Football Season’s Over…So Now What?
By Cameryn Baker ’22
If you’re a big football person and an avid tailgater, you’re probably feeling sort of at a loss about what to do this weekend. Since September 1st, you’ve always had the football team to count on for your Saturday plans. Even if the game was away, you could still always make an event out of it—you could go watch the game at a restaurant with some friends, or, if you were really dedicated, make a road trip out of it and go see the game in person. But we’ve fallen to the Irish, and season is over. Not another Game Day until next Fall. If you’re a football person, that hurts. But don’t be too bummed, to the point where you sit at home and do nothing all weekend. Think of this not as an end to something, but as an opportunity to go try new things. Here are some fun ways you can fill your weekends now that football season has ended.
You’re in California…Go to the beach!
Since you’re here in California, you might as well take advantage of the location’s upsides, which, of course, include the year-round beach weather. It will be a little chilly here through December and January (usually nothing below 50˚F), but once winter turns back to spring, bathing suits and sunscreen come right back out again. Los Angeles is a prime California location, because it has several nearby beach locations to choose from. Below are some descriptions of the beaches close to campus. Choose whichever suits you best, and make a trip out of it this weekend!
- If you’re looking for the classic, California tourist experience, the best beach for you to check out would be Santa Monica. Santa Monica is your typical California beach. Lots of sand, lots of people, and a long pier with boardwalk games, a roller coaster, and a big, lit-up ferris wheel. The metro that passes right by USC will take you directly to Santa Monica beach. If you want the tourist experience, hop on and head over; this is the beach for you!
- If you’re looking for a more laid-back experience, you’ll want to check out either Manhattan or Dockweiler beach. These two are less flashy and less touristy if you want a day to just kick back and relax on the sand with some friends. Dockweiler is known for its bonfire pits—if you’d like to go for a night of s’mores or burning some past assignments, this is your beach. But take note! Pits can fill up quickly, so you must be strategic about snagging and reserving one.
- If you’re okay with a bit of a road-trip, you might want to check out Zuma beach in Malibu. This is definitely more of a high-end beach. It’s known for being boujee. The sights and the people are gorgeous, according to thrillest.com. The shops and food places surrounding are bound to be on the expensive side, so keep that in mind. But if a luxury day in Malibu sounds nice to you, you might want to make Zuma your next weekend destination.
While you’re out beaching, do some shopping as well!
If you’re going to go out and have a fun day at the beach, you may as well treat ’yo self to a bit of a shopping spree while you’re there. Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach are both great places to add a side of shopping to your suntan. Santa Monica is right by Third Street Promenade, which is a huge strip of stores that stretches down several blocks. From Brandy Melville to Active and Adidas to Lululemon, this street has it all. The area around Manhattan is also bustling with storefronts, including big-name brands such as LF and Vineyard Vines, but also with a ton of smaller businesses. Get your shop on!
Eat Some Food
Another great thing about living in LA is that there is a. lot. of. food. Are you a foodie? You’re in luck. You can fill up every weekend for the rest of the school year just by visiting all of the food spots in Los Angeles. Here are a few of the many food spots around campus. They’re the most famous locations—and as for taste? You’ll have to visit each and figure out how to rank them yourself!
- The Original Pantry is a legendary LA breakfast spot. It opened all the way back in 1924, and hasn’t closed once since then! They’re open 24 hours, 7 days of the week. It gives you some throwback vibes; the building is an old brick one on a corner, the seating inside is old-time diner style, and payment is only accepted in cash (there is an ATM inside, for if you forget about this rule [which I’ve done twice already]). Their menu is simple and short, but if you like breakfast food, you won’t be disappointed. Go check out one of LA’s most legendary restaurants, and get some of the fluffiest pancakes you’ve ever seen.
