Six Hundred and Twenty Three

One of Columbia College's main buildings is located at 623 S Wabash. Often referred to as "623", this building houses ShopColumbia - the school store where current students and recent alumni can sell their art for 75% of the sale price - The Quincy Wong Center - a room full of tables and chairs complete with a small cafe - as well as multiple floors containing classrooms, print shops and computer labs. Outside the front doors are black ledges filled with students sitting, smoking cigarettes, and on occasion - pot. The groups are often 2-5 young adults coming from the same class. The females in and outside of this building are almost always better looking than the ones seen outside the music buildings. The sense of fashion seems high and important. Skinny jeans tucked into knee-high boots. Belts hidden by red peacoats. Shirts and blouses unseen behind yellow scarves. Their eyes focused on the elevator doors, as if to say, "You're not worthy of my time." The boys with knit caps, dark colored jackets and thick black rimmed glasses. All keeping them warm from the cold lake wind coming in from only a few blocks away. Two elevators in the front with a mosaic of the word "Columbia" above. A cafe/study room on each side. Posters for school events scattered and plastered on the walls. It's easy to tell the hiply dressed Columbia students rom the yellow headed construction works and grey haired teachers. Students ride in on skateboards while the staff park their cars. The Columbia Chronicle newsstand covered in stickers. One of which I notice the most, simply cause I designed it. Once inside I hear The Walkmen's song, The Rat, and somehow feel a little more relaxed. This school is anything but orthodox.