SO WHAT DO PEOPLE DO FOR FUN?

Entertainment is probably the last thing you have in mind as a serious-minded student. But part of the whole “studying abroad” experience includes learning about life in your new city. If tourists spend lots of money to explore your city for a few days, you’ll have the advantage of knowing your city more intimately with less money invested. Even when your schedule is crammed with deadlines, group meetings, and errands to run, make the time to relax and have fun. Knowing your way around the city and its attractions becomes a necessary skill when you have visitors looking for a tour from a “native.” Don’t graduate and then go home wishing you did more in the extracurricular department.

What’s out there exactly? The weekly New Yorker has a section called “Going on About Town” and has a listing of mainstream cultural activities. A sample section includes 64 listings for Theater (Openings and Previews - 12, Opened Recently - 31, Long Runs - 21); six listings for Dance, Night Life (Concerts - 4, Clubs - 9, Jazz and Standards - 6); 24 listings for Art (Museums and Libraries- 8, Galleries Uptown - 7/Chelsea - 3/Downtown – 6, Brooklyn); 11 listings for Photography; 5 listings for Auctions and Antiques; 15 listings for Classical Music (Opera - 3, Orchestras and Choruses - 3, Recitals - 9); Above and Beyond (Readings, Talks, etc.) and 43 movie theaters (Now Showing, Revivals, Classics, etc.). Overwhelmed? That list doesn’t include events that are more experimental like the listing in the more avant-garde Time Out magazine or the local City Paper. And if you don’t live in a city with an active entertainment scene, don’t despair. There’s always something to do for anybody who is willing to try something new. A more interesting city is probably a bus/train/plane ride away.