Empty Campus Celebration

To celebrate the emptying of the University of Florida campus this past Saturday for the Christmas holiday period, I drove out there Sunday night, parked along University Avenue in one of the many vacant spaces near Buckman Hall, and ran through the deserted campus. It was heavenly, to say the least! I ran east on University past Library West to U.S. 441, then turned right and ran south along it past Tigert Hall, again turning right. I ran past the towering, seemingly misnamed Little Hall (actually named after a guy named Little) to Grinter Hall and then Century Tower (a beautiful bell tower featured on many UF postcards). I passed the Hub (where the bookstore and cashier used to be) and ran down the sidewalk toward the Reitz Union, adjacent to the field where I used to watch free movies (like Young Frankenstein). Before reaching the Reitz Union, though, I veered a little to the right and met up with North-South Drive, where I turned north. I then ran up that road until I got to Weil Hall, where I turned right, running down Stadium Road with the Florida football stadium to my left. Coming back toward the Hub, I turned left and ran north past Buckman Hall back to University Avenue and my car. It was a good, pleasant 16:16 run for an undetermined distance. I passed only two pedestrians, met up with no bicyclists, and once I was on campus away from the main roads, was passed by exactly one car. Yes, this is the life!

It’s funny how so much on campus at the University of Florida has changed, and yet at the same time there are timeless buildings like Weil Hall standing there, looking exactly the same to me as they did thirty years ago! Maybe I’ll continue to take advantage of the holiday break and do some more running down there. I’d better be careful where I park on weekdays, though. I remember going down there during Christmas break a few years ago and being served a ticket even though the parking lot was empty! Served by the University Police, the same bunch who served Andrew Meyer his Taser. Don’t ticket me, bro’!