Andrew Wyeth, the American painter, was said to have preferred winter, when a lack of annoyingly bright leaves allowed one to see the “bones of the landscape.” Clearly Wyeth never had to sludge from 14th Street to Newcomb Hall with a 30-pound backpack in 19-degree weather. Charlottesville does not wear winter well.
But amidst the dreary landscape, at least there’s one spot on Grounds that warms hearts and aching feet alike: the steam grate in the courtyard near Brown Residence College and the McIntire School of Commerce. Season after season, it spews billows of soul-renewing vapor to add lift to one’s journey to class (and melt the icicle forming beneath one’s nose). Yes, the steam smells vaguely of day-old Chik-Fil-A from the food court dungeon below, and one feels slightly dirty after its sticky embrace. But the waves of warmth that pour from this circular friend offer a smidgen of repose in this cold, cold world.
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