Readers’ pick: Kogan benches

People watching can be one of the most satisfying and interesting forms of free entertainment, and there’s no better place on GW’s campus to people-watch than from the benches in Kogan Plaza.

Students traipse across Kogan each day on their commute to class wearing killer outfits to admire, while others table for various student organizations, eager to grab the attention of anyone walking by their spot. Wayward tourists lost while visiting the monuments and prospective high school students on tours add to the diversity of Kogan, making the location a true delight for people-watching.

Kogan is located in the middle of the campus, a prime people-watching position as students, tourists, staff and faculty make the trek from Professor’s Gate to the Hall of Government.

While resting between classes on one of the mossy wooden benches, you have the opportunity to pick up an enticing piece of gossip about a person you have never met before. From high schoolers whining to their parents on a campus tour to a band of tourists struggling to find their way to the Kennedy Center, Kogan is ripe with opportunities for watching drama unfold.

People-watching is an unappreciated form of personal storytelling – you can fantasize about the people around you, making the lives of classmates and visitors alike much richer than they actually are. The mousy-haired girl walking past is probably calling her mom, but maybe she has a secret that can only be discovered by the most astute onlooker. Or perhaps the boy who owns a suit for each day of the week is hiding something much more sinister in the pocket of his sport coat, like a list of situations in which he can play devil’s advocate.

Nowhere in the Northwest is there a better place to escape your own life and immerse yourself in observing others’ idiosyncrasies than Kogan Plaza.