Going to college means having almost unlimited opportunities available to you. With so many things to do at Berkeley – social, professional, and athletic events and opportunities – it can be difficult to decide what exactly to do, which is why students come up with a bucket list of items that they absolutely need to do before college ends. At Berkeley, two items that have to be on that list are picnicking on the glade and eating pizza from The CheeseBoard Collective.
The classic Berkeley experience is having a picnic on the glade. It’s 70 degrees and sunny, the breeze is just right, and you’re surrounded by good vibes while relaxing on one of the prettiest parts of campus. I finally got to experience my first proper Berkeley glade picnic the day after my last final of freshmen year. After grabbing the classic Bulgogi fries and Salmon bowl from Golden Bear Cafe, my roommate and I laid our picnic blanket on the upper part of the glade near the trees. Blasting music from our speaker, we played songs that reminded us of past memories.
Relaxing on the glade with no pressing worries reminded me of days at the beach, when you would just relax with your friends. Instead of the ocean however, we had beautiful views of Doe Library and the Campanile. Surrounding us were more groups, also enjoying the nice afternoon on the glade. From couples having intimate moments to big groups laughing over stories, the Glade is a place for everyone.
The Cheese Board Collective is a world famous pizzeria, bakery, and cheese shop located just a few blocks from campus. It’s the highest-rated pizza place in America according to Yelp and only serves one type of pizza per day, which is vegetarian. Cheese Board is so famous that when my friend from New Jersey came to visit, she requested to eat there because her professor talked about it in class!
I finally got to try Cheese Board this summer with my fellow campus ambassadors Brandon and Lila. While we were waiting in line we struck up a conservation with the people around us. The man standing in front of us was a Berkeley professor from France. We asked him what it’s like teaching students at Berkeley and he wanted to hear our perspective on classes as Berkeley students. We also talked to a couple who were on a road trip from Southern California. They were involved in the health industry and gave my friends some tips on how to succeed in the health industry.
Of course these are just two items for your Berkeley bucket list. There’s so many more things to do at Berkeley – hiking at Clark Kerr fire trails, watching a dance performance, rolling down 4.0 hill, etc – but I highly encourage everyone to start out with a nice picnic on the glade and going to Cheese Board collective pizza.