Day 2; pt 2 Berkeley

As mentioned previously, from Oakland we got back on the BART (Kate called it the BARF, although there wasn't anything nauseating or gross about it) and headed to the hippie haven of Berkeley.

We were very, very hungry upon our arrival and we scoured the main street for a place to eat. Our guide books didn't give many suggestions, and many of the top choices available were too chainish (one of our top choices was a place called BurgerMeister-- which we later discovered was a chain). On a side street leading towards the University and Telegraph Avenue, we found Razan's Organic Kitchen which totally seemed like the Berkeley thing to do. The food was pretty good and they had a nice little dining area upstairs that was quiet and comfortable. Kate had a chicken burrito, and I had falafel wrap sandwich called an "Egyptian Wrap". Proud to say I went veggie when I ate in Berkeley. We split a order of blue chips and salsa. The salsa was fabulous, fresh cilantro tomatoes and onions, pico de gallo at its best. Kate refused to smile with her food, convinced that she would have a piece of something green in her teeth, so I suggested the eating pose. Funnily enough you can tell she is smiling anyway. I as Kate said "appear to be making love to my wrap sandwich". Hey, what can I say, it was good.

I suggested that Kate appear as a student at Berkeley, but I think the shot is too obvious. I should have had her mingle in a crowd, or get further away.

The campus is gorgeous, many quiet places of solitude, beautiful lawns, rolling hills, and majestic trees. Some students (and I suspect locals) were lazing about on the beautiful day we had.

Sather Tower shown ahead is the signature piece of architecture that dominates the campus. Kate and I took an elevator ride to the top of its 30 stories for the view. An elevator attendee gave us a brief history, and told us that the intermediate floors were used as storage for dinosaur bones, and some makeshift lab space.

Views from the top were impressive, and the breeze coming off of the bay was soothing.

There are a series of bells in the tower which are actually played multiple times a day via a keyboard, which is in a glass enclosed room in the center of the observation deck. The elevator guide told us that students can take a class to learn how to play. The class is actually good for credit, and it has a long wait list to get into because of its popularity.

The reason I took the shot below is that it is the sciences building. On the left it reads "Biochemistry", on the right it reads "Psychology". Kate thought it kind of represented our relationship- as our education majors were essentially paired here in stone.

The trees below, which I've since learned are eucalyptus trees, grow to impressive heights of up to 200 feet.

After walking around the campus for some time, we took in Telegraph Ave. First we grabbed some refreshing iced tea from the local Walgreens. We walked up and down the busy portion, taking in the students, hippies, pan-handlers, and homeless. We checked out People's Park which we did not photograph because it was essentially covered with homeless people gathered socially, sleeping, or sitting in what appeared to be semi-long term make shift open residences. Rasputin Music seen below is a well known music store on Telegraph Ave. I wasn't impressed with the selection, and it made me acutely aware of how the age of mp3s and Amazon has destroyed the magic of these stores. Newbury Comics locations on Newbury Street or at Quincy Market are just as good, if not better.

We decided after taking all of this in that we wanted to get back to San Francisco for supper. Additionally, the BART trains become more limited in service later in the day. Before leaving we bought big cookie from a store. Kate was chastised by the clerk for not buying more- weird eh? Next up: 2nd day finale: Evening in the city.