Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
275
Dec 24.
To get there:
By BART: Exit at the Do wntown Berkeley Station. Take the University of California
local shuttle on the corner of Center St. and Shattuck Ave. to the campus. Once there, transfer to the Hill
Service Shuttle at the Hearst Mining Circle (
&
510/642-4834
for details on fares and times). By car: Take
I-80 to 580. Exit at Univ ersity Ave. Drive east on University 2 miles until y ou reach the campus. Turn left
on Oxford St. Turn right on Hearst St., pass through 2 stoplights to the east side of campus. Make a right
on Gayley Rd. Take your 1st lef t past the Gr eek Theatre, Stadium R imway. Make a lef t at the st op sign,
Centennial Dr., and continue 1 mile to the top of the hill.
WHERE TO DINE IN BERKELEY
Not far fr om the U niversity on S hattuck A venue is an ar ea kno wn as the G ourmet
Ghetto, so named for its principal occupant
Chez Panisse
and the myriad imitators it
has spawned. Chez Panisse is the creation of Alice Waters, who in the 1970s revolution-
ized California, indeed American, cuisine with her emphasis on using seasonal and local
ingredients of the highest quality. If you can fit it in, a visit to Chez Panisse is well worth
it. The light and airy upstairs cafe is suitable for kids at lunchtime (1517 S hattuck Ave.;
&
510/548-5049;
www.chezpanisse.com).
Your best bet with the kids is sur e to be
Epicurious Garden
(1509, 1511, and 1513
Shattuck Ave.; www.epicuriousgarden.com), featuring a handful of r estaurants ser ving
excellent take-out fare—such as organic soups at S oop, Japanese bento boxes at Kirala2,
and burritos at Picoso Taqueria—as well as a lovely, multi-level garden in which to enjoy
it. Across the str eet, the
Cheeseboard Pizza Collective
(1512 S hattuck Ave.;
&
510/
549-30553;
www.cheeseboardcollective.coop) ser ves a differ ent type of pizza per day ,
Tuesday thr ough Saturday. A fe w blocks off S hattuck Avenue, y ou'll find
Fat Apple's
Restaurant and Bakery
(1346 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way;
&
510/526-2260
), which
has been serving big, traditional pancake stacks, burgers, and homemade pies for as long
as anybody can remember.
In downtown Berkeley,
Caffe Venezia
(1799 University Ave.;
&
510/849-4681;
www.
caffevenezia.com)
serves tasty Italian food in a festiv e atmosphere made to look like an
Italian piazza, and
La Note
is a kid-friendly F rench bistr o with a lo vely back gar den
(2377 Shattuck Ave.;
&
510/843-1535;
www.lanoterestaurant.com). For the best pizza
in town, head to
Zachary's Chicago Pizza
(1853 Solano Ave.;
&
510/525-5950;
www.
zacharys.com).
If chocolate is your meal of choice, Berkeley is home to a boutique pr oducer of high-
octane cooking and eating chocolate.
Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker
(also described
on p. 244; 914 H einz Ave., near 7th S t.;
&
510/981-4050;
www.scharffenberger.com)
gives free 1-hour tours of its factory daily. Times vary, so check the website for hours and
to sign up. Private tours ar e also av ailable for a $35 fee; these include a $1 gift cer tificate
for each participant with a limit of 40 guests. Tour guests must be at least 8 y ears old and
wear closed-toe shoes for safety r easons. The factory is off the Ashby Avenue exit on I-80.
11
2
OAKLAND
Oakland has always been regarded as San Francisco's poor relation. The heavy crime rate
and proximity to higher-profile Berkeley and San Francisco have often kept this bayside
city fr om getting its just due. B ut the city has one of the state 's best museums right
downtown and an excellent space science center in the hills. Moreover, Bay Area families
have been visiting Children's Fairyland and the Paramount Theater for generations. Jack
London Square is touristy, but it's a fine starting point for a bike ride and exactly wher e
you want to be for hot B ay Area jazz.
