Having your loved ones come to visit you is a really exciting and fun opportunity. At the same time, there’s a lot of pressure associated with it. As my family comes to visit this spring, I want to make sure they have fun and show them an accurate and exciting depiction of my life. As soon as that task comes, my mind goes blank of what the hell I even do here.
After some thinking, I’ve come up with a few ideas of how to make my family’s trip worthwhile and declare myself a respectable tour guide.
1. Walk Through Your Classes
A lot of the fun of visiting someone in a different place is seeing their world and how they choose to live their life. Walking your visitors around campus and showing them where you spend your time is a great way to give them some insight into your life. You can share funny stories about your classes along the way and point out any important UC Berkeley landmarks/fun facts you might encounter.
2. Eat at your Favorite Restaurant
Berkeley has a lot of really cool local businesses that don’t exist elsewhere. Everyone loves food, and there’s no better way to experience a place than through taste. You could choose to go to an actual restaurant, or grab a drink at a local coffee or boba shop. I will be blessing my family with the immaculate flavor of Berkeley Thai House.
3. explore Nature
Berkeley is such a beautiful place and failing to interact with nature is an incomplete Berkeley experience. There are so many different places and activities to choose from, depending on your and your visitors’ interests. Hiking through the fire trails, paddle boarding in the Berkeley Marina or walking through the UC Berkeley botanical gardens are all great options.
4. admire the Top of the Campanile
The campanile is possibly the most iconic UC Berkeley landmark. I think of it as the north star of campus. Going to the top of the campanile is a great way to engage with this icon and enjoy a breathtaking view of Berkeley and the broader bay. It’s free for students and pretty affordable for others.
5. VISIT San Francisco
The significance of this idea depends a bit on where you are from. If you’re from the bay, going to SF might not be particularly exciting. San Francisco is a really cool city and easily accessible by BART. Online travel blogs and services have already done all of the work of suggesting the best places to go in SF. There’s a lot to choose from, so giving your visitors a few options to choose from and taking their input into account isn’t a bad idea.
The pressure of presenting a quintessential college experience full of happiness to visitors is very real. I think it’s important to recognize that anyone who is choosing to visit you is doing so for a reason, to see you! Don’t worry too much about developing the perfect trip. Berkeley is pretty cool and speaks for itself. More importantly, the people visiting you will be happy with just spending time with you.