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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.