{"id":7389,"date":"2025-04-14T06:00:33","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T10:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/?p=7389"},"modified":"2025-04-30T12:46:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T16:46:57","slug":"sky-bridge-diaries-spring-2025-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/2025\/04\/sky-bridge-diaries-spring-2025-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky Bridge Diaries – Spring 2025 Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hunter College is a setting no one can prepare you for, from meaningless conversations between friends to $5 Poland Spring water bottles and everything in between. These diaries from your Hunter Athenian staff will dive into the daily rollercoaster at Hunter College.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the NY Times<\/a>, this second edition of the Sky Bridge Diaries<\/a> contains observations of tiny moments on campus from The Athenian\u2019s journalists.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Sounds of Silence in the Fifth-floor Lounge<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

As I sit in the fifth-floor lounge in the West building, the antisocial, boring, screen addicted people shine bright. From kids having their feet kicked up to others with their faces in computers to the majority of the bunch aimlessly scrolling on their phones.<\/p>\n

Not one single voice is heard. Everyone is in their own ecosystem, an independent bunch, probably waiting for their next class to begin or working on an assignment due in 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

The only noise to be heard is the continuous clicking and screeching of the escalator, which has no beginning or end. The crinkling of the Lay’s chip bag shines bright, as it is nearly impossible not to be loud when eating a bag of chips.<\/p>\n

As I look at the scene, I think to myself, \u201cWhy is there a red velvet rope dividing the escalators?\u201d It does not fit the setting, yet somehow makes sense because nothing usually makes sense at Hunter.<\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019ll make a scene so everyone looks up at me and leaves their devices.<\/p>\n

-Gene Propper<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Migraine, Water, and a Side of Sass<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After being dismissed on a break from my class, I made a beeline to the cafeteria to purchase a bottle of water for a throbbing migraine.<\/p>\n

I walked down with a classmate, casually discussing our other classes, and entered the newly renovated deli. Despite being close to 6 p.m., the smell of meats and breakfast sandwiches still wafted through the air.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I grabbed my Poland Spring sports cap water and walked to the cashier to pay.<\/p>\n

\u201c$5.75\u201d, the cashier said.<\/p>\n

With a raised eyebrow and some sass, I replied, \u201c$5.75? What is this, Madison Square Garden?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, Okay\u2026 For you, $2.72\u201d, the cashier said quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, thank you,\u201d I said as I quickly pulled out my iPhone to make the purchase using Apple Pay.<\/p>\n

As I walked out, I turned to my classmate and said, \u201cSeriously, that\u2019s MSG pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n

-Alexis Profeta<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

The Calorie Dilemma<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

A crowd of students is seated in a study area. It\u2019s 6:24 p.m. on a Wednesday.<\/p>\n

I spy two friend groups, and the rest are scattered around, either seated by the tables or on the individual lounge couches.<\/p>\n

The lunchroom is nearby, and the escalators are right behind us.<\/p>\n

Two groups interact, and everyone else is asleep, on their phones or studying.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All members are immersed in one another. It\u2019s lively and quiet at the same time, calm and disruptive. How else can I explain it?<\/p>\n

Two guys and a girl are next to me, and they\u2019re discussing a game they\u2019re playing. Who\u2019s winning? Who’s losing? I lost interest after 13 seconds.<\/p>\n

Another friend group in front of me was trying to figure out how many calories their friend should consume. Could this be for a nutrition class? Or maybe they\u2019re just really looking out for her health. I wish my friends did that for me. Then again, I probably wouldn\u2019t listen. Food is too good for me.<\/p>\n

-Carol Bautista<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Third Floor Triangle<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sitting on the third floor in the West building, before the Sky Bridge, where the tables are chess boards. A plaque on the wall says it\u2019s the Grateful Auditor\u2019s Study Area. A student in khaki green is sleeping in a corner on a low cushioned chair. A group of friends are discussing their vacations in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n

The escalators screech, an annoying, persistent tone I can\u2019t ignore.<\/p>\n

People pass by on the way to the East building. A girl\u2019s tote bag says \u201cmake vegetables not war.\u201d Some are sleeping, and others are in online classes. A girl is eating ramen in another corner.<\/p>\n

A boba tea is on the table, unopened, unclaimed.<\/p>\n

A girl wearing a leather blazer says she is a journalism major but wants to go into PR or marketing. She likes writing but doesn’t care about films or other media. She\u2019s a lower senior.<\/p>\n

A guy in a black tee and striped shorts with a One Piece backpack and green headphones decisively shuts his laptop and leaves.<\/p>\n

A girl in all pink\u2013coat, sweater, pants, everything\u2013got a 90 on a test. She takes the boba to go.<\/p>\n

It’s quiet now, only the rhythmic thumping of the escalator in the background.<\/p>\n

-Etta Feuer<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\u00a0Sugar is the New Jesus<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

I\u2019m sitting next to the cafe on the third floor of Hunter East, sweating through a fast-creeping fever. It feels like there\u2019s a billion people here, navigating through the tables like ants in a colony.<\/p>\n

