Staying at BU For Thanksgiving
by Noemi Arellano-Summer
photo by Chika Okoye
Thanksgiving: the first major semester break for the fall. It’s a five day vacation, which allows most students who live in the U.S. to go home. Generally, international students tend to stay on campus, especially since traveling home one way might take an entire day. Luckily, campus housing stays open, though the dining halls don’t, except for a Thanksgiving lunch. Thanksgiving break at BU should be taken as an opportunity to finish up work early for the end of the semester and start studying for finals. Even if you’re going home, that’s still not a bad route to take—in between socializing, that is.
The Warren Towers dining hall is hosting Thanksgiving lunch from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. All students with an ID (and who are willing to pay) are welcome for lunch and dessert. Other than that, Thanksgiving events that campus hosts are set in the weeks before break.
If you do decide to go home, travel should be factored in to your timing. Students generally either leave before classes are technically over, or leave once break has started, on Wednesday. Obviously, the important day is Thursday, the actual day of Thanksgiving, but the rest of the week is just as much of a break. It’s a time to relax and see family and friends. Sadly, it’s also a time to work on group projects or finish up papers. If you’re in a preparatory mode, it’s a time to start studying for finals early.
On the other hand, if you do stay on campus, Boston offers a few Thanksgiving options. Quite a few restaurants have Thanksgiving menus for lunch or dinner, such as the Hard Rock Cafe. Here’s another option to put on the calendar: a Thanksgiving afternoon cruise. In Seaport, you can board the ship Spirit for two hours for a Thanksgiving meal, entertainment and views of Boston Harbor. How’s that for a Turkey Day?
Of course, for students on campus, break isn’t just about the food. In between finishing that project, take some time to explore the city, especially if you haven’t had time, bogged down with classes. Is there a specialty store you’ve been wanting to check out? For example, there’s a second-hand arts and craft store in Cambridge I’ve been meaning to check out since September. So far, I just haven’t had the time. Maybe now it’ll work out. Got tickets for a show or a movie? How about taking a walk around historical sites, like the Boston Common or Faneuil Hall? Or something else entirely? Go for it. That’s what this time is for.
Thanksgiving break is a lengthy break just a few weeks before finals, meant as both a time for relaxation and preparation. Luckily, traveling is a great time for either. Planes are decent spaces for cracking open that textbook, and long car rides are a good bet for finishing that Best of the Decade song list from your friends. Either way, staying or going, Thanksgiving break is meant to be a break before the final push to the end of the semester. Enjoy it.