Location: Berkeley - Downtown
July 08, 2005
Great East Bay Book Stores!
bookstores are wonderful places, and independent book stores are even more so! the east bay has plenty of great indie bookstores.
my four fave books stores in the East Bay are:
1. A Great Good Place For Books, 6120 La Salle Avenue, Montclair District.
when i first walked in, i was greeted by the owner. she was one of those people that was helpful without being pushy. she asked about my lit preferences, and was able to recommend some great titles that i hadn't read based on who i liked. she is also one of the people working on "West Coast Live" (a public radio program), so she gets great authors coming through the area to read there.
2. Pegasus/Pendragon Books:
(3 East Bay Locations)-
2349 Shattuck Avenue, (Berkeley, Downtown)
5560 College Avenue, (Oakland, Rockridge)
1855 Solano Avenue, (Albany, Solano Stroll)
i love this independent mini-chain for several reasons: knowledgable staff, excellent recommendations, cheap book tables (great gift store!), and their annial calendar sale. (wait til Jan 1st to get the new year's calendar & you'll save save save! it's an east bay tradition to shop for calendars on Jan 1st here!)
3.
5433 College Avenue, Oakland (Rockridge)
the sections are comprehensive, the recommendations superb, and the store is spacious. i have seen so many great authors pass through here on their tours- Sherman Alexie was a fave.
June 19, 2005
Truly Mediterranean now The Mediterranean
18 months ago, I wrote about Truly Mediterranean, my favorite SF shawarma joint, opening a branch in Berkeley. About 6 weeks ago, Truly Med turned into The Mediterranean.
It has pretty much the same menu, though there have definitely been changes in the recipes.
My old standby, the lamb shawarma, was much saucier than back in the Truly Med days. It was almost like eating a stew in a lavash, whereas Truly Med was simply about seasonings. That said, it was still quite good, and definitely filling.
September 15, 2004
Yali's Cafe - Free Wi-Fi (and much more room)
Yali's Cafe, at 1920 Oxford Street, has doubled (or so) their seating space, and threw in free wi-fi in the bargain. Menu's the same (sandwiches, salads, etc.).
July 15, 2004
Shattuck and University - Middle Eastern Delights!
Last night a friend and I tried out Zatar, the middle eastern restaurant reputed for its exemplary ingredients. The short of it: very yummy. We opted to share a bunch of mezza (small plates, akin to tapas), and since my friend is on an acupuncture diet (no flesh but fish), we tried a variety of vegetarian options, plus one meat dish for me. The meal begins with a plate of zatar (a collection of herbs/spices) drizzled in olive oil -- an excellent pita dip. The Mohamara (a red pepper spread) was good (not great), the falafel were divine little balls of fried goodness, and the fennel and orange salad was surprisingly satisfying -- sprinklings of cinnamon will do wonders. I also got the lamb dolmas, which I could eat until the end of time. Dessert was the pistachio baklava -- good, not too sweet, with big hunks of nut in them. The service was very friendly -- we were waited on by both the friendly waitress, and a chef. They made sure we knew what we were eating, kept our water glasses full, and were generally pleasant. Oh, I also had the pomegranate sangria -- YUM. I'd get a carafe of that when I return. The only drawback -- it's kinda spendy (particularly the entrees). Go when you're feeling kind of flush.
If you're feeling not so flush, you can't go wrong with the Berkeley branch of Truly Mediterranean, right across the street. Their shawarma with hummus and hot sauce -- swoon!
December 19, 2003
What Is Wrong With You People?
About a few months ago, Truly Mediterranean opened on Shattuck, near University. Every time I go by it, it's pretty much empty.
Do you people not realize what a joyous bounty has been placed in our midst? As a former San Francisco Mission dweller, Truly Mediterranean once formed a core part of my diet, and when I moved to the Beast, it was a sad thing I had to leave behind. Now it has arrived, and it retains all the goodness of forbears. Their lamb shawerma (get it with hummus!) is *the bomb* - spicy tangy juicy flavorful.
Do yourself a favor: go. Don't trust just me: gaze at the happy people here.
October 20, 2003
Save The Shipyard: Final Use Permit Hearing
Heads count in many situations, and this-here is one of them.
Do your part to keep Berkeley a place where art can thrive! (Free tacos, too!)
On Thursday, October 23rd, get yerself on down to:
City of Berkeley Council Chambers
2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd Floor
People's Republic of Berkeley
Taco truck catering starts at 6PM. Hearing starts at 7PM.
The Shipyard is a shipping container artist community in Berkeley. The Shipyard is yet another amazing Bay Area artist resource and venue that has been struggling for survival the last couple of years and could really use your help.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This report from Jim, tireless leader of The Shipyard:
The hour of reckoning has arrived for the Shipyard.
