Welcome to “Your Favorite Spot,” the video series where Princeton University students, faculty and staff write about their favorite outdoor spot on campus and, through the magic of video, we transport you there. This series is narrated by Claire Wayner '22 and videos are produced by Jared Flesher.

Episode Ten: Memorial Garden

Karen Jezierny, Director of State Affairs, wrote to us about her favorite spot on campus, Memorial Garden, which she described as "peaceful, quiet and serene... a solemn solemn space, commemorating lives lost on 9/11, yet a joyful patch of green trees and colorful plantings. It's benches welcome all, and it's spectacular bell anchors the space, much like the cupola of nearby Nassau Hall." On the 20th Anniversary of 9/11 we honor the first responders and remember those we lost.

The bell of remembrance, cast in 2000, was erected in Princeton University’s Memorial Garden in 2003, along with thirteen metal stars set in the ground in memory of thirteen Princeton alumni who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Episode Nine: Holder Hall

Jess Deutsch '91, Associate Director, Student-Athlete Services, wrote to us about her favorite spot on campus, Holder Hall, which she described as "the first place that was home to me." Deutsch also shares a few words of advice for current Princeton students.

Episode Eight: The Dinky

Jill Dolan, Dean of the College, wrote to us about her favorite spot on campus, sitting outside the Dinky on University Place. Dean Dolan shared that "being at that edge of campus makes me feel connected to Princeton the University and Princeton the town, and reminds me of my commitment to both and beyond.”

Episode Seven: Morrison Hall

James M. Van Wyck, Assistant Dean for Graduate Student Professional Development in the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School, wrote to us about Morrison Hall, renamed for Toni Morrison in 2017. James writes: "Whenever I walk on the well-worn steps outside of Morrison Hall, and look at its ivy-covered exterior, I think of the magnificent portrait of Professor Morrison within, and I consider the ways her work, advocacy and presence made and continues to make our campus a better place."

Episode Six: Funky Chair

Aaron Nathans, Digital Media Editor for the School of Engineering and Applied Science wrote to us about his favorite spot on Princeton's campus: "the funky wooden chair next to the architecture school, under that canopy of trees, when it's leafy and the air feels fresh and I can breathe easy. It reminds me of visiting my grandparents in Glen Rock, New Jersey, a suburb where the streets are lined with big, beautiful trees, during simpler times when I was young."

Episode Five: Poe Field

Claire Dong '21 wrote to us about Poe Field in winter, writing "Poe Field was so beautiful that I had no choice but to tramp to the middle of it, and lie down in the snow. The world was quieter there. All I heard were the soft shatterings of snowflakes falling on snow."

Episode Five: Firestone Plaza

Princeton University President Christopher Eisgruber, wrote to us about Firestone Plaza's inspirational architecture and landscaping and described it as a place where one could "take a seat and admire the brilliant collection of people who make up our community.”

Episode Four: Powers Field

This week on "Your Favorite Spot" we share a letter from Vice President of Campus Life, Rochelle Calhoun, who wrote about her connection to Powers Field: "We cheer as One, we lament as One, and here we understand that our fortune raises and falls together. We are One in those moments spent at Powers Field.... I think that Powers Field brings out the very best in us all."

Episode Three: Forbes Backyard

This week we had two letters about Forbes Backyard from Jenni Lawson ‘23, a Computer Science major from Tampa, FL and Warren Yuan ’22, a Civil and Environmental Engineering major from Arcadia, CA.

Episode Two: Prospect House Garden

Our second letter comes from Jessica Chen '22, a Structural Engineering major from Fremont, CA who wrote to us about the Prospect House garden.

Episode One: Lake Carnegie Sunrise

Our very first letter comes from Wesley Wiggins '21, a Geosciences major from Washington, DC, who wrote to us about his experience watching the sunrise over Carnegie Lake.