Around and About: Hotspots to Keep You Warm and Cozy this Winter

Let's face the facts - Oberlin is about to get really chilly. We braced a HUGE (possibly somewhat of an exaggeration) snowstorm a couple weeks ago. We survived a terrifying lightning-filled rainstorm a week ago. And in the past 24 hours it feels like the temperature dropped 20 degrees! So I thought that this would be the perfect time to share my favorite spots on campus to stay toasty in this chilly chilly weather.

The Mudd Couch Jungle
Cozy up in the couch jungle in the center of the second floor of Mudd. It's a great place to do some reading while hanging out with your friends, so even if they live all the way across campus you can meet each other halfway! What makes it even better is that you can pop over to Dascomb for Fourth Meal even when it's snowing outside, because it's so close! Plus a 100-meter sprint to Dascomb will surely keep you warm.

Wilder 2nd Floor Cubicles
These old cubicles are one of my favorite places to go to read. Someone once told me that Wilder Hall was used as a recreation center and in the olden days, when courting was still a thing, people would go on supervised dates at Wilder. I don't know how true that may be but I always imagine these cubicles being one of those places where young couples would cheesily stare into each other's eyes and every once in a while try to hold hands under the table while the supervisor wasn't looking. People don't do that much anymore (as far as I know, but you surely could bring back the trend), but Wilder does have a historical feel to it and I love that setting when I'm reading. Plus, it's a perfect place for you if you're a procrastinator and want to procrastinate. You can head over to the SIC and buy some safer sex supplies or talk to some of the fun staffers (@ Wilder 203). You can get HIV Peer Tested, if you're interested (@ Wilder 304). You can pop over to DeCafe downstairs and get a snack or some coffee to keep your engine running (I feel like most of my favorite cozy places need to be close to a food source). You can pee in one of the cutest toilets on campus (the retro diner-y one on the first floor is my favorite!). Wilder surely is the place to be if you wish to be a productive procrastinator and you don't even have to leave the building! You can take your friend on a coffee date and explore the building if you're waiting out the snow or the rain.

Stevie
With all the food talk, you had to see this one coming. C'mon, despite the colorful and slightly hideous couches, there's unlimited food in one building. Need I say more? I've spent too many hours sitting at Stevie with my friends, but it's the perfect place to go when you need to plump yourself up for hibernation season.

Art Library
Even though the Art Library is around a 7-minute walk from my dorm, it's worth the walk. It's so intimate and warm that you could spend hours cuddled up on the couches. They also have a lovely collection of book art pieces displayed around the library and the librarian is a total sweetheart.

My Love Hut
I've given my humble abode many names! My nest, my love hut, my cuddle jungle... It's my own little world that I love very very much! I strongly suggest making your room as cozy as possible for the winter season. Drown yourself in blankets! Stock up on teas and have cuddly tea parties! Light warm scented candles so your room smells like hot apple cider! Make it your little burrow so that when it gets cold and windy outside, you still feel all warm and home-y on the inside.

These are a few of my favorite places to seek refuge in when I'm trying to escape the cold. Let me know some of yours!