When a friend who has a ton of meal plan points offers to buy you Chick-Fil-A or Starbucks from the HUB, you say yes, no question.

But while saying yes to a free lunch date is easy, finding that friend in the midst of a HUB lunch rush is not quite as simple. Some might even say it’s harder than trying to get into Beaver Stadium with the new student ticketing system.

To help solve the dilemma of aimless wandering, we’ve created a guide of the HUB’s most popular spots. Hopefully, this will help you find that beloved friend with endless meal points just a little bit faster.

High School Musical Steps

There are a few key things to note about the High School Musical steps. First and foremost, people frequently refer to the stairs with the abbreviation, HSM, so make sure you’re up to date on Disney Channel lingo. The HSM steps are wooden and usually filled with people studying or hanging out.

Students will often describe their locations as being at the top of the HSM steps, but what does this mean? Are they standing there in full “Stick to the Status Quo” mode, or are they hiding behind the oddly colored plants desperate for an outlet? It most likely means that they’re located at the tables to the right of the stairs.

There’s a collection of small tables up there that is completely surrounded by windows, so it is a bit chilly. Plus, the lack of outlets up there makes it a less than ideal place to study. They can be helpful, though, as a meeting up point for locating friends.

“The Athlete Tables”

The long high-top tables for some reason always seem to be occupied by Penn State student-athletes. Some days, you might even get the fun surprise of catching Micah Parsons challenging random students to games of Connect Four. Yes, this does happen.

There is an assortment of other tables in this area, as well, perfectly located right next to the exit of the food court. Their location makes them the perfect place to sit and devour your overpriced Chick-Fil-A before moving to a less crowded area to get some work done.

Low-Top Tables By Food Court Entrance

These tables provide you with the perfect view of the Starbucks line right around lunchtime. If your friend tells you they’re located here, your best bet is to enter through the lawn entrance, and hopefully snag some free goodies from the various organizations hosting sales along the way.

Again, your chance of finding outlets or an actual quiet place to study is slim to none. People oftentimes space themselves out quite oddly here too, so it’s not the best place to squad up for a meal with your friends.

“By The Big TV”

The comfy chairs by the big TV are most easily accessed via the entrance on Pollock Road. If you’re trying to describe your location here, best of luck. The chairs are all the same assortment of colors and reminiscent of a cheap Halloween maze.

Occasionally, you’ll find the typical exhausted student cuddled up and passed out on one of these chairs. You might just find the Nittany Lion taking a nap up there after a long day’s work of one-handed push-ups and selfie-taking. You never know.

Bird’s Eye View

The third floor of the HUB is often the perfect spot to try and locate your friends down below. As long as you don’t mind the idea of people openly staring at you as you peak through the glass, getting a bird’s eye view of the HUB’s layout is hugely beneficial.

Unfortunately, it’s tough to figure out how to get up there in the first place and involves a lot of stair climbing. As a last resort, the third floor can be a game-changer.