Old Traditions for Drexel's New Year

The kickoff party at the Franklin Institute in 2017. File photo. 

As the school year starts, you’re probably setting goals for the upcoming term — update your résumé, join a club, get straight A’s, things like that. We’ve got another set of goals for you to strive for in the form of Drexel University (and Philadelphia) traditions you shouldn’t miss while on campus.

Over your time at Drexel, connect with your peers and continue the traditions of Dragons that came before you. With more than one food-based tradition and a few traditions that purport to bring you academic success, this guide is good for you in more ways than one.

With this, you’ll be burning through your bucket list of Dragon traditions in no time. Enjoy the ride!

Food trucks populate the edges of 33rd Street and many others around campus. 

Bucket list

• Find your favorite lunch cart

  • Food trucks and lunch carts are everywhere around campus, from the long line that sets up daily behind Main Building to the trucks populating 33^rd Street and Market Street. Whatever you’re in the mood for — halal food, gyros, noodles, burgers — there’s a truck for you. Be prepared to try a few to find your favorite.

• Study at Drexel Park, Race Lawn or Kelly Commons

  • There’s no shortage of study spots around campus, so find your favorite one and frequent it often, or mix it up for a change of scenery to keep your studying from stagnating.

• Eat the Challah French Toast from Sabrina’s Cafe

  • Located on the first floor of a cozy old building, Sabrina’s Cafe is a restaurant that becomes a staple for students. You can also use your Dragon Dollars here, and their French toast is a thing of beauty you just have to experience.

• Play volleyball on the sand volleyball courts

  • While the weather’s still warm, you can check this off your bucket list — and maybe discover a hidden talent or passion for sand volleyball. The courts are located at Buckley Green at 30 N. 33^rd

The Mario statue is located at 33rd and Market streets. 

• Mario selfie

  • Whether with the dragon statue at 33^rd and Market streets or with the University mascot himself, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to check this one off during your time at Drexel. Make it an annual tradition to document each year of college.

• DragonFly

  • This is a storied annual concert put on by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the Dragon Concert Series (DCS); in the past Kehlani and Flo Rida have performed for Dragons. It’s free for undergraduates, $15 for graduate students and $25 for guests, and features an opener, headliner and student performer. Check on CAB’s social media or DragonLink page for details.

• Have a meal at the Academic Bistro

  • Drexel’s student-run restaurant is open for lunch in the fall, and hosts some special events throughout the year. Reservations are required, and cash or Dragon Dollars are accepted. It’s both a classroom and a restaurant, and you can try unique, sustainable food made by students.

The Biowall in the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building is a literal breath of fresh air. 

• Visit the Biowall

  • You’ll see it as soon as you step into the Papadakis Integrated Sciences Building (PISB) — a 22-foot wall of plants that work to purify the air and beautify the building. It’s the largest living biofilter on the continent, so even if you’re in PISB all the time, make sure to stop, marvel and take a deep breath of that fresh Biowall air.

Traditions

• Take a picture of the Drexel Banner at the Franklin Institute steps during Welcome Week

  • Tick one tradition off your checklist this week at the Franklin Institute. The event itself is a time-honored way to introduce new Dragons to the city and its museums (hello, giant heart), but the class photo is an iconic moment in your Drexel journey. Be there at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16 at the Franklin Institute.

Mario celebrates at Homecoming in 2023. File photo. 

• Homecoming

  • Drexel does Homecoming a little differently than most schools, because we celebrate our basketball teams in the winter rather than a celebration in the fall. So when you come back to campus after the holiday break, you get a cheerful dose of school spirit to start your year off right. The festivities kick off with the bonfire — one of Drexel’s hottest (literally) traditions — where students singe s’mores, snag swag and huddle together with hot chocolate. Later in the week, cheer on your Dragons at the Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) for the Homecoming game, and support other sports throughout the week, too.

• Cheer with the DAC Pack

  • Speaking of the DAC, you have to join the University’s most vocal supporters — the DAC Pack, who pack the bleachers of every home basketball game and more than a few away games and games for several of Drexel’s sports, too. So don your blue and gold and get ready to learn how to cheer the Drexel way.

For good luck, rub the Water Boy's toe. 

• Rub the Water Boy’s toe

  • Need a little extra luck on your exam, co-op interview or general academic life? So have generations of Dragons before you — the shiny toe of the Water Boy at the base of the staircase in Main Building proves it. It’s a Drexel tradition to rub the statue’s toe before you need a boost of good vibes, so his left toe has been left gleaming thanks to years of anxious Dragons. Fun fact: The Water Boy was sculpted by French artist Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who you might know for one of his other creations, the Statue of Liberty.

Philly traditions

• Become a Philly fan

  • Unless you’re a diehard for another city’s sports teams, chances are, this “tradition” will just sort of happen to you during your time at Drexel. In case you didn’t know, the city is fanatical about its baseball, basketball, hockey and (especially) football teams. There’s still a little time left in the regular season to catch a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park, but things will heat up in the postseason when Red October returns. Meanwhile, the Eagles season is just beginning. Get ready to say “Go Birds” and bleed green — it’s fun, we promise (usually).

In 2023, Dragons celebrated Commencement on the steps of the Art Museum. 

• Run up the steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

  • Make like one of the most famous Philadelphians and sprint up those steps, then take a photo with the statue of Rocky Balboa at the base of them. Maybe even visit the world-class art museum itself — Dragons get a discount; bring your Dragon Card to get in for $14.

• Eat a cheesesteak

  • Throw a rock and you’ll probably hit a cheesesteak spot, so take the next five years trying a bunch and finding your favorite (Geno’s and Pat’s are solid, but this writer recommends Jim’s Steaks or Ishkabibble’s, both on South Street). Do you want provolone, cheese wiz or American cheese? And do you want it “wit” or “witout” onions? You’ll figure it out soon enough. You can also find chicken cheesesteaks and vegan cheesesteaks if you want to avoid red meat.
  • Plus, bonus points if you go to South Street and get a Philly Taco, which involves getting a slice from Lorenzo’s and a cheesesteak from Jim’s. The pizza serves as the “tortilla,” while the cheesesteak gets lovingly nestled inside.

• Walk through Elfreth’s Alley and visit the Liberty Bell

  • Philadelphia is full of historic spots and cultural icons, like the Liberty Bell (which needs no introduction), Elfreth’s Alley (which is the country’s oldest continuously inhabited residential street and dates back to 1703) and the Gayborhood (which has rainbow street signs). Of course, this is Philadelphia, so if we were to list all the most important spots, we’d be here all day.
  • Visit these spots (and more) and get to know both local and American history as well as community and cultural hotspots and uphold the traditions of Philadelphia’s landmarks, too.