We just returned from a whirlwind visit to the Golden State, looking at four colleges with our daughter, who is a senior this fall at Sharon Academy. Flying into Los Angeles and leaving from San Francisco a week later, we had a great time getting a feel for what it’s like to be a student in California. Here’s favorites from the visits (and a few side trips!):

From top: The William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University overlooks the Westchester area of Los Angeles; our daughter photographs the view, enhanced by the sea breeze from nearby Playa Del Rey; She takes a walk with other visitors on the campus trails at University of California-Santa Cruz, on 2,000 acres overlooking Monterey Bay – I said if she went to school there, she’d not only walk a lot, but be a Slug as well (the school mascot!); One of the campus bulletin boards at UCSC reflects the popular use of staples; scenes at dusk from Santa Monica Pier, including the Hot Dog Stick stand and a slackliner; The town of Locke, population 75, was built in 1915 by Chinese immigrants near Sacramento and now has several museums, including the Dai Loy Gambling House Museum; A customer enjoys a drink at Al’s Place in Locke; Dusk sets in at the end of the road over Monterey Bay in Santa Clara.