What’s the only thing worse than Quantum Physics at 8:00am?  A lab for that same class at 8:00am, on a Friday may I add.  After a long strenuous week abounding with difficult classes, multiple extracurricular events, mountains of homework, stressful group projects, and nightmarish exams, I awoke at 7:00am on Friday mornings to conduct monotonous laboratory activities with a room full of upperclassmen

Since Physics 214 is not an entry-to-major requirement for Mechanical Engineering, many students postpone enrolling in it until their junior year.  However, my overly-ambitious self decided it would be a fantastic idea to take it my first semester, hence forcing myself into multiple labs in one semester.

For the final laboratory activity of the semester, the teaching assistants in charge offered more help than usual and reduced the amount of data collection needed, leading us to finish an hour early.  While the early finish benefited my friend Amanda (she was speaking at an information session for the Engineering Science major in Leonhard Building), I couldn’t think of anything to do before my Chemistry class.  While I could get ahead with schoolwork or studying, I tend to spend my daytime breaks watching Netflix on Fridays.

Due to my uncertainty, I just decided to keep walking and talking with Amanda until we reached the Westgate Building.  Then she said “Kristin, I noticed you didn’t have Starbucks today!  There’s an Au Bon Pain in Westgate if you wanna grab breakfast before your next class.”

From there, she proceeded on to Leonhard and I entered Westgate, as I woke up too late for coffee before lab.  While I passed this unique building multiple times on the Blue Loop, this was my first time actually entering.  The first thing struck me about Westgate is its open, spacious feeling.  The large windows overlook North Atherton Street and the natural light which pours in yields a welcoming vibe.  

I then proceeded to the Au Bon Pain housed here, which holds the name “Reese’s Cafe.”  Upon entering, I was slightly taken aback by how small the establishment.  As opposed to the full menu offered at the locations in Kern Graduate Building and the Visual Arts Building, this cafe serves as more of a breakfast destination or mid-day coffee stop.

Since I tend to not be much of a breakfast person, I purchased a hazelnut coffee and a cherry danish, then proceeded to sit along the vast stretch of windows.  Since I typically stop by Au Bon Pain at lunchtime, this was my first time trying their pastries.  Expecting an extremely processed, subpar danish, pure shock overcame me when it abounded with delicious flavors, flakiness, and a fruit center which wasn’t too sugary.  The flavor complimented my coffee nicely, and although I purchased the same flavor I typically would, the temperature of the drink impressed me here!  In Kern, I’ve purchased both overly hot and lukewarm coffee beverages, but this one proved just right.

Without Amanda’s comment I wouldn’t have discovered Westgate or Reese’s Cafe until far later in my Penn State career.  While the building isn’t exactly the most conveniently located, I typically take the White Loop to Westgate to study during exam weekends, since I’m practically forced to stay there for a prolonged period of time.  If you’ve never studied here, I suggest you give it a try, and pick up a baked good from this superb Au Bon Pain location while you’re at it!