Whether hitching a ride in your friend’s yellow-tinted hand-me-down Volvo, or taking public transit, the cost for a trip down to the Golden City can be reasonable and the journey quick.
For those students who want to save on gas money and avoid the stress of parking in a big, crowded city, there are two options that will get your adventurous side pumping.
Option 1
UC Santa Cruz offers the Friday and Sunday UCSC Fremont Bart Connector. For $10, the bus stops directly in front of the Porter College bus stop and takes you on a one-way ride to the Fremont Bart Station. The trip will take around 40 minutes. Make sure to reserve a spot on the bus a few days in advance, because it can fill up. For more details on the Bart Connector, visit the UCSC TAPS website www2.ucsc.edu/taps/
From the Fremont Bart Station, the Daly City Train connects you directly to the Civic Center in San Rafael. (It will cost you around $5 for a one-way ticket, and it will take around 20 minutes.) At the Civic Center, you can board buses that will take you anywhere in the City.
Approximate cost of Trip: $20.00
Option 2
For students who wish to make use of their student card/bus pass, you can take a bus from the downtown Santa Cruz Metro station to the Diridon Train Station in San Jose for $4.00. On Saturdays and Sundays the Highway Express Weekend Train will take you to 22nd Street in San Francisco (A one-way train ticket is approximately $5.75 and will usually take around 45 minutes, but can take up to an hour).
The San Francisco Caltrain Station allows easy access to the city’s various transportation systems including the Muni, Bart and a number of bus lines. The most affordable and easiest way to get around San Francisco is to take a bus for $1.50-$4.75 (depending on your destination).
Approximate cost of Trip: $10.25
The Hippie Walk
Start Point, 
Attractions
Start: Haight and Ashbury, End: Rainbow Grocery, Distance: approximately 8.2 miles including walking, bus or driving, Time: 4 hours
1. It’s a lazy Sunday, you’ve just woken up from a long night of partying with your friends and your only breakfast option is nibbling the last few bites of a brownie from your neighbor’s special batch. Suddenly, you’re feeling adventurous and want to discover new horizons beyond the Santa Cruz Mountains. What better way to delve into your inner hippie than to take a walk around San Francisco’s own Haight-Ashbury. What was once a collection of isolated farms and acres of sand dunes in the early 1800s has quickly gained status for its alternative lifestyle.
2. Start your San Francisco journey by boarding a SF Muni Bus that will take you directly to Masonic Avenue and Haight Street. Once off the bus, take a left and head straight down Ashbury Street until you reach the Waller Street intersection. If you are driving, the best places to park are the metered spots on side streets. At the end of the street you will see the former home of Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia (710 Ashbury St.). The Dead, formerly referred to as “The Warlocks,” helped define the groovy, rock lifestyle of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of the ’60s.
3. After snapping photos of the colorful homes, shift away from Ashbury and turn right onto Haight Street. What once evoked images of the ‘60s hippie movement is now home to vintage clothing stores, students wearing homemade tie-dye shirts and the light smell of burning incense seeping through the doors of Distractions (1552 Haight, 415-252-8751), which sells hand-blown pipes and bongs. Buffalo Exchange (1555 Haight, 415-431-7733) and Land of the Sun (1715 Haight, 415-831-8646) are among several other ’60s-inspired shops nestled along each side of the road.
4. For all those independent music lovers with unique music tastes, stop by Amoeba Music (1855 Haight, 415-831-1200) and discover your inner musical roots as you pace through the aisles of new and used CDs.
5. After rocking out to your own beat, it’s time for a lunch break at the Blue Front Café (1430 Haight, 415-252-5917), which is famous for its wraps and sandwiches that range from $5-8.
6. Following a quick bite to eat, allow your food to settle by taking a quiet walk in Buena Vista Park, a mere few footsteps away from the Haight-Ashbury intersection. Lay in the grass under the warmth of the sun, completely immersed in ambient nature sounds.
7. To satisfy your inner poet, hitch a ride from a nearby bus, or grab your car and head to City Lights Bookstore (201 Columbus Ave., 415-362-8193). (This will be at least a 10-minute bus or car ride). This independent store—the nation’s first all-paperback bookstore—is the birthplace of the Beat generation. Owned and operated by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, City Lights was the original publisher of counter-cultural icon Allen Ginsberg’s epic poem “Howl,” and was frequented in the 60s by Ginsberg’s good friend, Bob Dylan.
8. Upon glancing through the rows of classic as well as newly released books, take a bus or your car to Rainbow Grocery (1745 Folsom, 415-863-0620) to admire the colorful murals painted on the walls, honoring Mother Earth. Zigzagging through the aisles and past the works of art, you might be tempted to purchase a juicy organic peach from the produce aisle for your ride back home to the familiar surroundings of downtown Santa Cruz.
