For many of us, it's difficult to even imagine a Morningside Heights without Pinkberry and West Side Market—not that we would ever want to. What would such a haunting reality even look like? Bwog Webmaster Zach van Schouwen stumbled upon a collection of historical photographs of the neighborhood that will give you a good idea. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge.

Enjoy!

(Above photo is of the 110th St. El train.)

As Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer, we bring you a brief retrospective of the past three sun-drenched months.

August

New faces arrived on campus, in addition to a couple of changes in the neighborhood...and grounds...and ID cards. Study abroad took a Charlowian turn, while a "pretty little head"-ed singer had some harsh words for our honored leader.

July

Our colleagues embarked on numerous trips: to DC, to Bangalore, to Hogwarts. Con Edison was blamed for yet another urban nightmare. We summarized Manhattanville, CU nixed eminent domain (kind of). We ventured into the dark realm of canvassing and Good Charlotte. We mustered up some patriotism.

June

Barnard dissed USN&WR. Matt Sanchez actually contributed a dispatch. We learned we may have botulism. PrezBo boycotted a boycott. Vampire Weekend began their meteoric ascent. Nacho's bit the dust; Westside came in its wake. We began our weekly to-do list. And Charlow caused more scandal.

In which Bwog Staffer Brendan Ballou tries desperately to find something to talk about with Kira Kalina von Ostenfeld -- a German countess who graduated from Georgetown at age 19 to work for the FBI, grew up in Peru, learned six languages, and started her own art company. She's also a fifth-year grad student in the history department focusing on middle-ages Spain.

Why are grad students sad?

It's part of the culture of graduate school. And this is something that's happened for a very, very long time — it's nothing new. It's part of the intensity of the intellectual process we go through — it's suffering. We're supposed to be doing this for some higher call and we will enlighten the world. I mean we have a pretty sweet deal — the lucky ones of us get paid to be here. I think you're being unrealistic if you come to graduate school and think it's going to be cushy. It's difficult, so the lucky few of us who are allowed to be part of this should appreciate it for what it's for.

So you went to college at 16

Yeah.

So how did that happen?

Well, my parents are a little bit older, so when I came along my mother had already had kids, and so she considered me a little adult. I don't think it was a negative thing at all — I very much appreciated it actually. I was never treated as a child — I was always treated as an adult and pushed accordingly when it came to academics. And so my parents were very lenient in terms of everything else that they did, so their one requirement was that, 'if get A's and keep A's in everything you do you have free rein — you can go out with your friends, you can party, you can go to concerts, whatever, you can have a boyfriend.'

And so you had a social life in high school?