"Bus Tour": The USC Neighborhood
Good afternoon folks and welcome to USC! Since we can’t ride the bus together around USC’s neighborhood, my colleagues and I wanted to turn the bus tour into a blog post. I’ll include some pictures too but don’t hesitate to Google some of these places to see what they look like.
First, we’re going to drive down Exposition Boulevard where we’ll see Museum Row. A current Trojan once shared with me that one of their professors assigned each of their students different museum in Los Angeles to visit and report on. This assignment was made much easier by the fact that the world-class California Science Center, African American History Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the almost finished Lucas Museum of Narrative Art are all a short walk from campus. The latter was placed less than two blocks from USC after the School of Cinematic Arts alum George Lucas chose Los Angeles over San Francisco and Chicago to house his private art collection, a Star Wars exhibit and other film-centric memorabilia.
Next, we are going to turn right onto Figueroa to head towards the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Coliseum is home to USC football. I don’t know about you but going to a USC football game is at the top of my post-pandemic to do list. Because the Coliseum seats almost 80,000 people we’re actually really excited that we will be able to host in-person, socially distanced graduation ceremonies for the classes of 2020 and 2021 this spring. Fight on!
Some other major sports facilities to keep your eye out for are the wave-shaped Banc of California stadium that’s home to the L.A. Football Club soccer team and soon, Angel City, a women’s soccer team will start playing there too. Later, we’ll pass the Galen Center where the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams play. Then, our tour we’ll also pass McAlister field where women’s soccer and lacrosse play, as well as the Lyon Center which is home to not only the Uytengsu Aquatics Center for our swimming, diving and water polo teams but also the largest on-campus recreational fitness center all USC students can use. You’ll probably also see some Trojans playing pick-up basketball, soccer or tossing around a frisbee or baseball on the way as well.
As we head north on Figueroa, you’ll see the Fertitta Hall where the Marshall School of Business is located. To the left, you’ll see many of the residence halls where freshman live. As you may have heard, USC students have many choices when it comes to housing. Did you see the Chipotle and Chick-fil-A before we got to the Coliseum? Above those restaurants are the Tuscany apartments, where many Trojans choose to live (even though USC doesn’t own that building). Another private apartment complex is University Gateway, conveniently located just across the street from campus. University Gateway is also the location of many practice rooms for Thornton School of Music students. You know what that means: If you live at Gateway, you better like trombone. Kidding, only half kidding.
As we turn left onto 32nd St. You'll see the Shrine Auditorium which is one of the largest venues in Los Angeles. The Shrine hosts the Screen Actors Guild Awards and hosted the Academy Awards until 2001, when the Oscars moved to the Dolby Theater on Hollywood Boulevard. Many big-name performers come to the Shrine on a weekly basis. Who knows, your first post-COVID concert could be at the Shrine?
Next to the Shrine is the USC Magnet School which is the largest public magnet school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It partners with USC to provide magnet programs in cinematic arts and engineering to high school students. Many USC students get involved working at the USC Magnet School through a service-learning experience with USC’s Joint Educational Program or by joining USC’s oldest and largest club: Troy Camp. Members of Troy Camp mentor and tutor students in nearby schools, like the USC Magnet School.
At the corner of Hoover and 32nd you’ll see the Caruso Catholic Center and Hebrew Union College. Both are representative of the many institutions and houses of worship available for students to get involved with very close to campus. Just around the corner is a Mormon temple and you may have been able to see some of the minarets of the Masjid Omar ibn Al-Khattab Mosque that we passed while we were on Exposition.
As we’ve been gone a while, and I’m ready for a Trader Joes snack, we’re going to end out tour today at the USC Village. First-year students who were offered a major merit scholarship can apply to live in the McCarthy Honors College Residence Hall located above the many retail locations in the Village. Maybe you want a Cava bowl, a Wahlburger, or a latte from Dulce...the USC Village has all of the above, including a Target and an Amazon Locker. Notice students are hard at work studying on their own or meeting for group projects at one of the many tables and outdoor sofas in the Village. As this is our last stop, you’ll definitely want to pick up some USC gear in the Target if you do not have enough already. You will also want to be on the look-out for our upcoming blog post on all the delicious dining options close to campus. We hope you enjoyed this bus tour blog and hope to be able to see you on campus soon!
