Hangin' With Hippies

As we continue the vacation recap, part two leads us to Berkley! Being a SoCal girl, I didn't even realize that Berkley was 1. near the water, and 2. by The Bay Area. Needless to say this was my first time visiting and I was quite pleased.

My friend graciously took me to Berkley's 4th Street for a wonderful brunch at Tacubaya where I indulged in chilaquilies. Mmm love this dish but you can't find it many places. Chilaquiles consist of sautéed tortillas in sauce topped with scrambled eggs, cheese, and sour creme. Tastes better than it sounds...and looks in the pic I took =)

I expected to see hippies everywhere in Berkley, not the case. I am sure there are still some lurking but I didn't see any haha! I did see a lot of amazing shops on 4th street. There was a Crate & Barrel Outlet, an adorable decorated Benefit Cosmetics, and even a Papyrus store! And then I saw the "naked man" who I had to take a picture with!

After 4th Street we headed up to UC Berkley. It's like it's own tiny community within the city. All of the street signs are in Cal blue and gold colors, there is basically a forest that engulfs the campus, and the school is situated on top of a hillside with the most incredible views!

You can see the entire Bay! From Oakland and the Bay Bridge to San Fran and Golden Gate, it was all right there for us to take in. It really is mesmerizing.

The pictures don't do the view justice. Unfortunately it wasn't a very clear day due to June gloom down on the water. I actually learned that from June until October it's really foggy in SF.

Next to Berkley is a town named Claremont where The Claremont Hotel is nestled in a hillside with another view of The Bay. This grand hotel was a megan mansion turned hotel and spa in 1915. I would love to stay here. All of the history and elegance. Of course it's not cheap!

The second half of the day was celebrated with a BBQ at my hostess's home. I didn't know anyone so I may have had several sangrias to become more social hehe. I had a great time though and after everyone had shuffled out we headed down to the water to take a walk. There is a little marina with sailboats basically in my friend's backyard and I was in heaven! One day I'd like to live in a little seaside village on the East Coast...of course for summers only because I think I would die in a New England winter!

Again, thanks for staying with me for the long vacation post! One more recap to come.

Photos courtesy of: The Claremont Hotel and my camera