College Shopping

M is now in his junior year of high school, so over the past year we have been exploring various colleges just to give him an idea of what each campus is like. Of course, the standard was set with the first one we visited - the University of Illinois! We have also taken tours of UCLA, UC Irvine, and Cal Poly. Since the boys had a four-day weekend for Easter, we left right after school on Thursday for the 5.5-hour drive up to Berkeley.

We had signed up for the 9:00AM admissions information session. The most valuable thing we learned was that the UC system only takes students' grades from their sophomore and junior years into consideration. So his (much-hated) English class from freshman year doesn't even exist. Yay!

Sather Gate

Afterwards we walked around campus for a bit and went up to the top of the Campanile ($3 admission). It was a clear day, so we had great views of San Francisco, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Sather Tower (The Campanile)

Before our trip, I asked my friend K, a Cal alumnus, for his recommendations for places to eat in Berkeley. Even though it was a little before 11:00AM, the boys were hungry (when *aren't* they hungry?!), so we decided to try out his first suggestion - Top Dog. It's a small "hole-in-the-wall" just off campus with only a couple of bar stools for seating, but you really don't need to sit down to eat anything from their menu. When we walked in, there were several kinds of dogs and sausages already cooking on the flat top, all smelling quite meaty and delicious! It was so good that J walked back a little later to get another one.

Two dogs and a brat!

Since we had time before our afternoon campus tour, we went to check out the dinosaur fossils in the Valley Life Sciences Building, as well as the Recreational Sports Facility. Then we hoofed it all the way back up the hill to the Koret Visitor Center at Memorial Stadium to sign in for the tour. Our undergraduate guide was very enthusiastic, but M wasn't buying what he was selling. The tour ended at Sproul Plaza, with our guide shouting out the last of his spiel in order to be heard over the group of students protesting. (I think they were pro-Chancellor Dirks?) Given that Berkeley had been in the news for violent protests earlier this year, seeing this display definitively shut the door for M about coming here.

So, what exactly are his criteria for choosing a college?

1. There must be a marching band. Strike one, UC Irvine.
2. He has to be able to wear shorts year round. We told him that the residence halls at the U of I are super warm in the winter, so technically it is still under consideration.
3. There has to be a Starbucks on campus. Another mark against Cal.

Because J has been along for the ride for all of these campus visits, he's formed his own opinions, too. He ranks them according to their fitness centers (Cal Poly's and Illinois' impressed him), food (thumbs up for Berkeley and U of I), and whether or not there is a bowling alley. Hmmm, sounds like my children are quite concerned about the quality of their undergraduate education!

After logging so many steps, we decided to go back to the hotel and take it easy for the rest of the afternoon before grabbing an early dinner at the other restaurant my friend recommended - Zachary's Chicago Pizza on Solano Avenue in Berkeley. It was very tasty - the crust and sauce reminded us of Edwardo's Pizza - but Lou Malnati's is still our favorite by far. Thanks again for the recs, K!

Spinach and mushroom deep dish (left), thin crust cheese (right)

UPDATE (April 15): Good thing we left Berkeley first thing this morning for Point Reyes. There was yet another clash at a Trump rally between supporters and counter-protesters at a park just a few blocks away from where we were staying. *smh*