Bay Area’s Best Summer Food, Activities, and Destinations
Every student looks forward to the freedom of summer, when ever–looming homework lets-up for two months of summer sun. Summer comes with a jolt of excitement and eagerness, yet, when it arrives, the precious days of liberty are often wasted sitting around like a couch potato. When the last bell rings, be sure to have read all these fun summer tips.
Swimsuits are always a vital part of the summer. When on an outing to anywhere with water, one might find a swimsuit as a necessity. JC Penney and Target have suits for between $15 and $30 apiece. There are many high–quality online stores which sell expensive swimwear, such as Victoria’s Secret, Pac Sun, Delia’s and ModCloth.
There are popular and beautiful beaches all over the Bay Area. Stinson Beach in Marin is probably the most well–known and popular beach in the Bay Area; with rocks to climb on, a creek, and plenty of dogs. Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands is very large, but the water is cold and can sometimes be dangerous because of the strong currents. Baker Beach is located in San Francisco, and has a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, but also has a nasty undertow. “Bonfires on the beach at night, best thing to do. You can just stay there all night. It’s free and the tide doesn’t come up all the way,” insisted Clemence Pluche, a BHS sophomore. Lobos Creek in San Francisco is a small creek on Lincoln and 25th Ave., and is perfect for a summer stroll. If students are in L.A. over the summer, Santa Monica Beach is an incredibly famous and beautiful tourist attraction.
“The summer is a time to relax, enjoy life, and be away from school. Every person should be out enjoying the sun,” said junior Kyle Greenlee. However, when out in the sun everyday, it is important to remember to wear sunscreen. “Don’t get burnt, wear protection; SPF 15 or better,” declared Ethan Jones, BHS senior. Direct sun contact can cause premature age spots, wrinkles and skin cancer. Wearing sunscreen everyday helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Some of the most powerful sunscreens are Neutrogena Spectrum + Sunblock Lotion SPF 70, Clinique SPF 30 Face Cream, La Roche–Posay Anthelios 45 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid for Body, and Yes to Carrots Hydrating Body Lotion SPF 30.
In San Francisco, there are many free events happening throughout the summer. The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is hosting music, theater, dance, cultural, educational and children’s events from May to October. Film Night in the Park takes place at Union Square and hundreds of people will gather to watch this year’s movies free of charge. The Golden Gate Park Band performs in the Spreckels Temple of Music every Sunday and the occasional holiday at 1 PM for free and is one of America’s oldest professional concert bands. Jewels in the Square Performance Series presents entertainment on the main stage of Union Square, ranging from chamber music to modern dance. Music on Mint Plaza takes place every Friday beginning July 3 and continuing through September 25 from noon to 1 PM and includes all sorts of musical performances. People in Plazas presents 150 free concerts featuring all local performers, July 1 to September 30.
Besides the free events hosted in San Francisco, there are also numerous interesting museums, malls and hang out spots throughout the Bay. Japan Town in San Francisco can be reached by getting off at the Powell Street BART stop and taking the 33 bus down Geary Street. Besides the main mall, there is a modern mall called New People on Post Street with all sorts of interesting Japanese fashion and art. The Mission District is a culturally rich neighborhood in San Francisco, which houses incredible murals on practically every street. The Berkeley High School drawing and photography teacher Eric Norberg has been active in designing many of these huge murals. “If you go to a place like the Mission, you’ll experience the colorful and lively artwork, great vibes, and the culture of the people,” said Norberg. The Cartoon Art Museum is also in San Francisco and boasts five–dollar student admission. To get there, take BART to the Montgomery Street station and walk to Mission Street.
If you are in need of anything cool and delicious over the summer, Berkeley has numerous frozen yogurt, smoothie and ice cream shops .Yogurt Park, located on Durant Avenue just below Telegraph Avenue, is a frozen yogurt shop beloved by many for its long history in Berkeley. Tara’s Organic Ice Cream on College Avenue and Alcatraz Avenue is cultivating quite an enthusiastic following and a fifteen percent discount is given to anyone with a valid student ID. Ici, a homemade ice cream shop, almost always has a line going out the door and is also located on College Ave, north of Ashby Avenue. Brazil Fresh Squeeze Café is a small shop located on University Avenue above Shattuck Avenue, which sells delicious fresh smoothies. Raw Energy Organic Juice Café is located near Berkeley High School on Addison, halfway between Milvia Street and Shattuck Ave. Its menu is simple, but the mom–and–pop vibe is guaranteed to charm.
The recently renovated Fox Theatre in Oakland has bands playing all throughout the summer. The Fox is a small venue with an old and intricate style. It is comprised of balcony seating and an open floor adjacent to the stage where guests sip drinks during the concert. Some of the bands playing throughout the summer are The New Pornographers, Keane, MGMT, Wolf Parade, Joanna Newsom and Crystal Castles.
There are all sorts of popular summer camps throughout Berkeley that welcome teens. Destiny Arts Center is a facility based out of North Oakland on 42nd Street off Adeline Street, which offers martial arts and dance classes for teens throughout the year. Hosted at Stanford University, the Digital Media Academy is a summer computer camp for teenagers. The camp caters to teens interested in the software used in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, video game design and web design. The iD Programming Academy is a summer camp for ages 7–17, where campers create video games, websites, movies, iPhone and Facebook apps, C++/Java programs, robots, 3-D animations and much more. A very popular Berkeley camp is Echo Lake, located in El Dorado County. High school students can work on the maintenance or cooking staff, as well as apply to become counselors or counselors–in–training.
During the summer, students have much more time on their hands than they do during the school year. Many students are interested in completing community service hours before they graduate and the summer is a great time to start helping the community. Alameda Meals on Wheels delivers meals to subscribers every day between 10:00 and 11:30 AM and is always looking for volunteers. Girls Inc. offers a way for girls over fourteen to obtain community service hours by assisting staff with crafts, snack preparation, activity coordination and homework assistance for younger girls. East Bay Habitat for Humanity works with volunteers who are sixteen and older to build and renovate homes for a day.
Throughout the summer, there are numerous activities for people to get involved in and places for them to see. Explore your community, take advantage of the numerous opportunities available to you, and have fun this summer!
Comments
Post new comment