I’m usually very reluctant to try new places. I do enjoy the places AFTER I’ve been to them, the trouble lies with the planning phase. While there are several reviews available online none of them talk about, for example, how long does it take to get to Hopkins from the place? Or how sunny does it get at 3pm on a Sunday in December? None of the reviews, in short, provide any useful information to a graduate student.

Unfortunately it needs to be done often to avoid the humdrum of campus life. Hopkins has a tiny campus and if I do not force myself to explore new places I’ll be left confined to three blocks of Charles street.

Just today I decided to go a random coffee shop, and I had to visit my office later. It ended up being a complicated optimization problem, which resolved itself hours later with me choosing the cafe in Hampden even though it was slightly out of the way. I braved my way through the beautiful sunny day and the picturesque fall colors on the streets outside.

The tragedy! The entire street was closed for a Christmas parade. I ended up walking over to a faraway cafe and spending twice what I had initially planned for. Which is why, I’m usually very reluctant to try new places.