Davis

Davis Downtown get all the information on resturants, activities and shops.

Outdoor Adventures is the place to plan trips, rent equipment, or take classes.

Rocknasium is a private rock climbing gym. You do not have to be a member to climb and take advantage of student and group rates.

The Activities and Recreation Center is UCD's new gym, featuring a large workout room, a variety of classes, recreational sports facilities.

The San Francisco Bay Area

San Francisco Visitor has general tourist info.

Alcatraz (SF - catch the ferry at Fisherman's wharf - 20-45 minutes by car) - You'll need to take a boat (and make reservations up to a month ahead!!). Very cool and popular - the audio tour is definitely worth it as you hear the old time prisoners talking to you about life on the Rock!

San Francisco Neighborhoods (Cars are a plenty in the city and parking tends to be difficult. BART (our subway) is a nice easy way to get into town and you can catch a Cable car at the Powell St. Station that will take you over the hills and into Fisherman's wharf - which is walking distance to North Beach).

• Castro - The gay center of SF - Beautiful architecture, great food, and plenty of interesting stores.
• Chinatown - You'll definitely feel you are in a different country (near North Beach - see below).
• Haight-Ashbury - This is where the hippie peace and free love movement started. Be prepared for plenty of entertainment!
• Fisherman's Wharf - Tourist paradise, and often way overcrowded. Here you can buy all those kitchy souvenirs, see the sea lions, and get nice view of the bridge and Alcatraz. The Alcatraz boat tour leaves from here.
• Noe Valley - Quaint neighborhood near Golden Gate park . Many fine eating spots.
• North Beach - The Italian part of town - lots of fun coffee shops, restaurants, and the City Lights Bookstore of Jack Kerouac fame. Used to be the beach before landfill in the late 1800's closed it off from the water. Coit tower is here as well - incredible views of the city!!
• Marina - Beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the Marin Headlands.

• Sausalito - shopping, eating and wonderful views await you in this quaint Mediterranean city in Marin.

Golden Gate Bridge - Yes, it's the most visited tourist attraction in the country and you can walk or ride a bike across the entire span!!

Golden gate Park (SF - between 30-60 minutes away depending on traffic) - A very large city park that spans a few miles from the Pacific ocean to the center of SF. A science Center (California Academy of Science), several large botanical gardens, a buffalo herd, miles and miles of walking trails and places to roller blade, make this a local favorite - can be chilly and foggy though.

Shopping and Local Culture

Union Square (SF) - THE San Francisco neighborhood to shop. Plenty of parking garages and easy access from BART (Powell St. station).

4th Street (Berkeley) - So many shops and boutiques and lots of specialty stores. Back in the early 90's this area was a slum and now it's the most fashionable street to shop in Berkeley. Also very near to the Berkeley Marina where you can get beautiful views of the bay at water level.

Solano Avenue (Berkeley) - About 2 miles from top to bottom filled with little shops, boutiques, books, records and 30 restaurants (or more!).

Telegraph Avenue (Berkeley) - hippie street vendors, murals, used clothing stores, amazing new and used CD and bookstores.

Outdoors/Nature

Muir Woods (Marin - about 60 minutes away) - A beautiful forest park of redwoods - some over 300 feet tall and incredibly impressive. Easy to more strenuous hiking - there is a beautiful paved trail that shows you the biggest trees.

Tilden (Berkeley - about 15 minutes away) - A popular and favorite local park. Over 50 miles of trails, beautiful views, a lake and more.

Angel Island (SF, about 30 minutes to Tiburon ferry) - The Ellis Island of the west! All of the Asian immigrants had to land here first when coming to the US. Beautiful views of the entire bay plus ruins of the original barracks. Take the ferry from Tiburon to go here.

Point Reyes (Marin - about 90 minutes away) - Beautiful stretches of unspoiled beaches, tide pooling, whale watching and an elk herd make this one of the most beloved bay area hiking and camping spots. Walks can be long but there are some relatively flat ones.

Carmel and the 17 mile drive (about 2.5 hrs away) - So you want to see how the rich live, well, this drive will bring you right next to some of the most beautiful coastal property around! Make sure to look for seals and sea otters - they are plentiful at some of the stopping points along the drive. The Mission is also a very peaceful place and the town of Carmel is an eating and shopping mecca with a pretty beach. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is also nearby and a must see if you are in the area.

Yosemite (about 5 hours away) - One of the first national parks, and the gigantic trees, granite cliffs and mountain vistas, are among the most beautiful in the world. Make sure to visit the valley and the meadow.

Other Places to Visit

Just a short drive away are other places to visit like; Lake Tahoe and Wine Tasting in Napa Valley