Page 70 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

»DINE, SHOP,
SEE A PLAY
Berkeley Visitor
Information
visitberkeley.com
SATHER TOWER, Berkeley at sunset,
above; outdoor dining at the Cheese
Board Pizza Collective, below.
68 2018 T R AV E L G U I D E TO BERKELEY
Superb dining and performing arts
thrive in this celebrated university city
WORLD-FAMOUS as a historic center of
free speech and 1960s counter-culture,
Berkeley, on the eastern shores of San Fran-
cisco Bay, has morphed into a foodie
destination and unique shopping mecca. But
it’s still Berkeley, proudly offbeat, quirky and
fun to visit, especially now. The Downtown
Arts District on Addison Street showcases the
Aurora Theatre Company and the nationally
known Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The
Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse—which is
both a performance venue and folk-music
learning center—has recently upped its
already robust game, presenting the likes of
Ricki Lee Jones, Ladysmith Black Mambazo
and Richard Thompson on stage.
Two more major venues opened down-
town in 2016: the 83,000-square-foot Berkeley
Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
(BAMPFA), at 2155 Center Street near the
Berkeley BART station. Running through mid
July on BAMPFA’s art wall is a large-format
mural by South African artist Karabo Poppy
Moletsane. Another downtown draw, at 2036
University Avenue just west of Shattuck
Avenue, is the 101-year-old UC Theatre, a
cinema-turned-music space, with its superb,
made-in-Berkeley Meyer Sound system.
North Berkeley along and near Shattuck is the
city’s Gourmet Ghetto, with its jewel in the
crown, Chez Panisse, founded by the doyenne
of fresh, local, seasonal California cuisine,
Alice Waters. The 1966 original Peet’s Coffee
and Tea shop is right nearby, as are excellent
B Y D A V I D A R M S T R O N G
food markets, the Cheese Board cheese
shop/bakery and inviting casual restaurants.
One-of-a-kind shopping abounds on
Fourth Street, north of University Avenue in
West Berkeley; standouts include Miki’s
Paper, which features hand-made Japanese
stationery and wrapping paper. Also on
Fourth, long-time favorite Bette’s Ocean View
Diner serves high-quality American comfort
food, whipped up by some of the most skilled
and speedy short-order cooks in the land.
Gorgeous brown-shingle wooden homes
and public buildings by celebrated architects
Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan—who
adapted Arts and Crafts design to form the
Bay Region style in the early 20th century—
enrich the city. Maybeck’s serene 1910 First
Church of Christ, Scientist, just east of Tele-
graph Avenue and south of the UC Berkeley
campus, is an architectural hymn to silence.
Near campus on Durant Avenue, the ven-
erable Hotel Durant is reborn as the Graduate
Berkeley hotel. On campus, the circa 1903
Greek Theatre presents headliners in its out-
door amphitheater, while Cal Performances
brings international acts to Zellerbach Hall.
You can toast the artists and debate the true
meaning of art in a plentitude of craft micro-
breweries near campus and beyond. The new
Gilman Brewing Company pours excellent,
often creative riffs on beer. Downtown
favorite Triple Rock, dating to 1986, has
expanded its space by 50 percent for the in-
house production of quaffable brews.
C A L I F O R N I A
VISIT BERKELEY