A girl in a black lace dress is heating her dinner in the communal microwave, which probably hasn\u2019t been cleaned in at least 10 years. One time, I peeked my head inside and discovered a microcosm of dried-up fluids and food splatters. That was my first and last time using a Hunter microwave.<\/p>\n

An older man sits a few tables away from me, speaking loudly on the phone with a strong New York accent. He\u2019s talking about economics and moving something, somewhere\u2026 I don\u2019t know. I barely passed Introduction to Economics.<\/p>\n

A younger man working behind the counter of the cafe keeps yelling about sugar. \u201cSugar is available here. It\u2019s here. Sugar is here.\u201d It reminds me of the people I saw next to Penn Station once, who were screaming \u201cJesus is here\u201d through the megaphones.<\/p>\n

I need a Tylenol.<\/p>\n

-Anastasiia Poleva<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Out of Order<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 6:09 p.m., and two of the library elevators are out of order. I\u2019m not surprised. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if all of them were out of order. This is Hunter. This is CUNY. This is New York City. I don\u2019t even trust train station elevators.<\/p>\n

But the new ones at the 68th Street\u2013Hunter College station look nice. The renovations are good: the wide stairs, and the mural and the fresh, unstained glass elevators. I bet they\u2019ll be dirty by fall. I wonder if the workers will take the time to clean them when it happens. I can name like 20 stations where they don\u2019t do that. They just let the dirt pile up so much that it\u2019s no longer removable. Then they\u2019ll up our fare so they\u2019ll have money to knock down the walls and rebuild them. And we\u2019ll keep paying. Or hopping.<\/p>\n

Occasional hopper,<\/p>\n

-Raven Campbell<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Wednesday Nights at Hunter<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Wednesday at the tail end of 5 p.m., and my back is against the cold glass of the Hunter Sky Bridge, my legs spread out over the metal grates that separate me from the floor more often than not.<\/p>\n

The school lacks seating, which is why I find myself here so often, as the ill-colored, purple and green walls of the library are almost always lined with students. But now, the school is rather quiet, calm. I came down here to witness a conversation, a scene, but I can\u2019t seem to find anyone. The only sounds at Hunter at the tail end of 5 p.m. on a Wednesday are the soft rumbles of the subway, car honks from outside the thin glass, occasional music from the cracked door of the nearby radio station, and of course, my own thoughts.<\/p>\n

As I sit within the ever-so-dreary walls of Hunter, I wonder, as I often do, if there\u2019s anything about the place that I\u2019ll miss when I graduate in just a few short months. The Sky Bridge is often bleak at this point in the day, despite it being one of the more picturesque aspects of the airport-looking commuter school. As I head towards the end, many have asked me if I like it, would recommend it. I say, as I feel, that I most definitely wouldn\u2019t recommend it, but I wouldn’t change it either.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s humanity here, life in the way that a sneaker squeaks across the black tile floors and life in the way a girl drops a book ten feet away. There\u2019s a story within both of those, one I don\u2019t yet know.<\/p>\n

-Sydney Hargrove<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Lost in Translation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Dear Diary,<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a cloudy Wednesday afternoon at Hunter College. It\u2019s 6 p.m. On my walk, I decide to head into the library to get some peace and quiet.<\/p>\n

I walk past a few students on the Sky Bridge, then walk straight down and make a sharp right. To my surprise, I\u2019m met with a small, cozy room. There\u2019s a large brown brick wall filled with multi-colored funky-shaped seats and dining tables.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s one student sleeping on a red couch near the back, another one listening to music in the corner and other students scattered about with their bright, luminescent laptop screens bouncing off their tired faces.<\/p>\n

But two students that catch my wandering eye are two girls sitting criss cross on the couch, opposite side of me going off about their favorite movies. The room is filled with just their voices and nothing else. I\u2019m intrigued, so I listen in.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecently, I saw Heretic<\/i>, and it was so, so good!\u201d the girl on the right says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my gosh, I want to watch it, but I can\u2019t see horror movies on my own,\u201d says the other student on the left. She has a funny smile plastered onto her face.<\/p>\n

Their conversation bounces back and forth, and for a moment, I forget that I\u2019m at school. It feels as if I\u2019m in a living room with my roommates in my \u201capartment,\u201d just listening to them bicker on.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a nice picture in front of me.<\/p>\n

-Angela Chavez<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Former Athenian reporter Andrew Shamailov created the title, ‘Sky Bridge Diaries.’<\/i><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyday encounters, fleeting moments and the rhythm of city life\u2014captured in stories across Hunter College.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":173,"featured_media":6792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,26,1,324],"tags":[338,486,279,687,688],"class_list":["post-7389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-featured-column","category-news","category-student-life","tag-community","tag-cunystudents","tag-huntercollege-hunterstudents","tag-sky-bridge","tag-sky-bridge-diaries"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/173"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7389"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7495,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7389\/revisions\/7495"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brie.hunter.cuny.edu\/hunterathenian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}