Best on-campus getaway

Auraria is busy. There are constantly AHEC vehicles, bike police, and hurried pedestrians scurrying around campus. Take a midday vacation to the roof of the Plaza Building to get away from it all.

Follow the external stairs near the building side that faces the King Center, and you’re there. Behold the well-kept gem at Auraria.

From the top, you can get a 360-degree view of campus. The hustle, the bustle, and the secondhand smoke is figuratively and literally all below you.

Plaza’s rooftop is a great place to kick back, relax, clear your mind and put the shenanigans of the day behind. It’s a great place to write, sketch, or let your mind go completely blank.

If you’re not the lone wolf, pensive type, grab a friend and pass the time chatting the day away.

The rooftop has a picnic table, but other than that it’s bare, and away from the masses. It’s secluded. It’s comparatively quiet to any random patch of grass on campus.

Really, the only thing it’s missing is a fountain and duck pond to encapsulate any campus-goer in the Zen atmosphere.

Lean over the handrails and take a deep breath.

Spend your early evening passing periods inside the library no more. Head to the top of the Plaza Building and soak in the sunset before the next three mind-numbing hours of class.

It’s not much, but it’s a slice of paradise right here at home.