Change of Plan

Due to certain circumstances, our expedition to the Farmer’s Market was cancelled. Unwilling to spend the day cooped up in our dorm, my classmate, Gloria, and I decided to take a walk to college town to see more of what actual college life at Cornell is like. We walked for almost half an hour in the intermittent rain before arriving in the college town, which not as great as I had expected it to be.

Many Cornell visitors took shelter during the monstrous downpour.

Perhaps my perspective of the miniature town was dampened by the dreary rain, but there were many small shops and restaurants, as well as bicycle stores, a travel agency, bars, and a popular late-night bakery by the name of Insomnia Cookies. Gloria and I ventured through the buildings before heading back to campus just as the rain began to return. We had planned on taking the bus back, but we decided we needed the exercise and wanted to visit the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art. While passing crossing Ho Plaza, we, along with two college tour groups, were caught in a shocking downpour and took shelter beneath the overhang of the Cornell Store.

After ten minutes, the rain lightened somewhat and Gloria and I were on our way to the art museum. It was a long walk uphill, but eventually we reached the doorstep and spent the next two hours admiring and interpreting exquisite exhibitions of artistry. Alice Dalton Brown’s oil paintings lined the walls of the second level and we were fascinated by the unbelievable realistic quality of her works; unless closely inspected, the paintings would have easily passed as professional photographs. Brown’s characteristic portrayals of veils and summer porches were breath-taking and very refreshing to see in light of the dark rain outside. Her painting Dark Leaves was one of my favorites because of the vibrancy of color and picture-like detail. 

The museum's fifth floor also provided a beautiful view of the surrounding landscape through its 360 degree outer walling of glass windows.

Following viewings of historic Asian, African, and Latin American arts, Gloria and I returned to the dorm to get down to work after  an energizing break from the stressful week thus far. I have a lot of work to complete tomorrow, but I am confident I have the energy to finish everything to the best of my ability. Sometimes, a change of plans is not as unfortunate as it initially seems.