I really love the Stanford campus. I “had” to go there again today for work to return some books to the library. Every time I go there, I love it more. Steve has asked me what I like so much about it and I have a hard time explaining the feeling.
Back, oh so many years ago, when I worked at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, I had to go to the UC Berkeley campus fairly regularly to get things from the library there or to work at Zellerbach Theatre. Since UCB and Stanford have such an intense rivalry, I figure it makes sense to explain through comparison.
UCB felt too hurried, people rushed everywhere. It felt too crowded and packed in, a little too hip, and too self-aware. A little too connected with the city of Berkeley and all of that history. It felt a little too urban.
Stanford is like a world unto itself. Downtown Palo Alto is close but it doesn’t butt up against campus like in Berkeley. There’s a buffer. The campus itself feels open. There are people all over the place, but it is spread out more and doesn’t feel so crowded. There are wooded glens and fountains to listen to. It’s like they’ve installed noise absorption all over the place. I remember UCB seeming loud. At Stanford, it’s like you hear people talking, but it’s subdued, peaceful, calm, almost like there’s a layer of cotton surrounding you. Maybe it’s just that people don’t yell like they seemed to at UCB.
UCB felt like a young person’s school. Perhaps more energetic, but also more immature and self-absorbed.
Stanford feels more intellectual? More studious?
I’m sure some people would read this as boring and this description would be the kiss of death. But, Stanford is energetic in a different way. It is vibrantly thoughtful.
UCB felt like undergrad. Stanford feels like graduate.
Whatever it is, I love the Stanford campus. It makes me want to sit in class again. I want to look around and explore the courtyards and buildings. I want to come down with Steve just to walk around. It’s absolutely lovely and I feel at peace being there. If I were looking at colleges again, Stanford would definitely be a top contender. Maybe someday I’ll get yet another degree and get to spend more time there.
I’ll try to bring a camera with me next time to take a few pictures to share.
Mmmm, Stanford…. How I miss it….
That’s funny, though, because I loved the landscaping at Berkeley — some beautiful gardens there. But yeah, Stanford is definitely a world unto itself.
Well, it’s entirely possible that my memory of UC Berkeley is tainted by time and distance. It’s also possible that my forays to the library didn’t let me see as much of the campus as when I go to Stanford, or that I am connecting UCB too much with my memory of Berkeley itself.
Regardless, Stanford is still dreamy.
I’ll weigh in on the other side. Stanford creeps me out – it’s very Stepford like. Everyone is in class at the same time doing what they’re told. They’re sheltered from the real world and its real problems. At Berkeley you can’t ignore that the homeless exist and that there are economic and social issues that effect people’s daily lives. Just the .02 of a Cal grad.
I think what you say about Berkeley is absolutely true, and that maybe that is why I so like going to Stanford now. Lord knows I know there are social and economic ills in the world, and I get upset about many public policy decisions. Frankly I am tired of all the bad news. I don’t ignore the news, I can’t do that. But still certain stories make me want to cry. Like polar bears eating each other because they are starving. http://www.platypi.com/midwesterngirl/2006/06/study_polar_bears_turning_to_c_1.html
You are probably right that Stanford is too insulating for people who spend 4 or more years there, maybe it would be creepy.
But I love going there for the 30 minutes I get to once a month or so. And right now, for me and my world-weariness, it is peaceful and I feel at peace there.