Although September is the first month of fall, this past week could fool just about anyone into thinking we’re still in mid August. Of course the official first day of autumn isn’t until the 23rd, but I’m still surprised with the consistent warm weather Scranton has been having. I can’t seem to recall if it was still in the 90s this time last year. However, despite not remembering the heat of the outside, I do distinctly remember the stuffy, humid, heat of the inside. Specifically my dorm. Don’t get me wrong, Driscoll Hall with forever hold a special place in my heart, but the air conditioned life beats it by a mile. Don’t worry freshmen, you only have to suffer for a couple weeks out of the whole year, and unlike most schools, you’ll have AC once sophomore year comes around.
I find I’m REALLY grateful for the AC after a long day of walking around campus or taking a stroll into the city; after trudging up the hill my dorm building greets me with a rush of cool air!
This rush of cool air was especially welcoming after walking back from dinner with my friends on Sunday. We devoured delicious bowls of pastas, plates of fresh bruschetta, even a couple of fried Oreos! But this wasn’t the average DeNaples dinner. This weekend was the city of Scranton’s annual La Festa! La Festa Italiana is an event that occurs at the end of the summer every year and lasts about three or four days. In these few days hundreds of local residents, as well as visitors from all over, are lucky enough to experience signature dishes from over 80 food vendors! From pasta, to pizza and even Greek gyros, there’s something for everyone. Although food is most definitely the main attraction during this time, the festival also includes jewelry/clothing stands, live music, and contests (In fact, this year was the 4th annual cannoli eating contest!). I wish I could have gone all four days.
My friends and I after we finished our yummy bowls of ziti and penne vodka!
Since I had quite the meal on Sunday night, I was glad I was able to fit in some exercise time on Saturday morning. Although I’m still in the process of creating a gym schedule for myself, I decided to take advantage of another athletic facility on campus: The Byron Center. The Byron is the home to the school pool, basketball courts, saunas, volleyball courts, etc. Last year, I definitely didn’t realize how much the Byron offered. It even has racquetball courts! And that’s exactly what my roommate and I decided to play after grabbing brunch. I had no idea we had these courts until the very end of last semester; Now that I’m a “seasoned sophomore” and I know I’ll be spending much more time in the Byron than last year.
If only the three-day Labor Day weekend didn’t have to end!
Catherine E. Bombard
Hi! My name's Catherine, but you can call me Catie and I'm a sophomore from Wayne, NJ here at the University of Scranton. I'm an English major, Communication minor hoping to have a career in publishing one day. I'm a member and the publicist of Octaves, an a cappella group on campus, along with being a writer and editor for The Aquinas, the student newspaper. Thanks for checking out the student blogs and I hope you enjoy hearing about my "Scranton Experience"! :)
