Judith Schrut moves on to Berkeley for the next stop in her tour of Northern California.
We’re heading south now, down Highway 101 to Berkeley, home of the Free Speech Movement, the top public university in the USA and my Alma Mater.
I won’t say how long ago I was a naive and idealistic undergraduate here, but I would do it again at the drop of a peace sign. Berkeley is also a great holiday destination, particularly for lovers of food, music and American counterculture.
The heady days of free speech marches and anti-Vietnam war demos may be long gone, but in many ways Berkeley has changed very little. Nowadays, protest marches from Sproul Plaza are led by anti-Trump or Boycott Alt-Right activists. Hippie bead and tie dye stalls, head shops and radical book stores still line Telegraph Avenue and sales at Annapurna, Moe’s and Bongo Burger are as brisk as ever.
Do
Whether this is your first visit or an alum return, the perfect day in Berkeley is best begun with breakfast and browsing in the “Gourmet Ghetto”, the nicknamed North Berkeley neighbourhood considered the birthplace of California Cuisine.
Start where it all began, with a large, dark roast coffee and warm bear claw at the original Peet’s Coffee at Walnut and Vine, where you’ll be mingling with a mix of current students and nostalgic alumni visiting with their grandkids. Fifty years ago, Dutch born Alfred Peet unknowingly founded the US “coffee revolution” in this very shop, offering European charm, a warm and lively atmosphere and quality, hand roasted, damn good coffee. Here he mentored the folks behind Starbucks. Don’t miss the tiny museum in the rear of the shop for a fascinating glimpse into Peet’s history, now a 200 store chain in fifty states.
You’ll want to spend the rest of your morning sampling the many bakeries, cafes and food shops selling natural, locally sourced and farm-to-table culinary delights. At lunchtime, cross the street to join the quickly forming queues outside the famed Cheese Board Pizza. Nothing proclaims Eat Berkeley! like the long line around the block you’ll always find here. The pizza menu is joltingly short– just one non-meat variety each day– but always in interesting combinations. Today it might be red roasted onion, broccolini, orange zest, goat’s cheese and pistachios, or Cremini mushroom, plum tomato, mozzarella and ricotta salata topped with arugula in lemon vinaigrette dressing. Even serving just one veggie pizza a day, Cheese Board is perpetually rated as one of America’s best pizzerias.
If you prefer picnic to pizza, sidestep next door to the Cheese Board Collective, where you’ll be overwhelmed by the fragrance of fresh baked breads, cookies, scones, cakes and deli delights, perfect take-outs for your picnic at nearby Live Oak Park or the Berkeley Rose Garden. Choosing is an awesome task, with more than 300 cheeses on display, so it’s lucky that cheese sommeliers like Emma (pictured above) are on hand to help you choose.
Photo Geoffrey Davies
Afternoon is perfect for a leisurely stroll through the beautiful Berkeley campus, full of history and surprise. Affectionately known as Cal, this is academic home to 35,000 students, 100+ Nobel Prize winners and top university rankings. This year Cal is glorying in its 150th birthday celebrations.
To see this campus like no other, join a free public walking tour or go self-guided. Here’s your chance to hug the tall, fragrant trees in the Eucalyptus Grove, wander nearby paths lined with old oak, redwood and pine, admire the classic to contemporary architecture and join students sunbathing on the banks of Strawberry Creek. Pay homage to Sproul Plaza and Sather Gate, fabled start points for civil rights and anti-war protests of the 1960s and ’70s, and walk down legendary Telegraph Avenue for some local flavour and an espresso at Caffé Med.
Finally, climb to the top of the campus ‘Campanile’ tower to enjoy its wondrous carillon bell concerts, 11,000 pound Great Bear Bell adorned with carvings of baby bears and glorious views out to the San Francisco Bay. Go Bears!
Photo Geoffrey Davies
Stay
We stayed very comfortably at Hotel Shattuck, a mid-range boutique hotel conveniently located outside Berkeley’s main BART station (the Bay Area’s underground railway) and easy walking distance to both the university and the Gourmet Ghetto. The hotel fully embraces the Berkeley vibe of peace and love with psychedelic carpets, wallpaper design and hallway decor. Rooms are spacious, stylish and eco-friendly, with many enjoying panoramic views over Berkeley and San Francisco Bay. Much as I adore the buzz and excitement of San Francisco by day, Berkeley is a quieter place to spend the night, with easy, quick travel connections to all Bay Area airports, amenities and attractions.
Eat
A lot of travellers come to Berkeley for one reason only: to dine at Chez Panisse.
Chez Panisse was founded in 1971 by Alice Waters and a small band of friends looking to set up a homey neighbourhood bistro serving organic, locally grown and top tasting food. One of the original jewels in the Gourmet Ghetto crown, Chez Panisse is now one of the most famous restaurants in the world. This acclaimed eatery is hardly a meal option for the average Cal student, but it is the ideal place to impress, and be treated by, visiting parents.
Reader, I waited decades to eat here and it was well worth the wait. The posher Restaurant is downstairs; upstairs is the Café, a slightly less expensive but equally popular variation. Both are surprisingly relaxed and laid back for a place so revered, and I found the whole experience memorable, from the bustling open kitchen to our cozy table surrounded by pine garlands and mirrors to the locally sourced, beautifully presented food that tasted every bit as good as it looked. Accompanied by California Zinfandel, of course.
Photo Iwan Baan, courtesy of BAMPFA, with thanks to AJ Fox
Play
Berkeley is hardly Hollywood when it comes to cinema, but BAMPFA– the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive– is a university museum that definitely punches above its weight, a splendid two-in-one showcase for art and film housed in an innovative space, formerly an art deco print factory.
The museum’s trove of Chinese and Japanese art, abstract expressionist painting, photography and West Coast avant garde is particularly outstanding, and the archive has one of the most extensive film collections in the world. Films are screened daily and there are frequent themed events with top guest movie makers, critics and scholars. Worth a stop on its own is BAMPFA’s lovely and very cool Babette Café (as in Babette’s Feast), offering delicious organic food, drink and ‘film to table’ eating experiences.
Photo Geoffrey Davies
