Ah, the staycation.

It’s a popular pastime among students for cost and comfort.

Road trips are fun, but 13 hours in a car? Pass, please.

But sometimes, especially in a cozy (read: tiny) town like Pullman, the first urge when planning summer vacation is to just get the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of Dodge.

That’s all well and good, and we sent our news editor to central Washington for Paradiso, an EDM music festival. His interviews with artists and unbelievable photos (what are you people wearing) are featured on pages 6 and 7 for you to live through vicariously.

But you really don’t have to go far for some fun.

That’s where our reporters come in.

I challenged two reporters to spend a day within a Pullman zipcode subset. One couldn’t leave campus, and the other couldn’t leave Paradise Street, which is the main stretch of downtown Pullman.

They both had a great time, and I’m sure you’ll love following in their footsteps one of these sunny Saturdays.

The outdoorsy are in major luck in Pullman.

Chances are they already know it and are off mountain jumping and bungee climbing as we speak, but in case I’ve got your attention (helloooo!) we have the 411 on how and where to camp and hike.

There’s a little something for everyone in this issue, and I think it’s important, especially for Summer Session students, to put their mental health first and take a break from time to time.

I also encourage Alive! Students and parents to try the campus or downtown challenge – it’s a great way to get the feel for the terrain and find your favorite eateries before school starts up.

Trust me, when your first test rolls around and the late-night study sessions start, you’ll want to have a favorite place to grab a snack to fuel you into the wee hours.

My recommendation is a large milkshake from Flix. You deserve it, you smarty pants, you.

Here’s to a fun and safe rest of your summer. Go Cougs!