Berkeley Part One: Warm and Fabulous
OK, getting back to the trip –
So Monday I hopped in the car and trekked up 880 to spend some time in Berkeley. I spent the morning wandering through the city itself, down University Ave and some of the neighboring areas west of campus.
Walking through the residential areas, I was overwhelmed by the tremendous greenwalls and urban gardens that defined the corridors:
And of course the fantastic historic architecture:
Now, the above house is one of the oldest in the neighborhood, a historic landmark built in 1876 nicknamed the Morning Glory Cottage, but even the “newer” developments (which I would guess were mostly 30s, 40s, etc…?) all tended towards the same sort of highly stylized classic designs. Truly a lovely area just to stroll through.
As I did so I encountered several neighborhood residents out for walks, bike rides, etc, and was struck by the radiant friendliness of each and every one. I think life in Berkeley must be good for the soul : )
Actually I wonder if the omnipresent Hindu influence on the area has something to do with it; one of the folks I encountered was in fact Indian, and while the shops & restaurants in the area certainly represented a very diverse population, the Indian / Hindu presence seemed dominant — hence, the Krishna Copy Center:
(I can’t resist: “when you need your copies in a Hare”… : )
Lunch at a vegan cafe seemed an appropriate way to cap a beautiful morning roaming Berkeley the city, so I ventured in to the Cafe Gratitude:
Honestly the place was a tad gimmicky, but in a touching and charming sort of way. The waitress set me up with a pitcher of distilled water and silverware rolled in a natural, unbleached cloth napkin; I didn’t ask but wouldn’t be surprised if it was hemp or some such fiber. Here’s where it gets really cute: the menu names each item a self-affirmation — “I am Healthy”, “I am Caring”, “I am Beautiful”, etc. And when they bring you the food, they announce it as such: “Jon, you are Chipper and Plenty”, “Who is Cool, Heroic, and Celebrating?”, etc. I had a lovely Faux Pho miso soup and a lasagna, hence “I am Warm and Fabulous”.
All that said, I wasn’t wowed by the food. It was obvioulsy very well-prepared in a gourmet style, it was just a little bland for my tastes. But I do like my food very spicy, so perhaps I’d have done better to be Elated… I will say though, the waitress gave me a couple of free samples of their smoothies, and those were fantastic. I wish I remembered what flavors they were.
When all is said and done I would very much describe Berkeley as something like Belmont Blvd made into an entire town. I am inclined to think that much of Belmont Blvd’s flavor in fact probably does come through the influence of Berkeley as the image of the quintessential college experience as sometimes projected from Hollywood, representative of the “Californication” of America — I would say an example of how that’s not necessarily a bad thing : )
Berkeley is fun. I used to hang out there a lot on weekends. Did you get to see much of the street vendors along Telegraph Ave? Not sure if that’s only a weekend thing or what.
I did see the street vendors! Yeah that was definitely another awesome feature. I wish I’d thought to get a pic.