St. Francis Transit

Hastings College of the Law. As you can see, the college is situated like any other building, on the corner of Hyde and McAllister, in the heart of San Francisco's downtown Civic Center district. Apparently, going to school in the middle of a major urban area is a shock to some people, since a good part of the tour involved explaining that seeing homeless people and drug addicts is an inevitable part of the Hastings experience. Security for students is top notch, though, with full time UC police on duty in addition to the local force. This is, after all, the Tenderloin.

The college is one of the few stand-alone law schools in the country, meaning it doesn't sit on the campus of a larger university. The context of Hastings is the city's center of government, home to City Hall, the federal and local courthouses, the California state building and other civic treasures like the opera house and the main branch of the public library, pictured here above. Knock the style if you want, but the library is crucial for any avid reader and cinephile living on a budget. I must not be the only one -- circulation is up 15% from last year according to The Examiner.
In addition to placing law students close to the legal center of the city and not so far at all from the financial district, Hastings offers students a front row seat to events taking place in the expansive Civic Center square. The organic victory garden, left, was the setting for the Slow Food Nation series of exhibitions earlier in the summer. On this particular day, though, it was the scene of an anti-Prop 8, pro-gay marriage demonstration, complete with an all-male choir. "We don't care what you call it", one protester expained, "we just want civil liberties."

I guess the golden rule of freedom is to do whatever you want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone, and it's simply unbelievable to think that these people getting married is causing anyone real harm. And if their rights can be taken away so easily, where does it end? Still, even though I voted against Prop 8, it never ceases to amaze me just how much gaiety there is in this town. And other than the solidarity that comes from being a persecuted group, it's hard to tell exactly what most of these people have to be so proud about.

Anyways, getting back to Hastings, my favorite part of the tour was a visit to "The Tower", which serves as a residence hall and meeting place for most of the student groups. On the 24th floor, the aptly named skyroom features a 360-degree panorama of the city, one of the best views anywhere, easily rivaling Top of the Mark on Nob Hill or Coit Tower. Apparently, it's a popular study spot and is frequently used to host events. If I'm accepted to the college, this, the tallest building in the Civic Center, is where I'd most likely be living next year.

As for the info session, it went very well, with me asking several pertinent questions, introducing myself to key admissions staff, and leaving with an overall feeling of confidence. It's not Berkeley, but UC Hastings is one of the top 50 or so law schools in the country and produces more judges than any other law school in the state. And, Hastings has the single largest career placement program of any law school in the country, with thousands of interviews by top firms conducted on campus every year. The admissions coordinator also assures me the almuni network is quite vast and includes legal professionals across the U.S. who assist graduates in getting positions in every major legal center.

So, that's the Civic Center, just a short 10 or 15-minute walk down Polk, and an impressive part the city. On the way back, I snapped a shot of California Street just minutes before the parade portion of the anti-Prop 8 demonstration rolled through with loud cheers and horn-honking. As you can see, it was one of those warm winter days with nary a cloud in the sky. Lately it's either this or complete fog, which, frankly, is just as beautiful.