Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [189]
The campus at UC Berkeley.
PARKS
Unbeknownst to many travelers, Berkeley has some of the most extensive and beautiful parks around. If you want to wear the kids out or enjoy hiking, swimming, sniffing roses, or just getting a breath of California air, jump in your car and make your way to Tilden Park ★. On the way, stop at the colorful terraced WPA-era Rose Garden ★ in north Berkeley on Euclid Avenue between Bay View Place and Eunice Street. Then head high into the Berkeley hills to Tilden Park, where you’ll find plenty of flora and fauna, hiking trails, an old steam train and merry-go-round, a farm and nature area for kids, and a chilly tree-encircled lake. The East Bay’s public transit system, AC Transit ( 511; www.actransit.org), runs the air-conditioned no. 67 bus line around the edge of the park on weekdays and all the way to the Tilden Visitors Center on Saturdays and Sundays. Call 888/327-2757 or see www.ebparks.org for further information.
Another worthy nature excursion is the University of California Botanical Garden ( 510/643-2755; www.botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu), which features a vast collection of native California herbage ranging from cacti to redwoods. It’s on campus in Strawberry Canyon on Centennial Drive. Unfortunately no public bus can take you directly there, so driving is the way to go. Call for directions. Open daily from 9am to 5pm; closed the first Tuesday of every month; docent-led tours on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1:30pm. Admission is $7 adults, $5 seniors 65 and over and youth 13 to 17, $2 for youth 5 to 12, and free for children 2 and under and UC students.
The Botanical Gardens at UC Berkeley.
SHOPPING
If you’re itching to exercise your credit cards, head to one of two places. College Avenue from Dwight Way to the Oakland border overflows with eclectic boutiques, antiques shops, and restaurants. The other, more upscale option is Fourth Street, in west Berkeley, 2 blocks north of the University Avenue exit. This shopping strip is the perfect place to go on a sunny morning. Grab a cup of java and outstanding pancakes and scones at Bette’s Ocean View Diner, 1807 Fourth St. ( 510/644-3932). Read the paper at a patio table, and then hit the Crate & Barrel Outlet, 1785 Fourth St., between Hearst and Virginia streets ( 510/528-5500). Prices are 30% to 70% off retail. It’s open daily from 10am to 6pm. This area also boasts small, wonderful stores crammed with imported and locally made housewares. Nearby is REI, the Bay Area’s favorite outdoors outfitter, 1338 San Pablo Ave., near Gilman Street ( 510/527-4140). It’s open Monday through Friday from 10am to 9pm, Saturday from 10am to 8pm, and Sunday from 11am to 6pm.
Where to Stay
Unfortunately, Berkeley is not even close to being a good hotel town. Most accommodations are extremely basic motels and funky B&Bs. The one exception (though it’s overpriced) is the Claremont Resort & Spa, 41 Tunnel Rd., Berkeley (www.claremontresort.com; 800/551-7266 or 510/843-3000), a grand Victorian hotel, also on the border of Oakland, with a fancy spa and gym, three restaurants, a hip bar, and grandiose surroundings. Rates are nearly half of what they were prerecession, ranging from $209 to $309. Or you can contact the Berkeley & Oakland Bed and Breakfast Network ( 510/848-1431; www.bbonline.com/ca/berkeley-oakland),