The Student Home at 179 Los
Ranchitos Road, San Rafael, CA 94903 is ideally located
in a very safe residential neighborhood. All places of
interest can easily be reached.
Map
Click on the
images above for larger view
Schools
& Libraries
 
There are many schools and libraries to choose from
including the Library at Dominican University, San
Rafael Public Library and the College of Marin.
ELS Language Center:
3.5 kilometers (free shuttle bus)
A free shuttle bus allows intensive and semi-intensive ELS
students to get quickly and easily to and from class (only 5
minutes). A public
bus that stops near
ELS and
Dominican University operates
throughout the day.
- Bus: 5 minutes
- Bicycle: 20 minutes
Directions
Dominican University’s
Recreation Center: 3.5 kilometers
ELS students have access to Dominican’s new recreation
center, including the swimming pool, fitness center,
volleyball and basketball courts, and dance and yoga
studios.
Dominican University
Library: 3.5 kilometers
Dominican’s library and computer center is an ideal place to
study. Opening hours are during the academic year MON – THU
8am – 10:30pm; FRI 8am – 5pm; SAT 9am – 5pm; SUN 2pm –
10:30pm. During semester breaks: MON – FRI 9am – 5pm; SAT &
SUN closed.
College of Marin (Indian Valley Campus): 15
kilometers
A free shuttle bus brings
College of Marin's English Language
(IEP) students to and from school (only 15
minutes).
 San Rafael Public Library:
4.5 kilometers
Opening hours are TUE – THU 10am – 9pm; FRI – SAT 10am –
5pm; SUN 1pm – 5pm.
College of Marin (Kentfield Campus): 8.5 kilometers
One of California’s finest two-year community colleges can
be easily reached by bus from the Transit Center.
Please
contact us if you need our
free shuttle service.
More information on College of Marin.
Northgate Mall
Northgate Mall can easily be
reached by foot in only 5 minutes! Inside the mall and
the surrounding stores, students can find:
- Cinema: a
large cinema with 15 screens shows the latest movies!
- Restaurants: there is Applebee's and many
restaurants in the Food Court.
- Bars: Applebee's and Chili's have a typical
American bar area.
- Stores: there are many fashion stores,
specialty shops and department
stores inside the mall and at the nearby Shopping Center.
- Grocery Stores: the large Safeway
supermarket is nearby.
- Banks: there are several large banks right
at Northgate Mall.
Downtown
 Restaurants:
San Rafael is famous for its huge variety of international
restaurants. There are over 150 restaurants from
all over the world. Click
HERE for our favorite
restaurants.
Cafes: There are several outdoor cafes serving
coffee, cake and ice cream.
Shopping: There are many stores, including
jewelry, fashion and groceries (including an Asian
Market). A farmers market on Thursday evenings features
fresh produce, art, jewelry and live music.
Bars: If you are at least 21 years old, you can
enjoy a good beer and live music in one of the many
downtown bars. The most famous bar, Fourth Street Tavern
is only a few blocks from the Student Home.
Billiard: Classic Billiards is a great place to
shoot pool with your friends.
Cinema: The historic Rafael Theater shows famous classic movies.
Bowling: Enjoy an evening of bowling with your
fellow students at Country
Club Bowl – open on weekends till midnight.
Grocery Stores
(1.5 kilometers)
 There
are many stores near the Student Home, and students can do all their
grocery shopping in the neighborhood: Safeway, a large
supermarket is only a few blocks away. Many more
supermarkets (for example, United Supermarket, Whole Foods
Market, and Trader Joe’s) and the Asian Market can be
reached by bicycle or by our free shuttle bus.
Safeway
This large supermarket is only a few blocks
from the Student Home!Directions
from Student Home:
CLICK HERE |
Asian Market
Small but good selection of Asian foods
including Chinese, Thai, Korean and
Japanese.
Directions
from Student Home:
CLICK HERE |
Whole Foods
If you want the very best, organic produce
and meats, you should try Whole Foods. There
you’ll also find homeopathic medicine, a
large selection of cheese and hot meals. Be
warned: it’s not cheap!
Directions
from Student Home:
CLICK HERE |
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe’s at Montecito Shopping Center is
not only very cheap but you also find
excellent groceries there. Many items are
imported. Trader Joe’s is our favorite
grocery store.
Directions
from Student Home:
CLICK HERE |
Restaurants
(1 kilometer)
 There
are many of restaurants nearby, some of which are very
inexpensive:
- Food Court at Northgate
Mall: meals for $3 - $6.
- McDonalds and other fast food restaurants.
- Little Mandarin: a favorite of Dominican students;
Chinese food for $4.50.
- Taqueria San Jose: giant Mexican burritos for $3.75.
The cafeteria at Dominican
University also serves good and inexpensive food: about $280 for
the 4-week lunch & dinner meal plan. Click
HERE for directions to our
favorite restaurants.
Activities
San Rafael is an ideal location:
it’s very safe, only a short drive away from San Francisco
and Napa Valley, and the sunny and mild weather allows for
many outdoor activities, including mountain biking and
surfing. The following are some examples:
San Francisco: 18 kilometers
San Francisco can easily be reached by one of countless
buses from the Transit Center. Or take the bus to the
Larkspur ferry terminal for a
scenic ferry ride to San
Francisco.
Stinson Beach: 32 kilometers
You can reach Stinson Beach by bus from the Transit
Center.
Napa Valley: 44 kilometers
You can reach Napa Valley and its world-famous wineries by
bus from the Transit Center.
Transportation
Free Shuttle Bus
We offer a free shuttle bus for ELS, Dominican University
and College of Marin Students to an from school. In
addition, we offer free "go anywhere" transportation in the
afternoons - just tell the driver where you want to go!
Bus
Walk to one of the two bus stops near the Student Home from
where you can take an express bus directly to San Francisco,
or a local bus to the Transit Center (this bus also stops
near Dominican University). From the Transit Center, you can
take one of countless buses to any city in the area.
Bicycles
Bicycles are available for rent ($25 per 4-week session),
allowing students to quickly and easily reach the ELS
Language Center, the public library, Northgate Mall,
downtown, restaurants, and shops. [Back
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