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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 25. No. 13. 1962

Down Town Wellington

Down Town Wellington

The pros and cons of having a University in a large city are argued interminably. Many people think that a University should be isolated as much as possible, to encourage a sort of mental self-sufficiency which they feel should be part of the academic mind.

Others feel that a close alliance with the "town" gives you not only a wider cultural outlook, but also a continued reminder of the practical part of growing up.

Whichever is the more convincing argument, Wellington's own special character has some pretty powerful temptations. The climate can be terrible, but it sure is invigorating, and it is surprising how one gets attached to Wellington. Vic looks out over the harbour — we are fortunate in having one of the best views in the city — and upstairs in the Student Union Building you can see it all.

Student life downtown in Wellington centres around two well-known Wellington Institutions, the pub and the coffee-bar. Tactfully ignoring the first, perhaps we could say something about the second.

Wellington's coffee-bars offer a wide range of atmospheres, ranging from the continual thunder of the "Mex", a Wellington institution where the rock 'n' roll is not half as funny as the regular clients, to the cheerful community-sing noise of one of the pokiest but liveliest of all, the "Monde Marie."

For those who prefer to have their coffee in silence, there are many others of varying degrees of sophistication, and of varying prices. Salient's Orientation issue next year will publish a review of most of the ones in Wellington.

Culturally, we are also fairly well off, although most of that information can be more easily picked up from the City Council Public Relations Office.

Law students should spend some time in the Supreme Court, which offers some fascinating glimpses, even for the unitiated, into the mechanics of justice. With a tie on you can get into Parliament when it is in session, which is sometimes better than a trip to the zoo.

Identify your boyhood heroes, and be prepared for some rude shocks.

The city can be a temptation in many ways. We know one group of Weir House boys who claim to have seen every film in town in the space of one week. But put in the proper perspective to Vic, Wellington and the area around it—which includes some magnificent ranges of hills—can be made a place for relaxation or for an earnest pursuit of Culture.