Top ways to soak up the spring in Pittsburgh

Finally, after months of gloom, snowstorms and freezing rain, the sun seems to have found its way to Pittsburgh. Walking to class isn’t so bad anymore now that you don’t have to get bundled in layers of jackets and scarves, and the sun stays out until at least 7 p.m. Here are some tips to making the most of this much-needed change in the seasons.

Walk through the mud at Schenley Park

A walk in the park is an ideal way to take in warm sun and clear skies, but after the months of snow and rain, the local parks in Oakland have more mud to offer than romantic scenery. A walk through Schenley Park this afternoon will bring you shoes covered in brown sludge and damp socks, but at least you’ll get the view of the City with all of the gray, leafless trees surrounding the skyline from Flagstaff Hill. 

Waste all your money on summer clothes even though it’s still too cold out to wear them

This time of the year, summer fashion trends are popping up on social media — and in your email inbox from every retail store you’ve ever shopped at. Stock up on your favorite jean shorts, sandals and tank tops from American Eagle, Forever 21, H&M, Abercrombie & Fitch and every other store from your local mall. Go home and get dressed up in your new threads and then realize that even though it is much nicer outside than it was in January, it is still 50 degrees and definitely not warm enough for shorts. Looks like those cute jorts will hang in your closet for another two months!

Put in an endless amount of internship applications

If there’s one thing you learn in college, it’s that the grind doesn’t stop! Even if the sun is shining and all of your friends are heading to their third darty of the week, you need to get those applications in for summer and fall internships. If you don’t have another internship to add to your resumé, what else are you going to tell your extended family about at the next big gathering? Keep your future in mind, and keep on that grind toward success! Maybe even study for finals while you’re at it.

Tightrope walk in front of Cathy

If you’ve ever been outside the Cathedral of Learning or the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Oakland branch, you’ve seen the tightrope walkers who practice outside in the nice weather. What’s the point of walking on a tightrope strung between two trees, less than three feet above the ground? Who knows! But when the weather is nice, the amateur acrobats will come. This spring, try joining them in an attempt to understand.

Jaywalk in front of the new crosswalk

You’ve been asking for it for years, and now it’s finally here: a crosswalk on Forbes between David Lawrence Hall and the Quad. Now that warmer weather is here and Pitt installed the crosswalk, you finally have the opportunity to completely ignore the actual crosswalk, then jaywalk right in front of it! No need to actually use the crosswalk, it’ll stop traffic enough for you to walk across the street elsewhere.You can even get some extra steps in while trying to dodge Pitt Police officers giving out tickets to jaywalkers.

Cry

There’s nothing better than lying facedown on the ground and crying. Tears moisturize your skin and give you a fresh, almost sun-kissed glow. With temperatures reaching up into the 60s, no need to worry about doing your facedown cries inside. The halls of Cathy are known to echo sobs, so why not take your wails of despair to the outdoors — and if your coursework or your future is getting you down, try lying down on the ground and crying!