Berkeley, California

         Upon moving to Fog City, an older gay man told me that most guys who move here stick to a 3-mile-radius within the Castro, Mission, Lower Haight and Hayes Valley and, in effect, never get to see the bountiful beauty of the Bay Area. It's true that people often get stuck in the San Francisco isolation tank, viewing BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) as if it's an intergalactic vehicle that (yawn) we just don't have the gumption to take. That all changed with me last weekend when Mauricio and I took a day trip to Berkeley, California, boarding our bikes onto one of BART's roomy Richmond-bound trains.


   
         Berkeley, California. Hearing the name, I immediately conjure Cambridge, Massachusetts in my mind but Berkeley seems even more unruly, the scourge of the political right and the place where they burn bras and demand free speech. We ventured there on a misty day (Thank the Goddess, we need the moisture) when the UC Berkeley campus was still closed due to the holiday break. Because of the weather and the layout, it reminded me of my own alma mater, The Evergreen State College, in Olympia, Washington. They even shared the same type of campus tree: the London Plane Tree, a hearty deciduous that resists air pollution and rough-housing.

 London Plane Trees


Sather Tower, aka The Campanile
       
        UC Berkeley isn't too awe-inspiring in the architecture department but they do have a few gems. The campus itself gently crawls up a hillside, giving it a commanding view of the city of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. A part of me now wants to go to grad school.



        After our informal campus tour, we walked our bikes down Telegraph Avenue with all of its headshops, bookstores and funky restaurants. We had yummy thai food and I tried on a few vintage running jackets at Mars. I've never seen so many holistic herb shops in one place. There were quite a few venues that offered deep discounts on books and music, something I feel that is not offered in San Francisco except in the Upper Haight.



      All in all, a successful day trip. I could live there easily.

Comments

  1. Sandy Leonard SnapsJanuary 14, 2014 at 12:28 PM

    On my few trips to San Francisco, I've always managed to sneak in a BART trip over to Berkeley. Lunch (cheaper) or dinner ('spensive) at Chez Panisse. That terrific cheese shop and bakery across the street from Chez Panisse. The poetry sidewalk downtown. And, yes, the college campus whose rebel spirit extends into all the neighboring blocks. Can't believe you waited this long to explore.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blue-XelaJanuary 15, 2014 at 9:14 AM

    I must check out Chez Panisse. Thanks for the tip, as always, Sandy.

    ReplyDelete

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