Quote:
Originally posted by norcalchick
pleasonton is a nice place. how long is the drive to berkeley from there? i've never driven from pleasonton to berkeley or vice versa. pleasonton does have a nice mall there 
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Don't even consider driving to Berkeley. If you can afford to buy parking, you won't be able to find any. Let alone the cost of gas, and the nightmare commutes in the morning. The traffic will randomly back up for no reason all the time. You can take BART from the Dublin/Pleasanton station, transfer, and get off in downtown Berkeley. It will take you less than an hour, and since Dublin is a terminal station, you can get a seat and study on the way. When I lived at home and attended Cal I took BART everyday from the city. With gas, bridge toll, and parking it would cost more and take longer. Driving in the Bay Area is a nightmare, BART runs pretty late, and you can go into the city, and to both the airports. It runs under the bay under the water, fun times!
www.bart.gov
However, plan to arrive early because Cal has a huge campus and it can take forever to go all the way up the hill. There is a shuttle that runs from the BART station, but it costs money. Walk and enjoy the gorgeous buildings, amazing foilage, and stop for coffee on the way so you can leisurely walk. There are plenty of places to eat and shop on Telegraph, which ends campus at Sproul Plaza. For some reason one of the most anti-establishment, activist student campus has a GAP across the street from Sproul Plaza and the Cesar Chavez Student Union. I find irony in that juxtaposition. The Sather Tower and Gate are gorgeous, and usual for any campus there will be construction. Be aware of protestors, often they will block entrances and be so loud it disrupts class. The naked guy is long gone and I think all the germs from his butt crack have long died. You had to show your ID to get into the undergrad library, but the Bancroft Library is far superior. There are overstuffed velvet chairs, marble busts, and oriental rugs so you can leisurely read on a foggy day. There are many bookstores that are private and off campus, double check there to get the best prices.
Have fun there!
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