By Christian Mignot
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
[email protected]
As graduating students prepare to leave UCLA for life outside
the university, they will remember fondly particular places on or
around campus.
Such places may be locations where they spent countless hours
every day talking to roommates, drinking cafe lattes, studying for
political science tests, or watching people bustle to class.
These areas will be among the first images they recall of UCLA
when they think of the university several years down the road.
Of all hangout spots on campus, many students, from North and
South Campus alike, preferred the Kerckhoff Coffeehouse and patio
““ a link between the two ends of campus.
The Kerckhoff Coffeehouse and the patio area provide a place for
all sorts of activities, be it studying for class, talking to
friends, catching some sun, or getting an early morning caffeine
fix.
“My friends meet every day at noon on the Kerckhoff patio;
it’s the only time we all have available because we all
work,” said Lisa Kingerly, a fifth-year art history student.
“We always make fun of and pick on people who walk by ““
in a positive way, of course, not in an
I-know-where-you-got-that-skirt type way.”
Additionally, Kerckhoff Coffeehouse has an open mic night where
students play music, freestyle or recite poetry. The music,
combined with the stained glass windows and dim lighting, create a
somewhat cozy at-home feeling for the regular table dwellers.
“I like the atmosphere; it feels vintage,” said
Nicholas Sweet, a fourth-year English student. “I like the
music, I like the smell of the coffee mixed with the pastry, and
there is enough noise to force me to concentrate on my studying
when I am there.”
Another perennial favorite among UCLA students is the sculpture
garden at the northernmost end of campus.
During the day, the sculpture garden is a good place to get away
from the heat for some quick relaxation. While couples may come to
this location to appreciate fine artwork, it is generally
understood that such interest in art is merely a cover for forms of
questionable behavior that take place in the hilly
surroundings.
At night, the garden morphs into an enchanted forest of wild
energy, like the fairy kingdom in William Shakespeare’s
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
“I’ve had lots of great psychedelic experiences at
the sculpture garden,” said Roozbeh Ghobadpour, a fifth-year
comparative literature student. “Sometimes at night, we would
go there to smoke out, play loud music, dance around the great
sculptures and jump in the fountains.”
Away from the artistic buzz of North Campus, Bruin Walk remains
another popular and crowded place to hang out, while the steps in
front of Kerckhoff are designated meeting places for several
fraternities.
The rolling hills around Janss Steps provide a choice
destination for couples seeking a moment of frolicking in between
class or for those merely interested in some of the local wildlife,
like fourth-year history student Jake Strom.
“The grass around Janss is really peaceful,” he
said. “You sit on the grass, not realizing that your (butt)
is slowly getting wet and watch the squirrels as they jump from
tree to tree, shimmying up branches without a care in the world. I
think about what my life would be like as a squirrel.”
North Campus has many other favorites, such as Powell
Library’s Reading Room, popular for studying or sleeping on
the couches; the Royce Hall archway, where students read while
perching in the arches and LuValle Commons, which provides ample
food and seating space for a quick lunch.
South Campus also features such memorable places as the inverted
fountain in front of Franz Hall, the permanently busy Court of
Sciences and the Bombshelter.
But when the sun starts setting, the most sizzling hot spots are
off-campus in Westwood.
Maloney’s On Campus and Madison Neighborhood Grill, the
two main bars in Westwood, are forever busy with UCLA student
clientele. Pint Night at Madison’s on Tuesdays is
particularly appealing, with large amounts of beer available for a
relatively low cost.
Gypsy Cafe and Habibi Cafe, two Middle Eastern restaurants on
Broxton Avenue, are extremely popular with students, particularly
those who wish to puff clouds of flavored hookah tobacco into the
night air.
Patty Granados, a fifth-year economics student, frequents Habibi
Cafe in Westwood most Wednesdays with her friends.
“I love sitting outside, enjoying the atmosphere,”
she said. “I smoke hookah, I listen to Middle Eastern music,
I watch people go by and I dance in my seat.”