Getting Off Campus: Automobile Edition
By Kelly Kinas ‘17
This second part of the “Getting Off Campus” series is for those who are lucky enough to have a car, money for insurance and gas, and enough time to travel around. Not only can you go shopping somewhere other than the pop-up places on Trousdale, you are also pretty popular with your friends if they ever need a ride to the airport.
You should try to get off campus if you can because you can definitely feel trapped if the only time you leave your room is to go to class. Here are some options for you when you want to drive around Los Angeles, singing along to the radio, ready for a fun time with friends.
We have so many options now that we can choose locations further than 2 miles from campus.
For shopping, if you’re like Regina George, the Grove is the obvious choice. The atmosphere of the Grove is amazing and I would especially recommend going to the Farmer’s Market they have.While most of these shops are more expensive, there is Forever 21 and stores like that for those of us who like to be able to afford food. The movie theaters are also really cool and a Sprinkles cupcake is usually never a bad thing.
For those looking for a little more culture, LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) is awesome and you could spend hours there. When you’re done taking pictures in front with all of the lamp posts, there are thousands of artifacts and works of art that you can peruse and a pretty cafe as well.
A fun picture-taking spot is Griffith Observatory. The view of LA is worth the trip and is something that every USC students needs to check off their bucket list.
We do go to school in Southern California so going to a beach is a great way to get away for a day. Santa Monica is really nice and has the 3rd St Promenade which has tons of stores and restaurants. Venice Beach has a little more character to it. While Venice can seem sketchy at times, walking around is an experience itself and you always can wander up to Abbot Kinney and shop around there.
Another great thing to do is to go to one of the many amusement parks surrounding us. Disneyland, Six Flags, and Knotts Berry Farm are all under two hours away. Pro tip: buy your ticket from the USC ticket office because you can save mad cash that way. Save yourself from the line and buy it beforehand in the Student Union.
Get out and explore! Especially with the weather we’ve been having, it is our duty to go out and enjoy ourselves as a study break.
See y'all around LA!
