Nittany Lion Inn: Two Interior Scenes

It was Thursday, one of my favorite days of the week, and I was meeting friends for lunch at the Nittany Lion Inn. And it wouldn't be just any lunch, but one featuring the Inn's world-famous lobster bisque. I don't have it very often. It is expensive and it is rich. But the bisque is a thing I adore; a rare, special treat.

I arrived at the Inn a few minutes early and spent the time, as is my custom, strolling around, taking pictures. I enjoy photographing buildings, both from the inside and from without. Some of you may remember that at Christmas time, a gingerbread replica of the Inn is created and placed on display there; the Crittergators (and even, on occasion, Dancing Girls) like to visit it at holiday time.

I took a number of photos in monochrome on this day. I also discovered a secret interior courtyard I never even knew existed! But I couldn't find a doorway to get to it; when I go back, I'll need to learn more about that.

The main shot in this photo is the waiting area by the Nittany Lion Inn's main dining room. The overstuffed chairs are indeed comfy, and I have sat waiting for a lunch date on these chairs quite a few times over these past many years.

But I also did a thing that I have not done before. I was walking by the alumni fireside lounge (in the photo above, you get to the lounge by walking straight down this hallway and then taking a right) and it was completely dark inside. I thought to myself, Hmm, I wonder what it would look like if I were to stand inside that dark room and take some pictures.

A quote suddenly came to mind: Mary Oliver, "Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this, too, was a gift." And so I walked boldly right into that pitch-black room with my camera, prepared to fully explore and experience its darkness. But when I got inside, boy, was I surprised. The room was FULL of light! (See extra photos for a picture.)

It seemed to me that there was something almost profound about my experience. Perhaps this. That from the outside, the box of darkness looks like it is completely black-dark. But when you actually crawl inside the box of darkness, all you can see when looking out is light.

I may have to think about this some more. And now I have this weird idea to go around campus taking pictures inside totally dark rooms. You can see how a photographer's "work" is never done!

The tune I picked to accompany these two monochrome images (and especially the photo of the room that is a box of darkness) is Tom Petty's Straight Into Darkness, from the 1982 album, Long After Dark.