By Michael Rosen-Molina Daily Bruin Senior Staff A new crop of
freshmen are arriving in the hallowed halls of UCLA and, like
innumerable generations of their predecessors, one question no
doubt looms large in their minds: Where do hip, happenin’
college kids spend their time? Even worse, if you don’t have
a car, questions of major and finance will naturally be secondary
concerns to how one is to find a new hangout. Luckily, especially
for this car-less subset, the UCLA campus offers an eclectic mix of
hip hangouts for the stranded student. One need not escape campus
or Westwood to have a good time.
Northern Lights
The artistic sect, trapped in the far reaches of North Campus,
may find refuge at Northern Lights, located between Rolfe Hall,
Campbell Hall and Charles E. Young Research Library. Besides its
token coffeehouse, the building is also home to a diverse food
court that includes a pizza palace, a Mexican counter, and the
oddly named Flying Bagel Deli. With a scenic view and a roaring
fire, Northern Lights combines the cozy feel of home with modern
architecture. “The layout and fixtures are very modern;
they’re only four years old. We’ve also got a fireplace
and nice cushy chairs, and we always have music playing ““
modern, jazz, trans-electronic,” said Northern Lights Manager
Gabor Fabian. “All in all, the atmosphere is nice and
relaxing.” Northern Lights always gives patrons something
beautiful to look at, which is appropriate given its location on
the artistic side of campus. “We display a lot of student
art,” Fabian said. “We rely on word of mouth to get
students interested in displaying their work, but we also recruit
from the School of Art and the different departments.”
“We have photography, multimedia, paintings, painted
photos,” he continued. “Right now, we have a display of
painted photographs.” Northern Lights sees its biggest
business between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and again between 9 p.m. and 12
a.m. For the first set, the coffeehouse is busy with the coffee
crowd; and for the latter, it is busy with the ice cream crowd.
Lu Valle Commons
North campus also boasts Lu Valle Commons, an eclectic mix of
small restaurants located just north of Dodd Hall. Pacific Rice and
Noodle Traders specializes in Japanese cuisine with trademark
teriyaki chicken and a different special selection every day. A
submarine sandwich shop and a personal pizza shop are also located
here, as well as Jimmy’s, Lu Valle’s resident
coffeehouse. “We’re busiest between 9 and 11:30 a.m.
during the normal school year,” said Jimmy’s manager
Amee Chung. “Over the summer, our business is more spread
out. We have a special evening extension for the extension
students. Many of them have late classes in Public Policy and
Bunche, and they want to get a late snack afterwards.”
Perhaps because it is further south, Jimmy’s is not as
focused on student art as Northern Lights. “The walls are
lined with windows, so we don’t have room for any sort of
student art exhibits,” Chung said. “The windows give
Jimmy’s a good ambiance. It’s a nice, bright place with
great coffee ““ we serve the best coffee on campus.”
The Bombshelter
In South Campus, The Bombshelter will be familiar to students
who attended campus orientation tours. Mischievous tour guides
delight in convincing new students that the building was once a
real bomb shelter. The station has another Pacific Rice and Noodle
Trader and a Roadside Grill, in addition to a sandwich shop.
Cafe Synapse
Cafe Synapse in the Gonda (Goldschmied) Neuroscience and
Genetics Research Center goes for the more up-town, cosmopolitan
look, serving sandwiches and pasta in an elegant setting. With
spartan Bauhaus architecture and futuristic furniture, the Cafe
appeals to those with more modern sensibilities, those that prefer
the simplicity of modern aesthetics to the ornate retro look.
Kerckhoff Coffeehouse
Kerckhoff Coffeehouse sits between the two extremes of north and
south campus, equally accessible to both scientists and artists.
With a quaint ambiance that is closer to the Bohemian roots of the
coffeehouse than its northern counterparts, Kerckhoff is a popular
spot for the studious and playful alike. “Often there’s
some sort of entertainment going on. Thursday nights, there are
free poetry readings. Sometimes there are cultural music
performances on the stage. The latest performance was a celebration
of Pilipino music,” said coffeehouse employee Huy Nghiem. The
laid-back atmosphere is a recurring theme in on-campus eateries.
“It’s a kick-back, friendly environment where students
can come to study or just to meet people,” Nghiem said. That
kick-back, friendly atmosphere is especially appreciated by new
arrivals to UCLA. Campus restaurants provide a forum for freshmen
to meet their new academic colleagues and adjust to flow of college
life. New students take heart ““ meaningful social interaction
is only a coffee cup away.