Location: Between Madison and Duques Halls on 22nd Street
Readers’ pick: Gelman Library study cubes

Everyone has those days – you failed your midterm, didn’t get an internship or fought with your roommate. Sometimes, you need a place to let it all out.

Luckily, GW’s near-constant construction means there are constantly new places to cry. The newly renovated Corcoran Hall bathrooms provide one possibility, alongside tried-and-true locations like the Gelman Library cubes. But our choice for the best spot to sob puts the other options to shame, as this location holds no alternative purpose other than to be your sad place.

The benches between Madison and Duques halls are secluded and perfect for the occasional sobbing session.

This is one of the few hidden outdoor spots on campus. When you need to cry, you don’t want to see political demonstrations, students more productive than you and especially not familiar faces, so tucking away in this narrow alley is ideal.

The spot is close enough to campus buildings that you can run to a bench for a quick sob, then quickly take a deep breath, dry the tears using the reflection in your phone screen and move on with your day.

The five benches are wooden, drab and mossy, so they match your mood perfectly. The area is also spacious enough to pace around nervously or even throw your books in frustration, if that is what the situation warrants.

One side of the benches has an unkempt hedge about 10 feet tall, forging a wall to keep out the prying eyes of freshmen in their residence hall and thus granting comfort and privacy.

These abandoned benches face a mostly empty staircase outside Duques Hall, giving your sob session the secluded space it needs. But beware of the occasional business student scrambling to get to class, perhaps after they let out some tears of their own.