Two years and $12,000 after we started the Battle of the Papers and
Processes with the City of Berkeley, the Final Use Permit hearing for
The Shipyard is scheduled and guaranteed to happen October 23rd at 7pm.
This is the hearing where they decide whether we get to continue to
exist or we rent a truck and haul away all the containers.
We have submitted all the required drawings, environmental studies,
statements of intent, paid the fees, talked and retalked, redid the
drawings 4 times, brought in high end architectural consulting and
services, and all the rest of the stuff that always happens in these
messes.
And now the whole thing is on the line a! nd we need a big showing to
convince Berkeley that people care about the place and want to see it
continue to exist. Exist not just to collect large machine tools and
build unlikely edifices to misguided hubris, but also to have events,
workshops, gatherings, and shows- all those things we haven't been able
to do for two years while we were under the thumb.
WE NEED 200 PEOPLE IN THE ROOM FOR THIS HEARING.
200 people cannot be said no to.
Our neighbors are happy with us so I don't expect them out in force
against us, but who knows what will happen. These hearings are
arbitrary and you stand there helpless as decisions are made over the
foundation upon which you and many, many other people create, play,
live and generally do the things that matter most to them. Everything
could be fine, (as it was at the last hearing for design review, which
we passed), or everything could suddenly be all wrong. That is why we
ALL need to be there- to make sure it will all be OK, and not yet
another art space gets axed in the Bay Area, as has been the recent
trend.
So, with humility, concern, deep gratitude and all the other soft
things, I ask, actually plead, that you consider joining us for this
hearing.
The hearing starts at 7pm. You have to submit a speakers card by
7:15pm to speak. Speaking in favor of the project is good, especially
if you are a Berkeley resident, or even if you are not.
There will be a taco truck catering the event (at the curb) out front
from 6-8pm. Free tacos and horchata for all who show.
Again, the meeting is at:
Council Chambers, Berkeley
2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd Floor
Thursday, Oct 23rd, 7:00 p.m.
There will be a party (celebrating our success) afterwards at the
yard. More details on the after party will emerge soon.
Thank you in advance for helping to bring all this silliness to an end.
- Jim Mason
directions for west bay folk:
-off 80 at University, go east for about a mile.
-turn right on Martin Luther King Jr Way.
-go three blocks and find taco truck and venue on your right.
October 08, 2003
Cory Doctorow at the Other Change of Hobbit
Cory Doctorow will be at The Other Change of Hobbit on Thursday, October 9. He'll be readining signing from both his collection of short stories, A Place So Foreign and Eight More, as well as his novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
Trivia: the original "A Change of Hobbit" bookstore was in Santa Monica, California, where I grew up. That store has long passed -- it's interesting to see that it's relative lives on.
August 27, 2003
Art/Tech Thing That I Don't Know What It Is
Just found out about INTERMAP, some, um, art installation that seems to involve walking in maze-like thing that, I think, "moves" under you, making it such that you can keep walking and never reach the "end". Or something.
Anyway, looks cool, and will be on display on MLK near University for the first two weeks of September. If I go, I'll report back. If you go, you tell us what you think!
July 02, 2003
Cinema al Fresco
Summer's here, and the East Bay has a number of outdoor cinema opportunities....
Jupiter in Berkeley opens tonight (July 2) with "The Great Train Robbery" and other silent classics. They haven't posted their schedule on the site, yet, but their ad in the paper lists:
• Eye Candy - Beatdown Thursdays, various shorts and visuals, presented on two screens
• Weekly independent films - Sunday, July 6, "Channel X: The Movie" A Hip-hop Animation Festival
• Animation Tuesdays - Tuesday, July 8, Hip-Hop Animation presented by Alfonso Amey Designs
Pyramid in Berkeley begins its films on July 19th, with "Swingers", and then on July 26th they'll show "Office Space".
And don't forget the Liberation Drive-In the last weekend every month in Oakland. According to the site:
"FUTURE THEME-NIGHTS INCLUDE:
July 25 & 25: Socio-Political Night for the Headz, w/ GNN and other video activists!
August 29 & 30: Hip-hop Night w/ Style Wars, the Freshest Kids, Sydewayz, and more."
June 15, 2003
Ice Cream In The Beast
The long-awaited re-opening of Fenton's Creamery spurs this post. See, ice cream is one of my core food groups. When I lived in San Francisco, I would make lengthy detours to get to Mitchell's.
In the Beast, I have two favorites. Tucker's Supercreamed Ice Cream in Alameda is on par with the Mitchell's experience. Both offer that classic ice cream store experience, an excellent variety of flavors (including tropical favorites), and reasonable prices.
