Summer in the (Univer-)City

I've read a few Xangas talking about missing friends & UCLA 'cuz they're at home or abroad, so I'm dedicating this entry to those folks so y'all can get a taste of UCLA, Summer style:

1. I get out of my car after driving around Westwood for 20 minutes for a parking spot. And no, I ain't lookin' for those 2-hr parking ticket-traps (they can and do get you on that).

2. As I head to class, I walk through De Neve Plaza. The atmosphere is definitely different than the school year. All of the undergrads are cooped up in Dykstra, where there is an especially large proportion of international students. All the frosh/orientation people take up Sproul, while all the conference visitor folks get the swanky De Neve suites.

3. After I get past the street light, I hear some loud cheers coming from Drake Stadium on my left. It's hundreds of high school girls in cheerleading camp. They're all in their uniforms chanting in unison after the facilitators, who all wear white T-shirts, white caps, and blue shorts.

4. As I walk past Pauley Pavilion on my right, I notice the remains of the Mercedes Benz cup tennis tournament. The spectacle included thousands of tennis fans, booths, advertisers blue carpet all over the place, and complete ownership of the Pauley Pavilion's South Corridor near the football practice field.

5. Continuing to pass Pauley, I see a hundred or so young men leave Pauley Pavilion in tank tops, baggy shorts, and high tops. Basketball camp.

6. To my left at the IM field is a game of flag football. Hmmmm... sports during the summertime, now that's an idea.

7. I finally get to Bruin Plaza where it seems like the UCLA store has an outdoor sale every week. Must be to catch all the students and parents on their orientation tours... oh look, there's a group now, getting all indoctrinated with how wonderful UCLA is, and how all the resources here are right at your fingertips, random facts about UCLA you'll probably never remember (hey, did you know that there are more than 7 million books in the UCLA library system? yeah, I know you didn't care, either), and the evils of USC. Yeah, let's see what their bill looks like after a quarter and they can tell us if they're getting their moneys worth.

8. The Wooden Center is still bustling with folks either trying to fit into that size 6 or look like 50-Cent. Some things don't change.

9. Before I get to class, I stop by the Student Activities Center and catch the hustle and bustle. All the Directors are finished with their training, and now taking care of other important things, like cleaning. The front staff is as busy as ever, just finished with one round of massive copying for training for the Directors and preparing for the second round of massive copying for training with all the counseling staffs. Students are still in and out for counseling with either the Summer Counseling Unit or the Summer Readmission and Retention Program. And, of course, from open to close, there's a meeting somewhere around.

10. When I walk out of the building, there's silence... wait, no one's on Bruin Walk?!?! What kind of alternate universe is this?

11. I finally get to class, but not before I get a call from Andy, chair of MEChA. The mother organizations are meeting again. Geez, it's been four years; you'd think our communities would be empowered by now...

So that's a summer day at UCLA in a nutshell. For you transplanted Bruins, what do YOU miss about campus the most?