Josh Imhof | features editor

Two weeks ago, students packed their bags for Spring Break and left behind below-freezing temperatures, gray skies and dwindling snowbanks. When they returned, they were met with 70-degree weather, sunshine and warm breezes.

Pittsburghers know this warm weather won’t last forever and will soon return to the normal damp and drab. In fact, it’s pouring rain as this article is being written. But when the sunny weather returns, students have a variety of places they can go to relieve their cabin fever, both off and on campus.

Rooney Field

Why go to Punta Cana or Puerto Rico when you can visit Rooney Beach?

Duquesne students have access to 120 yards of greenspace in a dense, urban environment where space is limited. Not only this, but Rooney Field is mere steps from each of the dorms on campus. So take advantage of it!

Bring a beach chair. Grab some friends and throw a frisbee.

Better yet, take your shoes off, grab a towel, put on a swimsuit and don’t let social anxiety win. Some students pay up to $61,000 for tuition before scholarships, according to Duquesne’s website, meaning you have just as much a right to utilize that field as anyone else.

Just make sure the football team isn’t practicing when you do.

Law School Nook

One of the best lesser-known spots on campus is tucked between Cannevin Hall and the Kline School of Law. This nook features picnic tables and benches, but best of all, trees that allow students to hammock between them.

Gone are the days of having to take a bus ride to Schenley Park for a chance at getting a spot for your hammock. Even if you do, Schenley is swarming with people during the warm months where it is sometimes so busy that people will set up their hammocks directly above someone else’s.

Instead, take a quick stroll down A-Walk and set up shop right outside your door.

Old Main Courtyard

Another one of the quieter locations on campus, the courtyard between Rockwell Hall and Old Main is one of the best spots to rest after a long day. Similar to Rooney Field, this large greenspace offers students a place to play sports or roll out a beach towel to get some sun.

A large tree in the corner acts as a great spot to sit under for picnics in the summertime.

Village Park – Point Park University: (20-minute walk)

When it comes to third spaces for students, no one has it worse than Point Park University. The Downtown campus is mainly crammed into the intersection of Boulevard of the Allies and Wood Street, with a few buildings scattered throughout the surrounding blocks.

Aside from Point State Park, there are not many places they can go within reasonable walking distance.

However, they do have Village Park.

While not a traditional “park,” this urban space features lounges, tables, benches, trees and a water feature that contrast the urban backdrop of the city. It also houses a coffee shop. For Duquesne students looking for a new place to eat lunch, do homework or catch up with friends, this is the place for you.

Village Park is, at most, a 20-minute walk from campus and only a five-minute walk from Market Square. Try this spot out if you want a more urban-feel that Duquesne does not have.

Schenley Disc Golf Course – Oakland: (15 minute bus ride)

HEADS!

While this spot is technically for disc-golfers, that does not stop anyone from planting themselves on the rolling hills of Schenley Park. Offering a stunning view of the Downtown skyline, the Cathedral of Learning and summer sunsets, the Schenley disc golf course and its surrounding amenities are the perfect place for a day trip.

As someone who has both played on the course and relaxed on it, there is plenty of space to go around. Students can park at the top of the hill and sit under one of the many trees, or they can go further down to a pavilion.

If just sitting isn’t your vibe, the Schenley Oval offers a large grass field for sports and a running track. There is truly something, and enough room for everyone at this location.

Josh Imhof can be reached at imhofj@duq.edu