visiting campus

<p>I've been admitted for Fall '08 and I will be visiting campus this weekend with my dad. We are going to take the Berkeley tour but is there other stuff that is very worthwhile to do/see while we are out in Berkeley. We will only be there for a day.</p>

<p>The tour will only take you so far, and might show you one room in the units. You should also go up to the top of the Campanile for a bird's eye view of the campus and the bay. On a good day, it is a wonderful place to hang out for a little while. One of the places I don't remember them taking us on the tour is the Faculty glade and Faculty Club. The Faculty glade has a bunch of sculptures, and Strawberry Creek, as well as one of the oldest arches on campus. The Faculty Club is really nice architecturally, and you can go inside and have a meal or just look around.</p>

<p>Also, if you can walk or drive around the east/north part of the campus on Gayley, you'll then be able to see the stadium and the Greek Theatre. On that side, if you go south away from campus, you'll start at the </p>

<p>Finally, a trip to Berkeley wouldn't be complete without a walk down Telegraph Avenue.</p>

<p>If it's a clear day, and you have a car, drive by the football Memorial Stadium and up the hill to the Lawrence Hall of Science. Walk over to to the edge by the of the giant whale thing and check out the view. </p>

<p>Go to Zachary's pizza on Solano for lunch. Or go to Bongo Burger on Center Street. Or go to Cheeseboard Pizza on Shattuck (I think only open on Saturdays). Or, walk down Telegraph and grab a slice at Blondie's. Or walk further down telegraph and get a salad at Cafe Intermezzo.</p>

<p>Foodwise, kenf highlighted some great options. The Cheeseboard has undoubtedly the best pizza in Berkeley (sorry to all you Zachary's fans out there), and is located in the Gourmet Ghetto on Shattuck. They're closed Sunday/Monday, are only open for certain times for lunch and dinner, and only serve one type of pizza per day, but it's perhaps the best (vegetarian) pizza you'll have in your life.
Intermezzo is also fantastic, and serves HUGE sandwiches and salads. I
If you happen to be there on Sunday morning, a little-known (at least to Cal students, it seems) Buddhist temple sells its homemade Thai food for brunch.
More than anything else though, just try walking around and getting a feel for the place. I personally think that the Bay Area is one of the best places in the country to just walk around, go into random shops, watch people, etc., and if that's true for you, it's probably a sign that Berkeley might be right.</p>