Acquaintance (looking at watch): That sounds interesting--look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later.

Me: Okay, bye.

So, over the last few days I've realized that staying in Cambridge doesn't make the best topic of conversation when it comes to summer plans. It's not exotic, it's not influential, and it certainly isn't romantic.

But, even without those attributes, there are hidden advantages to being at Harvard during the summer, I tell myself and my acquaintances. "Like what? More people in the pit cause it's warm?" one skeptical friend said the other day. Okay, maybe there will be more people in the pit, but more people in the pit probably means more people outdoors in general, which could be nice.

I've also always thought that being at Harvard without a problem set or a paper or an exam to worry about would be great. And the few days before classes started this year were among the best I've spent anywhere.

But, says the skeptic, what makes Harvard great is your friends, not the

architecture of Leverett Towers, where you might be living under the auspices of PBHA.

While that's true, it's also true that a lot of my friends are going to be here this summer. Without too much work to do, I'll be able to catch up with people other than my blockmates, who I see every day multiple times a day.