You might feel like a ghost of yourself cramming for finals this week: your dining dollars are in the single digits or behind the decimal point from purchasing sweet treat after sweet treat to get you by. Hands shaking from your 5th venti peach green tea lemonade this week, you leave Dimond Library after dark (it’s open 24 hours now because of finals btw). You could use some entertainment. But what is there to do? Do you want to experience something scarier than the potential of failing out of your major? Or do you want to suffer in solidarity with your besties? Whatever your choice, the Wildcat Word has some pearls of wisdom to take with you on your journey. As the 70s band Chic once said, “Le freak, c’est chic.”
Q: “Where are all the ghosts on the UNH campus?”
The University of New Hampshire (UNH) was founded 158 years ago–which is a lot of time for myths, or depending on what you believe, ghosts to brew. When typing “UNH ghosts” into Google, Smith Hall, the oldest former women’s dorm on campus, is the most common result.
This semester I did some research into the ghastly gossip surrounding the building and showcased my findings in the form of a short documentary posted to the UNH Journalism YouTube page. You can watch the video here. If videos aren’t your thing, or you’d like to know what you’re getting yourself into before watching I’ll leave you with this: mind the fourth floor with caution, but fear not as the spirit is allegedly more ‘Casper’ than ‘Poltergeist.’
-Sophia
Q: “What is your opinion on the UNH party scene?”
If deciding between ghost-hunting and socializing wasn’t hard enough, deciding where to socialize is a challenge of its own. In my opinion, location is everything. So I have mapped out the most popular UNH party scenes below:
The Classic Dorm Room
A dorm party is a great choice for a smaller get-together. However, the ability to dance in a standard single-double room is quite limited. Certain restrictions in dorms such as quiet hours can be challenging as well. If you’re a fan of sharing secrets and criss-cross-applesauce on the floor past midnight, this could be the choice for you. No late-night walking home in the cold is also a plus.
The Apartments
Apartment parties are usually 95% people you don’t know, so they’re good places to mingle. If you choose to live it up at a UNH apartment, do be mindful of the 10:00 p.m. weekday/midnight weekend quiet hours. Good-old residence hall residents should take note that most apartment complexes such as the Gables and Woodsides may include a 20-minute walk. However, if you’re looking for indoor-dancing room, the apartments are the best option.
The Bars
If you’re over the age of 21, love to dance, mingle and are a repeat quiet hours offender, the bars downtown may be the best option for you. Libby’s Bar & Grill is open from 5:00 p.m. to midnight every day, except Sunday and Monday when it is closed. If you plan to stay out later, Scorpions Bar & Grill is open from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Going to the bar on a night that occurs from Thursday to Sunday? Get there early, as the outside of the bars starts to resemble a TSA check line past 7 p.m.
The Great Outdoors
You’re a fan of Walden by Henry David Thoreau – one with nature. You don’t want to conform to late-night-indoor trauma dumping, apartment hopping or bar crawling. Do I have an option for you: College Woods. While I would not recommend going there late at night, chilling in the woods can be a fun recreational activity. Gather a group of friends, bug spray and spooky tales from your Smith Hall adventures, and you’re set. Just don’t get lost. But if you do: reference the wisdom Leah Periera noted in our first column, and here’s a map.
-Sophia
