T minus less than two weeks until Thanksgiving break. As many of us are counting down the days until we can pack our bags and head home to spend a long and deserved five-day weekend with our friends and family, there are some of us who will be staying in Berkeley during Thanksgiving break. But fear not: the Clog has compiled a list of activities you can do to make your stay a little bit more bearable.
Friendsgiving
You can’t be the only one staying in Berkeley! Gather all your Berkeley-loving friends and have a Friendsgiving dinner! You can order takeout, cook your own food or you can order one of Whole Foods’ holiday meals if you’re a mediocre chef, like myself. Whole Foods provides a large variety of pre-made Thanksgiving meals. All you have to do is pop it in the oven! The classic roasted turkey dinner serves about four people and comes with a classic roasted turkey (yes, an ENTIRE turkey), green beans with roasted shallots, creamy mashed potatoes, traditional herb stuffing, holiday turkey gravy and cranberry orange sauce. And it’s all under $80!
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco’s Botanical Garden is such a beautiful place to visit. Surround yourself with 55 acres of astonishing greenery and stunning flowers as you relax your day away. Lucky for you, the botanical garden is free to all visitors on Thanksgiving. Don’t miss out on this offer!
Exploring nearby cities
Berkeley is surrounded by two of the most major cities in the Bay Area, Oakland and San Francisco. During a regular school week, it’s quite difficult to fit in the time to thoroughly explore Oakland and San Francisco in between our extracurriculars and academics. Lucky for this five day weekend! Spend the entire day experiencing what these cities have to offer, from visiting the most touristy attractions to enjoying the cities’ most popular food vendors.
Ice Skating
It’s that time of the year where outdoor ice skating rinks are making an appearance! Grab a couple of your friends and head over to San Francisco’s holiday ice rink in Union Square. We highly recommend for you to go at night so you’ll be able to absorb all the radiant holiday lights as your skate your night away. After a tiring hour or so of ice skating, you can grab dinner nearby!
Thanksgiving is the time of the year (it honestly should be everyday!) where you reflect on your life and thank all the people who have and are continuing to love and support you. Most importantly, it’s the time to thank yourself for all the accomplishments and things you have achieved so far this year. So take a day or five to sit at home and just relax. Catch up or rewatch your favorite TV shows and movies as you snuggle up into your warm blankets. Happy Thanksgiving!
