Cultural Offerings of Davis

Life in Davis... outside of campus

[come-home]

Found

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[fresh-mind-fresh-day-deactivate]

If you can dream it, you can do it. -Fresh Mind Fresh Day

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[historyinhighheels]

[cmcaulfield-blog]

Theater and Film in Davis: Speakers

Going into this week’s class if I am being honest I wasn’t very excited to just sit in the classroom and listen to speakers for a few hours but this week ended up being my favorite week of this class so far. This week’s theme for class was all about Theater and Film in Davis but also included the topic of Art. The first speaker we heard from was a man named Rob Sallas who is the artistic director for The Davis Shakespeare Ensemble. He told the class how he began his journey attending Harvard University receiving a BA in dramatic art and ended up coming to Davis to see a friend and falling in love with the town. Rob not only has a role in The Davis Shakespeare Ensemble but also worked for one of the most prestigious Shakespeare festivals in the country, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Our next speaker was Corey La Rue a graduate from UC Davis who is now both an artist and a poet. Corey’s passion for what he is doing with his life I found truly inspiring. He told the class that he struggled a lot his freshman year of college and actually was placed on academic probation but he ended up finding a love for art and poetry that acted as an escape for his problems which pulled him out of his rut. Corey reminded the class how blessed we are to have the opportunity to attend such a great and prestigious University which is something I know I often take for granted or seem to forget about. Corey is completely right though. There are so many people who aren’t given the opportunity we all have to receive a higher education and begin the pathway to living their dreams. Its easy to get caught up in hating school around the time a big assignment is due or a midterm is coming up but at the end of the day we should be so thankful for the opportunity we are being given. Corey also explained though that the struggles definitely don’t end right after you graduate and just because you have a college degree it doesn’t guarantee you a job. He currently is working at a restaurant to support himself and his art but is very happy and content with his life.

I think this week struck a cord for me because it really put a spotlight on making it out of struggles. Everyone faces hardships no matter how big or small but it is what we chose to learn from those struggles that determines if we will grow from them or not. When there are bumps in the rode it does nothing for you if you stop believing in yourself, give up, and dwell on the past.  A person can only learn from their mistakes if they recognize them, move on, and then they will experience a light at the end of the tunnel. For Corey his light was finding a passion for Art and Poetry, which truly inspires me to want to find something I am just as passionate about. 

[cmcaulfield-blog]

The end is here

In my final week of my Freshman Seminar I would like to take a moment to reflect on everything I have learned throughout this quarter. Looking back I am very surprised how this class has actually reminded me of very many important life lessons. I came into this class thinking that it sounded somewhat interesting and I needed the units but now leaving I couldn’t be any happier that this is the class I chose to take. This class unlike many of the other classes I am taking was a very enjoyable experience and even if I wasn’t a fan of every activity we did each activity taught me something different and made me realize a valuable lesson.

First, this quarter (from week one) I was reminded of the importance of doing what you love. If you are happy with your life and your career that should be all the satisfaction you need and money is a mere bonus. Another valuable lesson I was reminded of this quarter is to not judge a book by its cover. Coming into this seminar I didn’t think Davis had that much culture to offer, believing a lot of the stereotype that Davis is only a cow town.  Throughout this seminar I have realized that even the smallest unexpected towns have a history and sometimes it is far more interesting than you may think from first glance. Davis to me has become a “hidden gem” and truly has so much character (outside of the campus) for such a small town. Lastly, but maybe most importantly, this seminar has reminded me to take time to embrace your surroundings. I often tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life and forget that there is so much more out there that I have yet to experience. Taking time out of your day to try something new or go to a place you’ve never been to before can end up pleasantly surprising you.

In this final week of class, our task was not to go to one more place but to travel to a variety of the places we’ve already been to through a picture scavenger hunt. Once we got to class we were separated into groups of 5, chose 5 photos and then were given an hour or so to bike around Davis and take a picture of our group in that location.  My group was actually given six pictures to find but we only remembered where five of them were. Some of the locations my group had to find included a sorority house, a few pieces of Davis artwork (ones we saw in our outdoor art walk), and even a hotdog shaped bench! I thought this activity was an interesting and very fun way to end this class because not only did it remind us of all the places we had ventured to throughout the quarter but proved to us that we could find them on our own and later in life if we wanted to venture back to them we could! 

