The Ultimate Guide to AUP's Vending Machines
The Amex is considered by many to be the only place to cure your coffee fix and your hunger desperation on campus. Yet there are several somewhat hidden spots in three of the five AUP buildings that will quickly become your best friend during exam season, late night study sessions, or between classes.
Quai Building
Image credit : Blu Clara Rapps-O'Dea Valey
The Quai building vending machines located in the basement seem to be the most popular ones on campus. While interviewing students about their thoughts and feelings about the vending machines at AUP, most of them referred to the one in the basement of Quai.
“My preference is the [vending machine] in the basement of the Quai," said Andrew Barnes, an undergraduate at AUP. "Access to coffee is nice and it’s convenient to me.”
Despite the larger choice of the products here, there only is one savory snack, Lays Nature chips, offered in these vending machines. All the other products are sweet international treats, ranging from French pastries such as Madeleines, Galette Moelleuse and Prince biscuit, to American delights like Oreo and Crunch, without forgetting famous other European delicacies such Milka, Kinder and Côte d’or.
Image Credit: Blu Clara Rapps-O'Dea Valey
The coffee machines offer a decent amount of choices, ranging from espresso to green tea. But some say that the coffee isn’t strong enough in the machines, while some others have had the misfortune of not being able to function the sugar input to their liking as it is manual.
"Fifty cents for coffee is pretty reasonable I think," said Eva Zacharias, a first-year transfer student at AUP.
"When I just need a caffeine hit, I'll do the cheap one with the vending machine," said Caroline Garell, a junior at AUP. "But if I want something that tastes better, to enjoy [it] more, I'll go to the Amex."
Passage Landrieu
Image Credit: Blu Clara Rapps-O'Dea Valey
The machine in the Passage Landrieu building resembles the Quai basement selection with minor tweaks. Instead of two vending machines, there is only one, but it's filled with many of the same products, including a hot beverage section that the caffeine addicts among us are likely to take advantage of.
Both the machines in the Passage Landrieu and in the Quai buildings sit right next to water fountains, begging the question of why students would buy water when a free solution sits just feet away.
Grenelle
Image Credit: Blu Clara Rapps-O'Dea Valey
The last vending machine on campus, which, unlike the others, is all alone in a corner, is the one located on the ground floor of the Grenelle building, and this machine seems to be on a whole other planet.
The vending machine here is the only one in any of the campus buildings that doesn't take card, meaning anything bought has to be paid for with coins. This is also the only machine without a hot drink section, and with one fewer row than the machine in the Passage Landrieu building, it has the smallest selection of them all.
Ultimately, though, the snacks and coffee available in all the vending machines on campus help with a quick snack or drink, especially during exam periods. Despite the snacks not being particularly healthy, they're an alternative to the Amex's long lines and occasionally lengthy waits. And ultimately, that's really all you need from a vending machine, isn't it?
