Travel Guide: Berkeley

Berkeley is such a fun city to call home. I love the way everyone seems to be a foodie, how the students from the university bring a sense of liveliness, and how the community has long been politically engaged and unafraid to speak their mind. Graham and I met as students in Berkeley and we have so many sweet memories here: there’s the café where we had our first date, the sunny north reading room in the library where we usually studied during the day, and the donut shop we frequented late at night (our order is still the same—an apple fritter for G and whatever is hot for me). Living here a decade after graduating has been even more fun because we’ve discovered new favorite places. My friend Julie is coming to visit soon, and I’ve been brainstorming an itinerary for the perfect day in Berkeley. There are countless fantastic places in nearby Oakland and SF, but I tried to stay within city limits. Here’s what I’m imagining:

9:00 AM

Breakfast at Bartavelle Café and Acme Bread Company. The coffee at Bartavelle is superb and they also make a small, rotating selection of baked goods, but I like to go next door to Acme and order a warm pain au chocolate. That’s a winning duo.

10:30 AM

Hike in Tilden Park. We live walking distance to some of the trails in Tilden and every time I find myself there, I am amazed by how wild and quiet it is, even though downtown Berkeley isn’t all that far.

12:00 PM

Lunch at Standard Fare, my current favorite restaurant. Kelsie Kerr’s tiny breakfast and lunch spot is so delicious that I would eat there every day if I could. G and I usually share a bowl of soup and one of the sandwiches that come on house-baked bread, but I’m often tempted by the daily specials like fried ling cod.

1:30 PM

Visit to Berkeley Bowl. Okay, I admit this is maybe only interesting for those of us who really love food. Berkeley Bowl is the best grocery store I’ve ever known, and living near it makes my job so much easier. I’d show Julie the enormous produce area and the bulk section with dozens of different kinds of snacks.

2:30 PM

Walk around the University of California campus and surrounding streets. My brother-in-law James worked as a tour guide when he was an undergraduate at Cal, and I’d channel his knowledge while showing Julie the Campanile bell tower, the athletic center where I played so many hours of volleyball, and the beautiful Valley Life Sciences Building with its engraved façade. We’d also wander down Telegraph Avenue and spend some time browsing in Moe’s bookstore.

6:30 PM

Dinner at the upstairs Chez Panisse café. It’s not every day that one of your best friends travels across the country to visit you, so we’d celebrate by having a special dinner. I also love Vik’s Chaat, Comal and its more casual sister restaurant Comal Next Door, and Cheese Board Collective. I suppose we’ll just have to start planning our next visit.