In the Heart of the Bay: Our Summer Bucket List of Childhood Nostalgia
- BY 缅北禁地
- July 29, 2022
This month, 缅北禁地 celebrated its 65th year in the heart of the Bay. Our students, alumni and employees grew up in the East Bay and remember the university’s five different names.
缅北禁地 Magazine recently asked our staff and faculty about what says “childhood memory” to them. We’re pleased to share with you the continuation of our summer** bucket list of 65 “nostalgia” places that remind us why we love the region: great history, neighborhood gems and places where we made memories
**Some of our favorite things are seasonal, like baseball, and if you haven’t been to the Oakland Zoo’s “Boo at the Zoo” during Halloween, you’re missing out!
Bay Area Childhood Nostalgia
1.
In picturesque Sausalito, this hands-on museum for kids 2-12 opened in the late 1980s. Thanks to Cristin for the recommendation!
2.
Even one of our staffers who grew up in SoCal knew about Oakland’s storybook theme park. Remember walking through the boot that belonged to the Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe? Us too!
3. Drive-In Movies
These old-school movie experiences made a huge comeback during the pandemic, thanks to their built-in outdoor social distancing. The audio on our car speakers is waaaaay better than it used to be with those dreadful boxes hanging from windows. Recommended: Drive-ins in and .
4.
Raise your hand if you took a school field trip to San Francisco to visit the Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine Arts. Okay, now who has been to their new site at Pier 15, with its stunning Bay views? Family tip: Check out a one-day pass at your local library.
5.
Go now! Or at least go in the next 11 years before the park filled with roller coasters and a charming double-decker carousel closes.
6. Ice Skating Rinks
While Hayward’s Southland Mall’s rink is gone (Wait! Who shared the ice with Olympian and East Bay-raised Kristi Yamaguchi?), we have fond memories of broomball at and .
7.
Right here in our hometown of Hayward, this park was completely revamped recently and now features electric train rides, a carousel, teacups and petting zoo on the weekends.
8.
Another field trip fave! Perched up in the Berkeley Hills on the UC Berkeley campus, we loved when it was showtime in the Holt Planetarium.
9.
This childhood memory maker was a top vote getter! From legendary California bears to those awesome insects in the children’s zoo, the zoo has more than 100 years of history and memories for the East Bay.
10.
Nope, that’s not a mistype. While evenings at Candlestick Park or now Oracle Park feature(d) the world-champion San Francisco Giants, their Single-A team plays in San Jose. Bonus ball park: The Giants’ Triple-A team the River Cats plays in Sacramento and the stadium is easily accessed by Amtrak.
11.
Following years in wartime service, the USS Hornet made history when it retrieved Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins from the Pacific Ocean as they returned from the Apollo 11 moon mission. In summer, they offer overnight sleepovers!
More Bay Area Bucket Lists:
Photo credit: Ted Eytan