echo, if anyone were to use the loud doors to enter the stairwell. The height of this location also allows you to watch without being watched. The stairwell itself has a rather uninteresting and functional demeanour, with concrete walls and neutral white light, which leads to a less welcoming general atmosphere. For atmosphere: 3.5/5
This location provides a wonderful view of the sunset year-round if you can get to it, comfortable sitting on the floor, and don’t mind an echo. It might be a little out of the way, but the view is definitely worth it. Until next week, we encourage you to get high, kick back, and enjoy the sunset!
