Stan State students traveled to San Francisco on Sep. 5th for the first Weekend Warrior trip of the semester.
The Weekend Warrior Program, arranged by Stan State’s Student Center, plans monthly activities where students can travel to off-campus events for lower prices with provided transportation.
For $30, the program planned a trip to San Francisco to kick off the fall 2025 semester. There they went to the Balloon Museum and explored Pier 39.
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Students exploring the first exhibit, Cannonballs created by Motomichi Nakamura, representing anger.
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One of the exhibits at the Balloon Museum called Airship Orchestra by ENESS, representing entrancement.
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Students walking into the Playground Love exhibit created by Michela Picchi, representing amazement and wonder.
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Students in the playground love exhibit interacting with the colorful art.
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Students experiencing the Quiet Storm exhibit with bubbles flying around them.
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Another exhibit at the museum called, Electric Moons by Christopher Bauder, represents carefree joy.
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Students exploring the Balloon Museum and immersing themselves with the ball pit in the Hyperfeeling exhibit.
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Stan State students posing for a picture while immersing themselves in the art.
At the Balloon Museum, there was a variety of art exhibits that students could explore at their own pace. These exhibits were created by artists to show different and complex emotions. The exhibition lasted an hour and a half. During that time students could either immerse themselves in the art, or walk through each exhibit.
When asked what students thought of the day, Tere Garcia (Senior, Business) expressed how she liked how there was enough time and not as many people at the museum.
“I think for the museum everything went really smooth. There was plenty of time for pretty much anything you wanted to do. I think it was a good thing that not that many people were there, that way you could do it at your own pace in a way,” she stated.
Students went through the museum and then explored the Palace of Fine Arts until they traveled to Pier 39, where they spent the rest of their day. At the pier, students were able to get food, see the seals, check out the shops and see all that Pier 39 had to offer.
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The San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts surrounds the Balloon Museum provides the students with an area to walk around, explore and enjoy the scenery.
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A view of the docs from Pier 39 where students were free to explore on their own.
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The seals enjoying the sun on the docks surrounding pier 39.
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When asked about her favorite part of the trip Alexandra Torres (Senior, Liberal Studies) shared what she liked about the Pier when given the chance to explore.
“I really liked seeing all the vendors on the street. Even though it’s not really a part of the pier, like they’re doing their own separate thing, but I think the variety of food in San Francisco is always really good,” she explained.
Ultimately students were happy with the amount of time they had to spend in San Francisco and the overall price of the trip. Torres believes the pricing was fair when considering all of the perks that were provided for the students.
Each month of the semester the program schedules an event for students, where they pay for one third of the total trip and transportation cost. Which in turn makes the trips more affordable and accessible for students.
In October the Weekend Warrior Program has scheduled a trip to Fright Fest at Six Flags on the 11th for $45. To see when tickets go on sale, check out Stan State’s ASI instagram.
