1. Orientation: You should start getting pumped for orientation already, I know I am!! Make sure to attend as many events as you can because this is a really great way to meet people in your first few days as a freshman.
Orientation: Res College Games!
2. Forest Park: It is a really lovely place to hang out, but if you have enough time you should check out the famous St. Louis Zoo, it is unbelievable, the Art Museum, and the boathouse. The park is a great place to go all year round, in fact in the winter they set up an ice-skating rink and every Sunday the have a penguin parade where visitors get to walk with the penguins!
St. Louis Zoo
3. Carvery Wrap in Holmes Lounge: The carvery wrap (or sandwich) is a MUST eat at least once a week at WashU. Every day they have a different fresh meat that they “carve” off onto your choice of tortilla or bread. Arthur will most likely be the one who makes your sandwich and he is one of the friendliest guys on campus. Make sure to ask him for the house sauce to top it all off!
Holmes is inside this beautiful building!
4. Tuesday Tea @ 3 in the DUC: In the DUC every Tuesday at 3pm tea and some delicious assortment of pastries are served. The tea is accompanied by a KWUR (WashU Radio Station) DJ that plays some casual jazz to soothe the mood. (Note: I’m assuming the date/time will be the same as last year, but you should keep an eye out for advertisement in the DUC). While you’re in the DUC you should hit up the Fun Room as well for some relaxing tv time or a game of pool/foosball with friends!
5. Weekend BD Brunch: WashU spoils its students in multiple ways and brunch is definitely one of them. When you walk into BD on a Saturday or Sunday you pay for a wrist band which allows you entrance into brunch. Once inside the golden gates of BD it is all you can eat: french toast sticks, eggs, bacon, waffles, omelettes, an assortment of pastries, bagels, pizza, kosher options, a variety of juices, and coffee! It is overwhelmingly delicious. I recommend taking your parents here while they are at WashU; it’s a very entertaining family event.
There is more where this came from: BD Brunch
6. Activities Fair: I’m not sure if this will happen the first week of the year, but you should definitely pay attention for when it happens. The first semester activities fair will be hosted in Brooking’s Quad (right outside of the Admissions office) and all of the groups line up with tables for you to sign up for any and all.
7. The Loop: An awesome street near campus you should get to know because you will love hanging out there throughout the year! Pi Pizza (best deep dish pizza in the city), The Pageant (local concert venue), frozen yogurt, Blueberry Hill (famous burger joint), Fitz’s (best Root beer floats), are just a few places that you should hit up on The Loop.
The Pageant on The Delmar Loop
8.Ursa’s: Ursa’s is a show stopper. From a hot chocolate bar where you can choose your own hot chocolate and whip cream flavors to crepes and gelato to the best caesar wrap in the nation to an extensive list of quesadillas and other delicacies, Ursa’s is open for dinner for most of the week.
Custom Caesar Wrap
9. Kayak’s: This is a local coffee shop located past the new engineering buildings. It is a WashU favorite, especially since they take Bear Bucks. It is a great place to hang out, study, or just chill. Their loose-leaf teas are delicious, but if you’re a coffee lover (like me) you should try the Mayan Mocha or Gingerbread Latte when the seasons are right. You also must try the s’mores!!
S’mores at Kayaks
I didn’t include the following places because they are little farther to get too, but you should still hit them up when you can: Winslow’s Home for breakfast (take your parents: 7213 Delmar Loop), Ted Drewes (a famous St Louis frozen custard place), The Hill (the Italian district of the city), The Arch (it is worth a ride to the top!!), City Museum (a huge warehouse turned into playground for kids & adults, it’s amazing), the Botanical Garden (it is drop-dead-gorgeous, see previous posts), Ibby’s (a sit down restaurant in the DUC that is delicious and lovely, but you should probably wait to go there until you’ve built up extra meal points!), etc.
