March 2005

Briefly speaking: Saturday outings

Student Aldrich Tan climbs high at the Activities and Recreation Center on campus. (Neil Michel/Axiom)

Students can't live on academics alone. So Aggie Family Pack recruited two volunteers and gave them $25 each. We wanted to see where it might take them and a companion in Davis on a Saturday. And they let us all tag along.

Reaching new heights

Aldrich Tan grew up in San Francisco but found plenty to do on and near the campus. The junior, majoring in English and Asian American Studies, brought along as a date Hatim Dossaji, a third-year student.

They started with a rock climbing expedition at the campus's new Activities and Recreation Center. The cost for students to climb the rock wall is $5 each for the day.

Tan says students sometimes get so involved in classes that they don't realize the opportunities available right on campus. "There are a lot of great things that the university provides for students that don't cost a lot of money," he says.

Hungry from climbing, the pair headed down the street to the University Mall. They stopped in at the Old Tea House, a Chinese restaurant, where they shared a curry plate for about $6. A Starbucks is just a few doors down, so Tan and Dossaji ordered up two ice-blended coffees totaling about $8.

Tan says a little creativity is all it takes to have a good time without spending a lot of money.

In the market for fun

Students Shira Rawlinson, left, and Alicia Manseau explore the Davis Farmers Market, just two blocks east of the campus. (Neil Michel/Axiom)

Alicia Manseau, a freshman majoring in international relations, also found fun within walking distance of the campus. She and friend Shira Rawlinson, a sophomore majoring in political science, spent a Saturday morning enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of the Davis Farmers Market.

Rawlinson is a regular there, but Manseau had never been. The women spent about $4 on fresh strawberries and pastries.

Then they went back to campus to the Memorial Union Games Area, where they played arcade games for $2.

With plenty of money left over, they headed back downtown for lunch at the Great Wall of China. The all-you-can-eat buffet with drinks came to just under $16.

"I was surprised, (the $25) went a long way," Manseau says. "If you really think about it and put some effort into it, you can really save your money."

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