With quarantine, a lot of people have gotten into the habit of staying home. You might have picked up a new hobby, TV show or skill. However, it seems like we all have days where we just don’t quite know what to do. The weight of being socially responsible is on our shoulders, but also so is the temptation of being a social college student. There are many reasons why someone may or may not choose to stay in – and either one is acceptable as long as safety precautions are being made. If you are having a day, or feeling like just doing something different than sitting on your futon, here are some of my favorite activities to do, that still are safe, and keep me involved!
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Start a series with your roommates – if you don’t have roommates, maybe a small circle of friends. This was a great thing my roommates and I did! If you know anything about city living you know we are literally smashed in our house, so distancing isn’t an option for us unfortunately. I think it’s important to note that not everyone has the affordance or money to be able to ‘socially distance’, if you are sharing a room because of income reasons, it’s rational – especially for college students. But this was great because it forced us to hang out and we had something to look forward to once a week. It’s great to feel a sense of consistency!
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Go to the park! – Truly! Cincinnati has some of the best parks. There are lots of parks in Downton, on the west side, and some of my favorites are on the river. A few of my favorite parks are Eden Park, Fernbank Park, and Riverside Park. For a more secluded park there is a great collection of new development parks in Mason, OH. I loved grabbing take-out and eating lunch outside.
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TAKEOUT, TAKEOUT, TAKEOUT – Sometimes something as simple as just getting food to-go can make you feel better. There are lots of great restaurants, bars and bakeries offering great curbside pickup and takeout options. When I really feel like getting out of the house, I love treating myself to a local bakery or Thai place. It’s awesome to get great food and still support the community during this time! Some of my favorite take-out places in Cincinnati have been, Lemongrass (Located in Norwood – Thai food – THEE best pad thai), North Star Café (In Liberty Township – great brunch options and locally sourced), and Coffee Emporium for coffee and bakery treats!
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Go for a bike ride! – Bike rides are another great way to get outside and enjoy the weather. If you are looking for a low impact way to get exercise and keep your fitness goals going. It’s pretty easy to find a bike at your local thrift store, it might need some love but they usually stay relatively cheap!
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Amusement parks – This is a great way to get outside and still have a good time. Lots of amusement parks are having a limited capacity along with limited ride times. There is lots of safety protocols in place, and not a lot of foot traffic. This is still a higher risk activity than others, so be precautious!
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Maybe becoming a pastry chef (?) – Okay, do you actually know how many different types of pastries there are? No seriously, there are so many things you can make with just a few ingredients. If you have basic kitchen items such as flour, sugar, eggs, etc. I definitely recommend looking up some easy pastries. I started by just making cookies and over the course of these last few months I’m up to making raspberry croissants and homemade turnovers. It’s also great because you can drop off your extras at friends’ houses! Seriously a great pastime and super rewarding ;)
These are just a few of the many things you can do while still being precautions. A few more activities I’ve been doing: craft nights, library trips and cleaning out/selling my closet. As always, definitely take everything at your comfortability level. I hope this helps you get out of the house!