Kingston, the home to ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´, is an amazing city filled with youthful energy due to the vast number of students that crowd the city. Aside from the university, Kingston is home to many local businesses, cafes, and restaurants, giving the city its immense history and charm. Beyond the lecture halls and library walls, there are many unique spots and areas for students to study at, or even just to explore and make lasting memories. Over my past four years living here, I have learned to grow to love the city, and I feel that there are endless hidden treasures that I hope to explore before I graduate. 
First, Kingston is a beautiful city throughout all seasons. Even on campus, we have a variety of places to go and study at that make it enjoyable to get work done at. Aside from the Harry Potter room at Douglas, which is one of my favourite areas when I need to study hardcore during exam season, I prefer to get work done at a cafe, as that is where I am the most productive. In my opinion, I love the vibe a cafe gives off more than a library, where everyone is more serious, and you must be completely silent. In a cafe, there is mellow music playing in the background, you can treat yourself to a nice coffee as a reward or to help you stay motivated, and going with a friend always helps to make the experience more enjoyable. Also, for me, the act of getting ready to go out to a cafe and walking there with a friend is a good time to destress and makes me feel more refreshed to get work done.
Some cafes that I love to go and do work at are Balzac’s, Coffee and Company, Elm Cafe, Sens Cafe, Crave,- (however it is always busy and difficult to get a spot at), and Laylow, in the beginning of the semester they also had their outdoor patio, and it was my favourite past time going there with my friends, getting a coffee, and getting a coffee to do work while also getting a tan in the sun and warm weather. Another spot that I love to get work done and I feel that is a bit more accessible is Starbucks, specifically the Division St. one or the Princess and University Ave. one. Although it is not a hidden gem, it is an area outside of the ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´ campus that I love to go to. A lot of people do not know this, but there are free refills on drinks if you purchase a grande beverage in store, so that always entices me to go, and they also give out free samples to give people an opportunity to taste a variety of drinks on their menu.
Additional perks of studying at these cafes is that aside from the outdoor patios during the summertime, in the Winter, the cafes always have cute decorations and music playing especially leading up to Christmas, which just brings in a good atmosphere and puts me in a better headspace to get work done. Moreover, I personally find that the chairs and tables at these cafes are much more comfortable than the old wooden chairs at the libraries- which is not ideal when sitting for long periods. 
Subsequently, another hidden gem in Kingston that my friends and I love to go to is Juniper Cafe, where they have many cute pastries, coffee, and matcha. One of the closer locations is located at the Isabel Bader centre, which is a beautiful building with many windows situated right on the water, giving a great view and tons of natural light for a great atmosphere. However, we find this one a little hard to find a table if you are looking to study there, so if you have a car, there is another one located further up that we sometimes drive to. This one is less populated with students, and is filled more with locals, often easier to find a spot.
Moreover, there are many cute restaurants, many that are locally owned down Princess Street in Kingston, with a variety of options to choose from. A fun fact of Kingston is that this city has the most restaurants per capita in all of Canada. At least, that is what I was told when moving here. Going out, whether it be for a drink with friends, or for a nice dinner when family comes up to visit is one of my favourite activities, and I believe Kingston has a lot of top tier ones. If you were to ask me to choose just one, that would be impossible. However, I am a huge fan of Italian food, and some of these local restaurant gems are my favourites: Heist, Olivea, Casa Domenica, and Wooden Heads. Specifically, Olivea is one of our family’s favourites that I have been going to even before I went to ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´. All my older cousins went to ºÚÁϳԹÏ×ÊÔ´, so when I was in elementary school and we would come up to watch their football games, a family favourite of ours was Olivea for Italian food. Now, going there with my friends while I am a current student always brings back feelings of Nostalgia.
Furthermore, some of my other favourite restaurants that may not be as popular are Miss Bao, -(they have great little appetizers perfect for sharing with friends, and great cocktails), Amadeus, (which, after returning from an exchange in Germany, has pretty comparable local German food and beer that brings back more nostalgic memories). Another is Dianne’s Kingston, which has the best seafood. Specifically, the lobster rolls are my favourite, as growing up, my family went to Cape Cod every summer, and on the East Coast, they are famous for their lobster rolls. This was the first new restaurant my family tried when they moved me in in the first year, and ever since, it has been a favourite of ours, especially because it's pretty like what we got on the East Coast. Another perk is that all these restaurants give off the authentic food vibe, and are locally owned, so it always feels good to know you are supporting local businesses. 
Walking down Princess Street, you will almost always have something to do. For instance, the market square downtown always has a local farmers market or other vendors on the weekend, which is especially beautiful in early fall, as they have many fresh flowers. During Christmas time, it is also beautiful there because they have the skating rink and huge tree set up. Many local shops are also down Princess Street, where you can find a lot of good souvenirs or unique pieces of clothing. One of my personal favourites is Whit, or BSE Skate shop, as these places often have unique souvenirs to Kingston that I always find are great gifts to bring back to my family. A new one that just opened is called Lazy Daisies, which is a cute concept store, with many unique knick knacks, like candles, coffee mugs, coasters, sweaters, etc. In my opinion, these are the best stores to shop for gifts for friends and families. You can also find cute decorations for your dorm or room in your house.
Overall, Kingston is a beautiful city, with many areas you could explore. I cannot recall a weekend that I have had here where my friends and I were bored or had nothing to do. There is always an activity or event going on that I feel gives students and locals a change of scenery and an opportunity to explore the deeper history and atmosphere of the city outside of the university.