<p>Im going to be attending Bard in the fall, and I was wondering what housing is like. Im specifically interested in the Alumni houses (Toasters) for a number of reasons. I was also wondering if housing in those buildings are particularly competitive to get.</p>
<p>Glad you’re going to Bard! I don’t know anything about the toasters. My daughter was in Kruger Village. She specifically requested them because they are near the performing arts building, and got her request. So if you want the toasters, put them down as your first choice. I think she liked living in the dorms okay. She had lots of friends near by. She kept leaving her key card in her room though, and security charges something like $10 to let you into your room. I can attest that the bathrooms get really dirty over the weekend! Like a lot of the kids, my daughter moved to an old house in Tivoli her sophomore year. I wish she was still on campus, but she likes it better in Tivoli.</p>
<p>is there anything to actually do in tivoli??
and if you are near the performing arts center, doesn’t that put you pretty far from the 1 dining room on campus where you get all three meals??</p>
<p>My son has lived on North Campus three of his four years, and loves it. Yes, it is a walk to the main dining hall, Kline and the grill Down the Road, although there is food available on North Campus at Manor Cafe with more limited hours. North Campus is pastoral with expansive views and close to trails - all of which has been important to my son. And, probably because he was in Hudson his freshman year most of his closest friends have also ended up living most years on North Campus. For the first time next year - his fifth - he’ll be living off campus.</p>
<p>Tivoli is a small town, but there are good restaurants and a coffee house. And there was a bar, The Black Swan…</p>
<p>The Black Swan is no more, alas. They got raided for allowing underage Bard kids in, and weren’t able to raise enough money to reopen. My daughter tells me most of her friends live in Tivoli, so they are at each others houses all the time. She has a car, so she has freedom of movement, but the Bard shuttle is pretty reliable and runs frequently. </p>
<p>My daughter’s a dancer, so she’s at the performing arts center a lot any way. It’s a walk to the dining hall, but easy enough.</p>
<p>D2 (Bard '12) lived in the toasters freshman and senior year, so I guess she liked it. Seniors get singles while firstyears get doubles. The rooms are uninspired (she really liked her room in Stone Row) but pretty large and the facilities are decent. She liked the location of the toasters because as a photo major they were located centrally for the darkrooms as well as dining hall, classrooms etc. Many of her friends lived on north campus, though, and it’s not all that far away!</p>