Libe Slope: My Favorite Place on Campus
Cornell has an exceptionally beautiful campus. I remember when I first visited, I was taking pictures of everything I saw—the powerful waterfall falling from the peaceful Beebe Lake, the rays of sun glimmering through the trees on the Arts Quad, the modern buildings standing amongst the old, classically beautiful ones, the West Campus archway that makes me feel like I’m in a Harry Potter movie, the Cascadilla Gorge that makes me feel like I go to school in a national park, the cherry blossoms that line Ho Plaza, and of course, the stunning view from the top of Libe Slope.
Libe Slope. It’s the place that sealed the deal for me when I was deciding schools. It’s the place where I rock back and forth in my hammock as I unwind from a long week. It’s the place where I ~try~ to get some work done on a nice day. It’s the place where I meet my friends to have a picnic and watch the sunset. It’s the place where my friends and I sled on our lunch trays and cardboard boxes after a snowstorm. It’s the place where I join almost half the school to enjoy the first nice, sunny day of the spring. It’s the place where the majority of the school gets together for Slope Day to celebrate the last day of classes. It’s the place that left me panting and exhausted from walking up it every morning when I lived on West Campus. And it’s my favorite place on campus.
To me, it represents peace, happiness, adventure, community, celebration, perseverance, and comfort. While the walk up the slope every morning during my time on West Campus was tiring, I remain grateful for it—I was able to get my workout for the day in J. In all seriousness, it reminds me that no matter how challenging or exhausting a situation is, it will eventually all be over. Plus, the view at the top is extremely rewarding. Being able to walk back down the slope to West Campus each day was also very satisfying, especially after a long, stressful day. Seeing the view and the people sitting, relaxing, and/or laughing with their friends on the slope reminds me to pause and appreciate not only the natural beauty of my surroundings, but also the people I surround myself with.
Again, this campus has numerous gorgeous spots—3 years later and I’m still taking pictures of everything (all the pictures here are taken by me). I associate each of these spots to many different memories, feelings, and emotions.
However, Libe Slope is still my favorite out of all of them because Libe Slope makes me feel at home.
—Jessica ’21, computer science