[cmcaulfield-blog]

Davis Photo Scavenger Hunt last week of class! I was the photographer 

[cmcaulfield-blog]

Mishka's Cafe

I know I said this last week but this week was also one of my favorite outings I’ve been on this quarter. For our week 7 trip, my class went to Mishka’s café, which is a small independently, owned coffee shop located on 610 2nd Street in Downtown Davis right next to the Varsity Theater. I must say when I heard we were going to Mishka’s I got quite excited because I had already been there a few weeks before so not only was I somewhat familiar with the location but that also meant I could get a chai tea latte (aka the best chai tea latte I’ve ever had). Upon arriving at Mishka’s I met up with my classmates around the corner at one of the tables and once the whole class had arrived we proceeded to go upstairs into a secret room to meet the owner of Mishka’s, Sinisa Novakovic.

Sinisa was a very interesting man who began his talk to us by telling us a little bit about how he came to owning Mishka’s. He told the class that he was originally from Yugoslavia but moved to the states and attended school at UC Davis. One might think he must’ve studied business or economics in order to now have his own business but surprisingly he didn’t. He actually graduated a science major thinking he was going to work in a lab but realized where his true passion lied and that was with Mishka’s. He told us that back in Yugoslavia coffee shops were so different than the ones he had experienced so far in the United States and that’s where his dream to create Mishka’s stemmed from. In Yugoslavia coffee shops are a place where people sit down, enjoy their atmosphere, form relationships, and enjoy the company of others over a cup of coffee. The coffee shops in the states however were more places to just grab your coffee, leave, and get on with your day. Sinisa told the class also that getting to where he is now (a successful business owner) did not come easy and definitely had its rough patches. He explained there were times when he wasn’t making any money at all but the reason he kept the café running was because it was what he loved to do.

Sinisa like many of the other speakers my class had heard from brought up the topic of the importance of money in relation to doing what you love to do. If there is ONE THING I have drawn from this class is that it really doesn’t matter how much money you are making because happiness is far more valuable then any salary. Even though Sinisa faced hardship in forming his business but he never gave up and is now a very successful and happy businessman who also happens to run not only Mishka’s but also the Varsity Theater next door as well as the Gelato store next to that.  Visiting Mishka’s and getting to hear Sinisa’s story was an awesome ending to all the outings my class went on this quarter!

[cmcaulfield-blog]

Mishka's Cafe

[cmcaulfield-blog]

The Hattie Webber Museum

When I heard about where we were meeting up for this week’s trip, The Hattie Webber Museum, my emotions and feelings towards this were mixed. First of all, I had never even heard of this museum before or seen it in Davis so I had no idea what to expect. Going into this trip I just expected it to be a museum (which I am usually not the biggest fan of) teaching the class some sort of history. Although I am not usually a fan of museums this one did have a few very interesting points to it. First when I got to the museum I met up with my classmates in front and observed the atmosphere while we were chatting. This museum is located right next to central park in a building that one may not really take much notice to if they were just walking down the street. But, as I often say in these blogs, this museum can be probably thought of to many as a hidden gem. The building itself is small and actually used to be the old Davis library but was later purchased by a social club and then reopened as the Hattie Webber Museum on March 28, 1992. Once our whole class had arrived at this location we entered the museum, which only consists of one room. Dr. Jones then introduced us to a woman who works at the museum and she continued to tell us a little bit about what it was all about and then asked if anyone had questions. Basically the Hattie Webber Museum is a museum containing various keepsakes and historic items that all have played a role in Davis history. If someone were to come to Davis wanting to find out more about the town itself and how it has blossomed into what it is today this museum would definitely be the place to go.

            After listening to the woman tell us about the museum we were aloud to explore some more on our own. I took pictures (below) of a few things that I found very interesting while exploring. One of the first things that jumped out at me was the old bicycle. I found this so interesting because I know that obviously in today’s day and age Davis is known for its biking but I had no idea that bikes were so historic to the town. I also found it interesting that one of the old bikes in the museum, the Schwinn cruiser, had such a great resemblance to my bike here at Davis. This to me just reminded me that people often forget where certain things come from but everything has a beginning and if we look back to that beginning sometimes the similarities can be uncanny. One more thing in this museum that really caught my eye was the Old North Davis street sign because it too has a very similar look as the street signs in Davis today and just reminded me once again how the future often resembles the past.

[toshiki-adachi-blog]

It was bad but I could not understand what two guest speakers said clearly because of my shortage of skill, in particular, abstract idea was hard to understand. Besides, their talk speed was a little bit faster for me, so I refereed to another person’s blog a little. In my feeling, both two...

