The Perfect Study Spot

Finding a study spot is like the elusive search for the best cup of coffee. First, you have to try out various chains--Starbuck's, Dunkin Donuts, Peet's, and the local coffee shop down the street. Then, after finding a coffee you actually like, you have to experiment with the ratio of milk to coffee, one teaspoon of sugar or two, sweetener vs. creamer, or perhaps honey...? After much searching and experimentation, you can finally revel in the perfect combination of ingredients that creates the delicious, warm coffee experience for you.


The search for a perfect study spot began early in my PhD journey, even at the time of my first visit. I looked around campus for awhile, and tried out different buildings, but I finally discovered the spot in the library. The library is a building I originally and immediately HATED. If I could summarize the library in several words, it would be: DAMP, DARK, CONCRETE, GEOMETRIC.

Its exterior consists of slabs of ugly brown concrete and rectangular windows. The interior is not much of an improvement. The carpets are either a dull, reddish color or a dank blue color and the furniture is probably from the 1970s. Hard wooden chairs and ugly orange signs pointing to the direction of books.. I found out later that the library is constructed in the brutalist form of architecture, which is charactered by "striking repetitive angular geometries, and where concrete is used, often revealing the texture of the wooden forms used for the in-situ casting. Although concrete is the material most widely associated with Brutalist architecture, not all Brutalist buildings are formed from concrete." More examples of Brutalist Architecture are here. Now it all makes sense, right?

In the midst of the uglinessness, there is one beautiful spot in the library. The journey begins by ascending to the fourth floor, the highest story in the library. Then, it is merely a short walk to the tables against the windows. The view is phenomenal---Six full story windows pour light from the indoors, and the view is gorgeous--you can see the entire city, hills in the background, and even the city of Albany in the background. It is like being as close to nature as possible, except some concrete and windows separate you from the outside world.

I will take a picture, but for now, you can see it through the library's image.


Ahhhh, that's the spot.