Bouquet Street closest to campus, to all our hearts

To most people who are familiar with the South Oakland area, the street that lies between… To most people who are familiar with the South Oakland area, the street that lies between Fifth Avenue and Dawson Street is called South Bouquet. But to the residents who live on this half-mile stretch for the school year, it is called home.

Within eyesight of the Cathedral of Learning, South Bouquet sits on a hill that overlooks much of the campus and serves as home to the post office and several other small businesses.

Zach Dixon, a senior and resident of South Bouquet Street, only looked at one apartment before deciding to rent it for the school year. Since moving in, he has enjoyed living near campus.

“I like how close it is,” he said. “It was my number one reason for picking it.”

Junior Ryan Radovich feels the same way about his apartment, but it wasn’t so easy for him to find the perfect place to live.

“I transferred here during the summer and didn’t really look [for apartments] until June,” Radovich said. “All of the ones I looked at were either run-down or too expensive. Then I found this one, and it was not only the cheapest but the nicest, too.”

Not only does Radovich like his apartment, but he also appreciates the service his landlord provides. When he had problems with his laundry room, he called his landlord who had people come out and fix it a half-hour later.

“The maintenance crew is great,” he said. “They jumped right on it.”

Unfortunately, Dixon hasn’t had the same satisfaction from his landlord.

“She hasn’t even installed fire alarms,” he said.

While they haven’t had the same service, both Dixon and Radovich feel fortunate that they haven’t had any break-ins at their apartments.

“There was no crime here over break that I’m aware of,” Dixon said.

Radovich said that there have been some muggings and a shooting on other streets that he knows of, but he “hasn’t even had a close call.”

Another benefit of living on South Bouquet Street is the fact that he is closer to the “center” of campus, Radovich said.

“It’s a short walk to a lot of great places and it’s no more than 10 minutes to class,” he said. “And I’m really glad about that with the weather we’ve been having lately.”