By: Lanie Brice ‘22

Over the weekend, I took a field trip over to Downtown LA to explore a new part of the city and stumbled upon the cutest donut shop. On my way back from visiting The Last Bookstore, I looked up and saw a sign for a bakery called Donut Friend.

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

On Saturday, December 4th, I headed down to Goya Studios to attend the Teen Vogue Summit. This outdoor event was half block party and half convention: there were booths from LA brands and vendors, as well as panels and musical performances running on an outdoor stage. I was immediately drawn in by the event advertising a chance to network with other Teen Vogue readers, editors, and panelists as well as receive career advice from Condè Nast recruiters. The event felt full of opportunity and community.

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

When I moved to LA, I didn’t know a single person who lived here. I felt isolated and like I was missing out on huge parts of my new city since I would only visit places I could walk to from the USC area. For a long time, I thought I had to wait to make friends to explore LA, and that mindset only made the loneliness I was experiencing when I first moved worse. Eventually, I decided I couldn’t wait around for other people to start having fun and enjoying my new home; through that process, I discovered that I really love exploring on my own! I know so many people are hesitant to venture out by themselves, so I thought I’d share what I’ve learned along the way that might make it feel a bit less daunting. If you want to actually see what it’s like, I also vlogged my trips to Los Feliz and Echo Park and the week I went to Studio City, Hollywood, and the Grove!

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

Halloween comes right in the middle of hectic midterms season which means coming up with the perfect costume might have totally slipped your mind. If you have Halloween plans but nothing to wear, here’s 5 costume ideas that you can throw together from items that are already in your closet. This way, Halloween can hopefully stay low stress, fun, and cost effective. Even if none of these costumes are the perfect fit, hopefully they can inspire you to look around your closet with fresh eyes to find ways to reimagine your regular wardrobe into a magical outfit for the night.

By: Lanie Brice ‘24

With the COVID vaccine more widely distributed and new safety measures in place, live music is making its return to LA and around the globe. As a music industry major, I’m selfishly excited to get back to live shows, but I’m also relieved for the small venues who have fought hard to stay open through the last year and a half. Since we’re all a bit out of practice when it comes to going to concerts, I made a list of six tips to make sure you have the most fun (and safe) experience possible seeing your favorite artists live.

By: Dara Udobong ‘23

It might just be October, but I already feel like we’ve been at this for ages. Can we attribute this mid-term fatigue to their namesake exams? Or is it more of a heavier transition from online school to being in-person again? Either ways, old or new, senior or freshman, this semester has been a huge learning curve for all of us, so here are a couple of ways we think you could make this break live up to its name:

By: Ngai Yeung ‘23

It’s safer to stay outdoors in the middle of a pandemic, especially during meals when everyone’s masks are off. Of course, students could always just eat at the Village, but that gets boring real quick. So here are a few places around campus — and within USC’s free Lyft boundaries — where you can eat outdoors with your friends.

By: Hannah Skinner ‘23

Many of you coffee-enthusiasts probably enjoy trying new drinks, but it can be hard to know what is worth spending your money on. With all the trendy drinks circulating on social media and TikTok, I thought I would try some and share my thoughts!

By: Celine Vazquez ‘24

As health officials work to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles, many of the precautions they’re taking are affecting eateries. All restaurants in LA County were forced to close their outdoor dining. It’s important to follow these rules to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it’s also important to support local businesses and the people employed there. The best way we can support these small businesses is by ordering take out! Not only is this a safe way to devour delicious food, but it also helps local restaurants stay open. Here’s a list of my favorite eateries in/near LA that you can support!

By: Claire Wong ‘23

With COVID-19, there are not many restaurants open with dine-in options. It is already super limited to travel affordably as a student without a car. Here are some of my favorite restaurants with great outdoor seating options that are super accessible (via Metro or walking distance) and very local to the USC area!

By: Sophia Pei ‘22

Everytable provides fresh, nutritious food at equitable prices for Los Angeles neighborhoods. Their unique business model fixes prices for their meals at different prices based on the average household income of the community. For example, an EveryTable location in West LA may sell bowls for $8 while the South LA location may have the same bowls for $5 to promote equity and provide food at an affordable cost in LA’s food deserts. Keep reading to learn more!

By: Antonia Le ‘22

First off, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room: this article would have been so much more relevant in literally any other semester. But what can I say? By the time I could healthily drink (read: not overload my blood with sugar) from almost every place that sells boba at or near USC, the world had turned upside down, and writing about milk tea didn’t seem so relevant anymore. But the world goes on, and hopefully, we’ll all eventually be back at USC and free to drink all of the boba we want. So, if the existential horror of living in 2020 hasn’t ruined your appetite yet, read onward for a review of (almost) every place where you can get boba around USC.