Off-campus lunch provides a perfect excuse to leave the confines of school while getting a fun treat, but once the coffee shop employees know your name and you bought six bagels in one week, it may be time to reconsider some things.
Still, nothing soothes the nerves of an upperclassman like breathing the fresh-ish downtown air and reconnecting with free will. A little walk around the South Loop may solve this urge to leave school, even without buying lunch as a byproduct. The classic lunch locations become slightly overdone, so utilize what the South Loop offers and go on an adventure during your 45 minute break. If you too are tired of the typical places, here are some underground ideas to switch up your routine.
Sandmeyer’s Bookstore
Two blocks South of Jones sits Sandmeyer’s Bookstore. For any wandering soul in search of a dark academia interruption to school, this local bookshop offers the perfect safe haven. The small bookstore holds every imaginable genre of book on its grandiose bookshelves.
Sure, the chances of you needing to obtain a book in the middle of a Monday seem pretty slim, but who said anything about buying books? They sell options for everyone. Do you need more stickers for your Chromebook? Maybe a deck of novelty playing cards? They know, and they sell it. Even just strolling the aisle with a friend helps soothe the mid-day jitters
The 4-minute commute sends you in the opposite direction of all the classic off-campus locations, instead presenting the area of Printer’s Row overrun by Columbia College students. The experience adequately distracts from the school day ahead. Just prepare yourself for the upcoming dread when you remember you still need to go back to class…
Spirit of Music Garden
But if you really want to wander during your lunch break, Grant Park offers a great opportunity. Mind you, not all of Grant Park serves as a viable off-campus trip… but the little garden on Michigan and Balbo does!
The spot acts as a perfect destination if you already packed a lunch, just not in the mood to sit in the Jones Cafeteria. At just a 6-minute walk away, it feels just far enough to enjoy a little stroll and connect with nature. With its generally well-kept gardens, plenty of benches, and surprisingly few tourists, the garden gives plenty of space for friends to vaguely loiter while eating lunch.
Other areas in Grant Park deserve an honorable mention, but since they often host PE classes or wandering college students, they feel pretty hit-or-miss. That being said, the moody Chicago weather greatly impacts this location’s enjoyability, as an impromptu rainstorm may worsen your mood on your way back to JCP.
Trader Joe’s
If you need a salad pack or pint of ice cream, Trader Joe’s feels like a safe option. But even without traditional grocery shopping in mind, picking up some snacks for a friend’s locker and stocking up on $0.19 bananas may prove wise. Sure, getting Potbelly’s sounds great, but when you need a pick-me-up during the passing period, maintaining a locker full of off-brand animal crackers may solve quite a few of your problems.
Also, if you want to leave the thralls of JCP, walking 10 minutes out of the way keeps you safe from running into any peers. Besides, you could even ride the Red Line one stop if you feel so inclined! No one expects to see a high school straggler taking an afternoon stroll about the grocery store chain.