Mondo Gelato in downtown Berkeley avails customers of a remarkable selection of 'artisan' gelatos. Lines go out the door with people waiting for standbys such as chocolate and strawberry, and house specialties like straciatella. Two nights ago I had a combination of vanilla gelato and strawberry sorbetto, both of which were to die for. This stuff ain't cheap, but it's worth it. It's also funny to realize that it originated in Vancouver, and the third store is in Beijing.
Now, with Fenton's back open, I'm curious -- I never ate there before its fire shut it down for years. I drove by on Saturday night, and the place was hideously mobbed -- the line stretched a good 40 people or so into the parking lot. Friends have tried the new Fenton's, and said that it was good, but it's also become remarkably over-priced. $8 sundaes is the norm. One suspects they're either still trying to recoup fire damage losses, or they simply think that being in Yuppie Ground Zero means a 50% extra mark-up. I would think such a strategy would ding them in the long run.
I do need to try Tango Gelato on Fruitvale in Oakland. They seem to be a community fixture.
Oh, and I spit on Cold Stone Creamery, newly situated on Shattuck. That gimmicky overpriced chain garbage offends my sight.
You got favorite frozen treats? Add them to the comments area.
March 28, 2003
Berkeley turns 125
On April 1, the city of Berkeley turns 125 years old. Since folks are unable to pass up acknowledging arbitrary intervals of time, the city has a number of celebrations planned.
Perhaps the niftiest is the "group photo" that will be shot on April 1, 4:30, at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. All members of the Berkeley community (i.e., residents) are invited.
March 20, 2003
Bebopaloobop Cowboy Bebop Berkeley Breakthrough
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie makes a limited U.S. debut at Berkeley's Landmark Shattuck April 4th. I'm excited! This is the first movie to come from the animated TV series. The one I bought a TiVo to catch from Adult Swim's 1:30am showings. The one with the incredible jazz score, complex characters, hard boiled plots, film noir meets Kubrick cinematography. It's the 2070s, the bounty hunters of spaceship Bebop are the good guys, and the rating is R. Sergio Leone, Charlie "Bird" Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie would be proud.
I can't understate Cowboy Bebop's music scores. Great blues and jazz musicians from Japan, New York, and Paris making original music as The Seatbelts. The soundtrack albums are eminently listenable. Should the film version keep the faith, think music Oscar next year. See also: The Real Folk Blues, Emily's Future Blues, a marvelous fan site in Italian, The Jazz Messengers, Faye Valentine.net, IMDb.
March 15, 2003
Video Games - Triple Down
For dedicated video game players, Best Buy and Circuit City are depressing. They only sell the straightforward expensive stuff. No old games, no antique consoles. No strange fourth-party peripherals. Few action figures. Toys 'R Us is slightly better but it's frankly a scary store to be in unaccompanied by a minor.
I may not stack my desktop with too many pieces of plastic. But I enjoy shopping for games in the context of game playing - at a store that stocks history and reverence for obscure electronic entertainment.
For a while, the near-East Bay had only one video game store like this - GameStop near Home Depot in Emeryville. East Bay video gaming ground zero - it was the only refuge for urban and urbane gamers alike. People selling pot-smoke reeking PlayStations and people hunting a used copy of the Phantasy Star series reissued for the GBA.
Now the number of used stimulation resellers in the near-East Bay has tripled. In the last month, two EB Games stores have opened: one on Shattuck, one on Telegraph, both near University/Bancroft. They sell nostalgia-riffic NES and SNES and Sega systems. Action figures. Hint guides. Weird peripherals. And, best of all, they sell old games. The prices on games less than a year old aren't much better than a new version, but it extends their stock back into history. If you're looking to save some money and extend the life of an old machine, a $5 copy of Tomb Raider for the Dreamcast might be just the thing.
March 11, 2003
Best Video Rental Options?
Movie Image at 2318 Shattuck has got a good selection of films, especially non-U.S. films, and the lectures offered by the staff about being 'more responsible' when paying (rapacious) late fees are amusing, but I'm wondering if anyone has any other recommendations on the best place to rent flicks -- Reel? Netflix? Greencine?
March 03, 2003
Thalassa
A mini-obsession of mine is pinball. Making this obsession even more tantalizing are the remarkably few good places to play it. Among the resources the Beast Blog will provide you is a collection of venues that feature pinball machines. Ideally, these will be kept up to date with the pinball machines at each venue.
First up:
Thalassa at 2367 Shattuck Ave. Primarily a bar and billiard hall, it offers a selection of three pinball tables.
Currently playing are
For such a seemingly trendy place, Thalassa is a surprisingly comfortable bar, with a good selection of booze. I find pinball to be more fun when you sip Patron Silver between balls.