[cmcaulfield-blog]

I think it’s so awesome that since you’re from Japan you can compare your experiences from there to all of your experiences here. Its really cool that you had the opportunity when you were back there to experience a few plays and that you are eager to see what they are like here. In this post I really related to when you said, “creative activity is not so far from us” because if there was one idea I took from hearing the speakers talk that class it was exactly this. The speakers emphasized the importance of having a creative outlook and how no matter how much money you are making it is important to be doing what you love otherwise money is just an object.

[ucdavisguy-deactivated20140722]

My class meet up at the Hattie Weber Museum. When I got there I was surprised, I was expecting it to be much larger. It is a little building located on the corner of Central Park in downtown Davis. The building says “library” outside. It was originally a library located on F Street, but the lot...

[cmcaulfield-blog]

Museums aren’t really my thing either! I tend to get kind of bored learning about history after a while but this museum did have some interesting points to it. I definitely agree with you that if someone is into history they would love it because not only is everything in the museum very monumental to Davis but the building itself (being the old library) has an awesome background to it as well. I personally enjoyed checking out the bikes in the museum and all the posters in the center that contained tons of random facts about different topics including a condensed Davis history timeline. 

[mmaands]

There is never a lack of options here in Davis. Whether it comes to food, clothes, bikes, stores! It’s every hungry individuals dream. Whether your stomach is craving Thai, Italian, American, Chinese, and dessert food. Davis is ready to accommodate everyone and anyone’s cravings. For a small town,...

[cmcaulfield-blog]

You are so right that Davis has so many options for everything and who would’ve thought it would for it being such a small town! No matter what kind of food you are craving Davis rises to the challenge and just when you think you may have to go without whatever food your craving you find a restaurant. I happen to love Sushi but have only been to Mikuni so far which is in the Davis Commons Plaza. Although its super good it is pricey. I am definitely going to take your suggestion of Fuji's Sushi next time I go out because that price is hard to beat! 

[ucdavisguy-deactivated20140722]

I had never been to Mishka’s cafe before. I heard my friends talk about it, referring to is as “the place all the hipsters go to”. My friends are not hipsters though and they go there often. I had seen my friends post photos on their instagram of the drinks from Mishka’s. So I was excited when I...

[cmcaulfield-blog]

I totally relate to you in hearing your friends describe Mishka’s Cafe as the “place all the hipsters go” because my first trip there (a few weeks prior to our class trip) that is exactly how the friend I was getting coffee with described it. I love the fact that it is such a unique little coffee shop and not just a chain like Starbucks. Mishka’s Cafe is definitely a place where you don’t just stop in, grab your coffee and go (like Starbucks) but is a cool little hangout where friends can take in and appreciate the atmosphere as well!

[jannyexploresdavis]

Though week four seems like centuries ago, I still remember this particular week since it was not that interesting by contrast to other class periods to be completely honest. We started the class talking about what we have done so far and how our blogs are going and whatnot. And then Professor...

[cmcaulfield-blog]

Like you (since I didn’t have a bike) I had to take the “less adventurous” route and venture out on my own through central park. Even though at first I was bummed because I pride myself on being a pretty adventurous person I was definitely pleasantly surprised by my exploration through central park and made a few revelations of my own. The carousal was for sure my favorite discovery! I have never noticed it there before because the only time I have been to central park was when I went to Yolo Berry at night and didn’t really stop to enjoy the park but merely walked through it. I also agree with you that E-street plaza is an awesome place to hang out!

[fitindavis-blog]

October 5, 2013 - My first trip into the heart of Davis was quite an experience, especially the interesting art at the John Natsoulas Art Gallery. Before, I thought art was pretty boring and was objects that you could only find in museums, but boy I was...

[cmcaulfield-blog]

I totally agree with you when you said you always thought art was very boring and that you were surprised by how hip and updated a lot of the John Natsoulas Art Gallery was. I have never been one to venture out to a museum or a gallery in my own time honestly because I forget that they are there. This was a very interesting trip for me because it reminded me that art and the beauty it contains is a lot more prevalent than expected. I’m so used to just going shopping or to dinner and a movie with friends and even though it becomes monotonous and were always looking for new fresh things to do we end up going back to the typical things. This class and more specifically this gallery has shown me that art can be interesting, modern, and relatable to people our age and that if I’m ever bored with friends I might recommend checking out a local exhibit.