FlyBy Visits the Other FlyBy, Now Known as WalkSlowlyBy

FlyBy readers be warned: the other FlyBy—the allegedly fast alternative to battling the river house dhalls at lunch—seems to have declined in its rapidity. No longer a forgotten option for the perpetually busy upperclassman (or Quad resident), FlyBy's popularity has apparently grown noticeably this year.

FlyBy (blog) entered FlyBy (HUDS) yesterday afternoon during the 12 p.m. rush to discover a slow moving line of students winding around all the way around the pub exterior to the door at the end of the hall. Some students were making practical use of the waiting time, catching up on some forgotten class reading and even meticulously taking notes in the margins while robotically shuffling along towards their destination. Read on about this new inefficiency after the jump.

The consensus among students patiently waiting in line was that a new layout in FlyBy's interior is to blame for the lengthy lines. "It's definitely the fact that they've changed the stuff around," says Fabian A. Poliak '11. According to him FlyBy has replaced its handy milk and juice cartons (a la elementary school) with a proper drinks dispenser. This forces students to take extra time inside to prepare their drinks as well as juggle an extra component to carry. And as usual, mandatory ID swiping causes an unavoidable delay as students dig through their bags and wallets, all the while juggling slippery plastic bags, a cup of juice—oh yeah, and grabbing that last napkin. Joseph C. Higgins '11 agreed that "the biggest thing is the swipe card delay."

Most students FlyBy (Blog) talked to were not pleased about the lengthy lines.

"It doesn't make sense any more—I'm going to have to sit through class hungry," said Mukudzei T. Borerwe '10, who gave up on the line and left without even entering the food service area. He added a handy metaphor to help out any of us who were a bit confused: "I used to feel like the Concorde, but now I would have to be a freaking military jet with tanks and stuff." (Because it's "Fly" By, get it? get it?)

"I demand my right to food quickly and efficiently, and I feel that Harvard is not listening to my needs as a student and a human being," said one anonymous sophomore.

But not everyone thinks the problem is as dire as the anonymous revolutionary quoted above. Nick P. Stanford '12 said he did not mind waiting. "It's nice to just stand still for six minutes."

Despite the lines, some students said they will still turn to FlyBy for weekday lunch. "They shouldn't call it FlyBy," said K. Abby Koff '12, although she added that returning to her house "would probably be the same amount of time." The sophomore added that he was avoiding the Greenhouse cafe since it costs money, and "you never know when you're going to need your BoardPlus." Save those dollars for a special occasion.