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Life in the Bay Area

Marin County

Dominican University of California is located in the city of San Rafael in Marin County. The campus is just a brief walk from the town center, outdoor cafes and boutique shops.

The Marin Civic Center, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is a few miles away. The Civic Center is home to the Marin Center, a famed performance venue for a wide variety of musicians and theater artists.

The Mill Valley Film Festival and the Rafael Theater are home to independent and international cinema. The Belrose theater and the Marin Theater Company offer dancing, acting and improvisation lessons.

Nearby are dozens of public parks, recreation facilities, and an array of beaches overlooking the bay or the ocean. You can explore sailing, kayaking, and windsurfing as well as golf, tennis, horseback riding, hiking, or mountain biking.

Beyond San Rafael you can discover a beautiful sights and destinations such as the Marin Headlands, Sausalito, Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, China Camp, Mt. Tamalpais, and Point Reyes National Seashore. There is also a collection of hidden spots in Marin should you decide to venture off the beaten path.

San Francisco

San Francisco, what locals simply call "The City," is just 12 miles south from Dominican. A brief car, ferry or bus ride will take you to the cultural hub of the western United States.

Discover the unique soul of The City as you dine on fresh seafood at the Fisherman’s Warf on Pier 39, unwind at a baseball game at AT&T Park, or cruise Lombard Street, one of America’s steepest, curviest streets.

You'll leave your heart in this famed metropolis when you discover some of its unique neighborhoods. North Beach, San Francisco’s Little Italy, serves as the main nightlife district and is filled with notoriously enticing restaurants. It is also the historic epicenter for the Beat Generation.

Lose yourself in the Haight district’s bohemian atmosphere lined with funky storefronts and Painted Lady Victorian homes. Explore the birth place of the hippie culture in this unique neighborhood.

Home to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, the Marina District greets visitors as they cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Stimulate your mind at the Palace of Fine Arts and Exploratorium, the only two buildings left standing after the 1915 World’s Fair.

The City is packed with sights-to-see and a myriad of attractions:

  • SFMoMA
  • Alcatraz
  • Coit Tower
  • City Hall
  • Union Square
  • Golden Gate Park (The Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum)
  • The San Francisco Zoo

The East Bay

Berkeley, jam-packed with trendy clothing stores and vintage record outlets, is a few miles east of Dominican. A stroll downtown illuminates this social town bursting with unique bookstores and pubs. Soak up a breathtaking view of the bay at the Berkeley Marina or enjoy horse racing at Golden Gate Fields, the only major race track in Northern California.

A quick excursion south to Oakland takes you to the Oakland Coliseum, a multi-purpose outdoor stadium boasting football’s Raiders and baseball’s Athletics. Attend a Warrior’s basketball game at the Oracle Arena’s indoor sports ground or watch it transform to a spectacular amphitheater for concerts.

Broaden your horizons at the Oakland Museum of California, which converges art, natural science, and history under one roof. Encounter the jewel of Oakland, Lake Merritt, and its silhouette of lights.

And Beyond

A quick trip north will fulfill your need for speed at Infineon Raceway, (host of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, and IZOD IndyCar Series). Located at the base of Sonoma County, it serves as the entrance to the Sonoma and Napa Valley Wine Country. Go south and you'll be on your way to Santa Cruz. With more time to spare, you can venture to Mendocino, Lake Tahoe, Monterey, Big Sur, Carmel, or Yosemite.

Public Transit

Most sections of the Bay Area are accessible by some form of public transportation–be it a cable car, bus, subway, train, or ferry boat.

  • Marin Transit runs buses and shuttles that will take you to and from points within Marin County.
  • Golden Gate Transit runs buses and ferries that will take you from points in Marin County to San Francisco.
  • The Alameda/Oakland Ferry provides service from the East Bay to San Francisco.
  • The San Francisco Muni offers public transportation, such as electric buses or subway, anywhere within the city of San Francisco.
  • Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) runs train cars connecting the San Francisco Peninsula to many cities in the East Bay such as Oakland and Berkeley.
  • For daily commuter trains running the length of San Francisco to the South Bay, visit CalTrain.