California Dreaming

The attractions of Berkeley beyond academics
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Markus Bendele is a graduate of the Berkeley Haas Global Access Program (BHGAP), which brings international students from diverse backgrounds to study business and entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley. This post originally appeared on his blog(link is external) and has been edited for clarity and length.

Month #2: Berkeley Activities—Hiking and Horse Races

I’d like to talk about hiking and horse races—yes, you heard right. There is a lot of fun stuff to do around the Bay Area and even though my workweek is packed with essays, readings and group projects, I sometimes get to go on adventures with my new international friends. For instance, we went hiking when the weather was good. And let me tell you: In terms of hiking, Berkeley(link is external) is the place to be. I can really recommend the Panoramic Hill→ Chaparral Peak→ Strawberry Canyon Loop. What a name, right?

But there is other stuff to do around here as well: one thing that might become a Sunday ritual is Golden Gate Fields Dollar Days(link is external). It is a place where you can watch horse races and pay $1 for everything: $1 entrance fee, $1 hot dogs and $1 beer. At the same time, you can bet on horses with funny names and have a great time with your friends.

Dining Attractions

Another thing that needs to be complimented is the food here in the Bay Area(link is external), especially in Berkeley. An area called the Gourmet Ghetto(link is external), the birthplace of Californian cuisine, offers a variety of different dishes from all around the world.

There are probably a ton of things I am still missing, but this is what my experience has been like so far. The good thing is: If you ever run out of things to do in Berkeley, San Francisco(link is external) is just a 30-minute Uber drive away. And the surrounding Bay Area(link is external) is worth visiting as well. Below is a picture of a weekend road trip we went on to Santa Cruz.(link is external)

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