- Salt & Straw is a great choice for the ice-cream lovers out there. But not for the ice-cream lovers whose favorite flavors are Vanilla and Chocolate. Salt & Straw likes to get crazy with what they throw into their ice cream. At Thanksgiving time, they actually had a mashed-potato flavor. This company exists strictly on the West Coast (mostly in California, but also in Oregon and Washington), so take advantage of it since you’re here! Go check out what wacky (yet delicious) flavors they’re serving now. Want to know the many ahead of time? Take a look on their website: https://saltandstraw.com/flavors/
- Grand Central Market is a huge, garage type of space that is filled with all kinds of food stands. There are vendors selling every type of food, ranging from dessert to full meals; Mediterranean to Mexican. Some of the most popular stands would be Eggslut, for “real” food, and McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream for just dessert. Maybe one weekend, you’ll be in the mood for good food, but not sure what type. If you find this to be the case, take a trip to Grand Central Market. You’ll find something you like in there, without a doubt. Here’s a list of their vendors, in case you don’t trust me: http://www.grandcentralmarket.com/vendors
- Milk Bar has just opened a new location in LA, so go check it out! Milk Bar is a dessert place and bakery, popular in New York City, where it has the most locations. It is also has stores in Washington DC, Toronto, Las Vegas, and now the new location in Los Angeles. Cake, pie, cookies, truffles–Milk Bar has it all. In the mood for dessert? Go give Milk Bar a proper welcome into LA this weekend! Check out their menu ahead of time: https://milkbarstore.com/menu/
While you’re out eating, do some more shopping!
LA makes it sort of difficult to keep your money in your wallet…but how can you resist when there’s so many places to shop!? If you choose to go on a weekend food adventure at one of the above locations, chances are you can probably get some shopping done, too. The Original Pantry and Milk Bar happen to be very close to some prime LA shopping areas. The Pantry is on the same street as Fig at 7th, which is a fun little area with lots to do. If you’re in the shopping mood after your pancakes, walk down Figueroa for 8 minutes towards the shopping area, and you can walk through Zara and Nordstrom Rack, or if you’re still hungry, grab some dessert at Sprinkles cupcakes. Milk Bar is on the famous Melrose Avenue, where the shopping district is. Walk over and see if there’s anything you like! The selection at Melrose is impressively wide. Go check it out!
Campus Homebodies
Maybe you don’t like to venture far from USC, or like to be with a group if you do, and that’s totally fine. There are many super cool USC-organized events, or events right here on campus, that you can use to occupy your weekend time.
- Cardinal and Gold Events are meant to be taken advantage of! These USC-organized outings take you all around LA, doing super fun things that you might not be able to do otherwise, and for free! During baseball season, a Cardinal and Gold Event went to a Dodger game. And this week, they’re going to LA Live for ice-skating! These events are super fun, so keep an eye out for their scheduled events next semester! You might find yourself having even more fun than you would have at football games. Click the following link to find the Cardinal and Gold website: https://resed.usc.edu/events/cardinal-gold-events/
- Events at Tommy’s Place are always happening, several times per week. They’re not always weekend events, but you can still go have some fun in the middle of your week! Every Wednesday night from 7-9pm is Tommy Trivia, and you can receive prizes for winning. Every other Thursday night from 9-10:30pm is Tommy-Oke night, where you can sing some karaoke. And the last Friday of every month from 8-11pm is Band Night, where bands perform on stage! If you’re part of a band, maybe you’d like to show your stuff! All USC Students are eligible to perform. If interested, email tpprod@usc.edu. If you want to use Tommy’s Place to hold your own event, such as a movie night, fill out the form at https://trojanevents.usc.edu/tommysplace/tommy-reservations/ . Make your weekends fun at Tommy’s Place!
That’s all for this post, but the possible weekend events are far from ending here. LA is a big city with lots to offer. USC is not a college to be bored at. Football season may be over, and you may be bummed that you have to go through the entire spring semester without attending a game. But there’s so much to do in LA! This post captures only a small fraction of it. Go out and explore, and you’ll find that you don’t have enough weekends available to see it all!
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