When the school year started last August, the University of California, Berkeley announced (after a petition was signed by many students) that all UC Berkeley students would be able to use all types of Bay Area transportation for free with the student clipper card. As a result, I made it my goal this year to explore the Bay Area more and see more of San Francisco. I made a list of some places to visit within that realm.
San Francisco has so many places to visit that are fun and amazing to explore, and these places often range from free to very inexpensive. SF has so many areas that are historical and very popular to visit, like the Golden Gate Bridge. There are so many places around that bridge that allow people to sit and have a nice little picnic. Another very famous place is Japantown, where there are many Japanese restaurants, shops, and places that you can stroll through. Another historical palace to visit is the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, it’s such a cool place to visit with some amazing events that go on in the theater.
Pier 39 also has many amazing things to do, like looking at the seals near the dock or shopping at the stores on the pier. Near the pier is the Ferry Building Marketplace, where there are sometimes events on the weekends supporting local businesses. Vendors of food and clothing will sell their goods in the marketplace, and there are some local bookstores that sell very popular books in San Francisco.
Museums are also a fun way to explore the city and see amazing art. One such place is the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which includes so many paintings, photographs, feats of architecture, etc. Another great museum is the California Academy of Sciences, which showcases an aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, and natural history museum. These museums have a fee to get in ranging from $10-$45 but in some cases, students can get tickets at discounted prices, which helps save money and allows students to go to San Francisco on a budget.
Overall, I really want to use my BayPass a lot more this year, so I’m making it a resolution for the new year. Being a college student, the clipper card allows me to go anywhere I want in the Bay, and San Francisco has so much to offer that I don’t want to miss out on.