Tuesday, June 8, 2010

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

20 comments:

  1. Sounds lovely so far! What a nice start to your summer. :-)

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  2. oh how fun. reading the last post, it must be fun to meet up with fellow bloggers. : )

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  3. That is awesome!!! You are having such a blast! :) Very lovely pictures!

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  4. Isn't the Bay Area fun! I hope the weather is holding out for you.

    xo
    Marcie

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  5. Brunch sounds like it was delicious and I think that I would really like chilaquiles! The shops on 4th Street sound great and I love that shot of you and the statue…lol.

    The view from UC Berkley really is incredible and I’m sure it was 10 times better in person.

    The BBQ sounds like a nice time and I probably would have needed an adult beverage to be more social with new people too. You’re such the little adventurer lately!

    I know what you mean about living in a seaside town. I fell in love with Annapolis, MD and that was during the winter. I can’t imagine how adorable it must be there now.

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  6. Looks like a fun day! That Benefit store would have been a hit for me. Spoken as a New Englander ~ the winters are tough! xo

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  7. Looks like a really fun vay-cay, darling!
    Thanks for sharing your pics!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  8. How beautiful! Gorgeous pictures! I need a beachyeque vaca!

    xo

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  9. Fabulous pictures! I love northern California, so beautiful! Glad you had such a great trip! XO!

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  10. Looks like a great day! I went to summer school there one summer in college and loved it! I ended up moving from LA to SF after I graduated because I loved being up there so much. Now I'm back in LA, but still love to visit.

    xo
    Valerie

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  11. Wow - you have the best adventures! This looks like an amazing outing, and I seriously want to stay at that hotel now!

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  12. Despite the fact that I am basically a modern-day hippie; I have yet to visit Berkeley. It looks gorgeous there. So glad you had a good time, my love!! :)

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  13. What a fun trip... love these Berkley photos. You are so cute. xoxo

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  14. That's it. I'm going to start planning my California adventure STAT!

    p.s. Our blog has moved! We would love for you to visit us at our new site: http://www.bonbonrosegirls.com/
    Unfortunately, if you followed us with Google Friend Connect you'll have to re-follow but everything else is the same! Hugs, K

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  15. nice statue! :) i've never been to berkley but it seems beautiful.

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  16. Love the photo of you and the naked man =)

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  17. what lovely pictures honey
    xx
    marian.

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  18. This looks fun! I love you. It's so obvious you have a vivacious and fun spirit! xo

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  19. This vacation looks like paradise! I love the pics with the sailboats! Now I'm thinking about sangrias- yummy! :-)

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