Benvenue Avenue, Berkeley

Berkeley City Hall

Rest in peace, ice-cream legend Ozzie

Ozzie of Ozzie's Soda Fountain on College has died.

Remembrances.

Graffiti

Happy Inauguration Day!

Sproul Plaza, UC Berkeley campus.
My cat has a message for you all.
Our landlord's house and his dog, Chiquita.
Oh yeah!
A new era of hope.

Mixed messages

The return of Berkeley Daily Photo

Thanks to the kind words of a reader (Minh, thank you!), I've been inspired to pick back up. Please keep tuning in and keep commenting!

Above: Stuffed peppers made in my kitchen in Berkeley. They tasted delicious! I hope 2009 is tasting good to you, too.

I've been terribly amiss

Can these goofy photos make up for it?

Summer sunflowers

Andres Castro Arms Co-Op

My buddy Happy Chandler lived here for a good bit of his tenure at Berkeley. Drove up here today and it definitely looks like a great place to spend a few hazy UC years.

Welcome to 2310 Prospect Street, Berkeley, CA.
Nice architectural detail. This used to be a Julia Morgan, but has been extensively renovated over the years.
Shot through the glass. Tried to get the "Where the Wild Things Are" mural at right -- look closely!
Found on the door.

Pauley Ballroom, UC Berkeley campus

The infrequent poster returns, hopefully to post more frequently. These were shot during a Chuck Palahniuk reading on Berkeley's campus -- wonderful views of the beautiful trees. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the ceremonial tossing of the moose heads. Maybe next time.

It's not mine ...

But I found this great photo that just captures a Berkeley mood very well

Please don't give up on Berkeley Daily Photo! :) I've been slow on the posting, but I'll get back on it ... promise.

Walk on the sidewalk, ride on the street

Live ... from the earth

Berkeley from the air. I did not take this photo, of course -- but you can get a sense of it from a bird's-eye view.

To spot my cottage: Look for the backyard with the stepping-stones ...

Not Berkeley ... Costa Rica

I took this picture while at the Julia and David White Artists' Colony in Costa Rica last December. Just a bit of a switch for today.

Funky Door Yoga

I've been meaning to post this one for a while! It's an eye-catching exterior on a fairly dim part of Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley.

Roundabout graffiti

This is spray-painted on the roundabout ("traffic-calming measure") near where I live.

Milo Foundation ... and my own Berkeley conundrum

Solano Avenue can be a great place to walk, to shop, to hang out.

Unfortunately, it sometimes mirrors what I loathe about Berkeley: Its snobbishness, willingness to pick stupid fights, narrow-mindedness, judgmental nature, and intolerance.

Enter the Milo Foundation, which I've visited several times. They're in the business of rescuing and adopting out homeless animals. But after June 1, they'll no longer be in business on Solano.

This quote from the Chronicle article says so much: " 'This is Berkeley, after all,' said Zippie Collins, president of the Thousand Oaks Neighborhood Association, which encompasses Solano Avenue. 'Everyone has so much self-righteous indignation. The neighborhood was totally divided on this.' "

Self-righteous indignation. That sums up Berkeley. I apologize if the first picture is tough to read -- it's a letter of support posted in Milo's window. It reads, in part: "Sometimes I'm embarrassed to live in Berkeley, where we're so clear about what should be done halfway around the world in Iraq or Sarajevo, but we can be so mean-spirited with those who we live next to."

Neighbors complained of noise and odors coming from Milo. Huh? I see more noise and odors coming from half the restaurants and kids' boutiques on Solano. Please.

Berkeley is a beautiful and intellectual place, but it's also an immensely frustrating and tightassed community. If I didn't have the most beautiful cottage in the world here, I'd really consider leaving for slightly saner waters.

Thanks for listening.

More Solano Avenue

Solano Avenue

Solano Avenue runs downhill through two cities: Berkeley and Albany. Today I did an urban hike with camera in hand to capture the street action.