1. Ridgewalk
Walking to Muir continues to be a battle of life or death for me daily. The journey from Roots to Seventh is equivalent to walking through a forest filled with monsters charging at you. While making sure I am not getting mauled by somebody on a scooter or bike from behind or getting hit from the side by an athlete in a UC San Diego sweatshirt flying on their Spin, I also have to make sure I don’t walk into oncoming traffic at the intersection. One look away and I’m flying in the air before crashing into the ground. As I try to walk back to my dorm, my life is on the line once again as cars begin to whip out of the parking structure without looking around to see who is crossing.
– Naisha Nallakula, Contributing Staff Writer
2. Warren Residential Halls
As darkness creeps into the Warren Canyon, silence falls in the residential area. All that’s left is the occasional howl of the coyotes and the faint bubbling of water in Canyonview; it’s like a ghost town. The way that they rapidly retreat into their commons, it’s as if the residents of Warren know something that we do not. The faint light of Canyon Vista and the street lights illuminate the barren paths that saw the many footsteps of students during the day. You can hear the Outside Loop shuttle every 15 minutes, opening the doors to release students who disappear into their residential halls as quickly as the shuttle arrives; it’s like they were never there to begin with.
– Kelly Loo, Senior Staff Writer
3. Topsy-Turvy Mural
As I began the dreaded walk from Geisel Library to my car that awaited me in Pangea, the cold and gloomy weather led me to venture across the doll mural on Solis Hall for the first time in search of the shortest route possible. I had known about the painting and the deeper meaning behind it, yet the overcast sky made me wary. I kept my head down and walked fast, eager to get home. I slowed down my pace as I approached the stairs, lifting my head to come face to face with a two-headed doll. I jumped, looking around to see if anyone saw me jolt at the sight of the painting. I saw nothing but fog. I remembered thinking that after such a long stint in the library, I must have been more delirious than I thought, because I could see the dolls’ eyes following me. An uneasy feeling crept up on me as the doll on top turned her head and winked at me — my final straw to run the rest of the way to my car. At that moment, I vowed to never pass that mural ever again.
– Mehak Sahota, Senior Staff Writer
4. Geisel Library
As you walk the campus on Hallows’ Eve, be sure to steer clear of Geisel Library. Though daytime is usually safe, nightfall brings out strange and dangerous creatures. They seem innocent at first, roaming around the empty floors searching for information, fast food, and homework answers. But be warned! Notice their slacked jaws, tired eyes, and empty gaze. These are no regular, living students. They were killed during the midterm season and have now been brought back from the (socially) dead. They are hungry and your brain has the answers to their next exam. So run, don’t walk, because the zombies of Geisel Library are out to get you!
-Samantha Phan, Lifestyle Editor
5. Talking Trees
Sitting anxiously in the sterile environment of the Student Health Center while awaiting your name to be called is suspenseful in itself. Yet the eeriness of the fluorescent lights is nothing compared to the sound of something strange … Is that singing? You feel your heart begin to thump; the corridor goes quiet.
There it starts again. The singing. You whip around, looking upon the window outside. It’s oddly dark at 4 p.m. The trees create a sinister overhang. You gotta get out of there. This place ain’t right. You see a faint reflection of something coming towards you in the window. Whipping around, you see the nurse. She calls your name. The cold feeling in your chest departs as you turn around, ready to face the needle that will determine whether you have in fact been infected with the clap. Wishing you good luck — you’ll need it.
– Emily Ito, Senior Staff Writer
6. Library Walk
Even though I love evening classes, I can not ignore the fact that it is creepy going out into the dark, isn’t it? When the lecture ends, suddenly everyone disappears and you are left alone. As you go down the stairs in Center Hall, you realize the campus is empty. The people who were tabling on Library Walk before you got into class are now gone. While you are walking by the classrooms, on the way to the bus stop, you feel chilly. When the howl of the wind reminds you of voices of the ghosts, you speed up and look for a crowd.
-Beliz Berik, Contributing Staff Writer
7. Revelle College
As you cross the darkened threshold to Revelle College, a looming sentiment weighs like a heavy fog blurring your mind: What hath God wrought? Revelle’s desert wasteland — a post-apocalyptic world of its own —is marked by ominous flashes of blue light, calling out a message in the night and awaiting an answer that never comes. A wave of existentialism falls over you as you consider the heavy burden of this phrase; whether sitting in York’s ancient lecture halls, crunching down on a Bobcat egg sandwich, or trying to sleep within the suffocating walls of your Argo dorm room, your mind races and the ceaseless blinks of light torment you to no end.
-Leah Schiffer, Senior Staff Writer
8. Theater District
Beware! The Theater District … Long gone are the days of bucolic walks around UCSD south campus. These days, it’s a rundown construction site with the souls of unhoused undergrads haunting the lonely streets. Unfortunately, it seems that isn’t your only concern when traversing this part of campus. For the theater kid, a much larger and scarier threat to us all, looms the walkways, searching for their next production, yearning for their big break. Their shrieks? Insufferable. Their songs? Somewhat pleasant. There’s sure to be a true fright this Halloween night!
-Bradley Beggs, Lifestyle Editor
