Norris defends its title from last year as Best Place to People-Watch, and rightfully so. With the expansion of Norbucks and the revamping of SOURCE, we’ve been graced with even more comfy locations to post up and feign productivity. This means more opportunities to observe humans in all their weird, unfiltered glory. Last month I watched people try to clear snow from the ice rink with what appeared to be a pool noodle. It doesn’t get any better, folks.

Besides the act of simply watching humans, Norris is also a great place to be a human. Yes, I mean it. Northwestern students are notorious for running around in their own little tornadoes of school, extracurriculars and general stress. We forget to slow down and converse with each other beyond “How are you?” and “Tired.” Norris is the perfect hub for running into that guy you haven’t seen since last spring, or stopping to chat with your friend who works there. It’s warm and inviting and — let’s face it — you go to Norbucks to work while perusing Facebook, not hardcore cram for a midterm. You might as well stop the tornado for a second and grab coffee with a homie. Meet me at Norris? Hell yeah.

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Twitter: @crfarolan