Love Bird Rendez-vous
Start Point, Attractions
Start: Japanese Tea Garden, End: Golden Gate Bridge, Distance: 16.7 miles, Time: Endless
1. What Tony Bennett famously referred to as the “City by the Bay,” is also a place that exudes a romantic ambiance that may lead you to leave your heart in San Francisco. The first stop on your agenda is a picnic in the park. Start by taking a SF Muni Bus from the San Francisco Caltrain station to the Japanese Tea Garden (7 Tea Garden Drive. $1.50) near Golden Gate Park. Stroll along the finely paved roads surrounded by a luscious green garden and Japanese designed buildings or enjoy a cup of sweet Japanese Tea and Crackers for $3.
2. For a change from the quiet and serene environment of the Japanese garden, take pleasure in the soothing sounds of the ocean along Baker Beach (Gibson Road). Enjoy the coarse grains of sand caught between your toes as you and your date frolic hand in hand along the shore.
3. To see what’s below the blue surface of the water, go for an undersea adventure at the Aquarium of the Bay (Embarcadero at Beach St, 415-623-5324). For $13.95 per person, together you can admire the assortment of marine life.
4. Want to see more water creatures in their natural environment? Then head down to the Pier 39 wharf and you can hear the distinct mating calls of the sea lions basking in the evening sun.
5. All that wharf wind has left you hungry. Glide along the Pier and stop at the Crepe Café (415-318-1494). Sharing a crepe smothered in a rich hazelnut chocolate crème topped with slices of fresh banana ($5-7) will feel like a fairy-tale liaison in one of Paris’s most picturesque sidewalk cafés.
6.Visit San Francisco’s own “Eiffel Tower” - commonly known as Coit Tower (1 Telegraph Hill Blvd, 415-362-0808). For $4.50 you can see a panoramic view of the City’s tallest skyscrapers and the Marina District.
7. Nothing completes the tour than a late night ride on the Cable Cars to an extravagant meal at The Cheesecake Factory (251 Geary St, 415-391-4444). Over a candlelight dinner and a view of the City, the Restaurant offers an assortment of American dishes starting at $7. Don’t forget to leave room for a slice of one of their signature cheesecakes.
8. Before the day comes to an end, stroll along the renowned Golden Gate Bridge that was built in 1937. The bridge makes an ideal setting for snuggling in front of the sun setting in the distance and will be the perfect ending to a romantic day in the City of Love.
Lights, Camera and a Walk Through San Francisco
Start Point, Attractions
Start: Alamo Square, End: Roxie Cinema, Distance: 13.1 miles, Time: 5 hours
1. San Francisco is not only a landmark, it is also the title of the 1939 movie starring renowned actor Clark Gable and the graceful Jeannette MacDonald. Since its debut, over 100 additional movies were shot in the City’s streets and buildings - including Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) and John Huston’s Maltese Falcon (1941). For the ultimate movie experience, San Francisco offers theater on wheels, which is designed for those who are interested in seeing the various movie locations. For more information visit their website at http://www.sanfranciscomovietours.com.
2. While some tours can become a bit pricey, there are several modern movie milestones that are in walking distance or are along a bus route. What is now considered the breakout role for twin youngsters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen has also attracted fans to San Francisco’s familiar neighborhoods. Revel in the statuesque appearance of the six famous Victorian Houses along Alamo Square featured in Full House and see if you can spot the home where the ‘80s family sitcom was originally filmed.
3. Nesting on Steiner Street along one of San Francisco’s acclaimed steep hills is the home featured in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), a movie known for Robin William’s female role as a 70 year-old nanny. Standing by the footsteps of the house, you may even catch a glimpse of the native San Franciscan jogging past you.
4. For a free history lesson on the City’s dance and theater, go to the San Francisco Performing Arts Center (401 Van Ness Avenue, 415-255-4800) and see a collection of photos, books and original artwork.
5. After a brief look into San Francisco’s Hollywood background, munch on some truffle fries ($8.95) at Fog City Diner (1500 Battery St., 415-982-2000). With meals starting at $5, reminisce in the 70’s diner atmosphere and nostalgic decorations present in movies including So I Married an Axe Murder (1993).
6. For a more recent look into the San Francisco movie business, stride along Candlestick Park one of several filming sites from Will Smith’s latest film Pursuit of Happyness (2006).
7. Has all this motion picture history got you craving to watch a movie? Then walk or take a bus to the nearest movie theater (Roxie Cinema: 3117 16th Street, 415-431-3611) and catch the latest flick. Prices may vary.
