Berkeley – 4th St between Virginia St and University Ave
We were on our way to UC Berkeley Botanical Garden and stopped for breakfast at Bette’s at 1807A 4th Street – see Breakfast Log.
After breakfast we ambled round the three blocks which make up this neighborhood. None of the shops were open so we came back at 11 a.m. when they opened. The first thing that struck me this morning was the many and varied seats and benches all the way along this section of 4th Street. On the corner of 4th and Hearst is a bronze statue of a seated man and someone had put a cigarette between his lips!
We visited Gallery 4th Street - (formerly 4th Street Gym). When we peeped through the windows early this morning, we were impressed with the sheer size and number of original paintings hanging on the walls, so this was our first stop.
Gera Hasse, Managing Director of Gallery 4th Street and an artist herself, spent some time 
talking to us. Several artists were working and it was fascinating to watch them. I was tempted to buy something but resisted.
We crossed the street and entered Cody’s Books. It’s always fun to wander round an independent bookstore. There are not many left in the Bay Area now. I could happily spend a couple of hours dipping into a variety of books but time was running out. I did buy for Tom though ‘Alice Waters and Chez Panisse’ by Thomas McNamee. Alice Waters being the creator of the internationally famous restaurant in Berkeley called Chez Panisse. Her credo is - fresh, local, seasonal and, where possible, organic - and set in motion the Californian cuisine food revolution.
Our last stop of Spenger’s Fresh Food Grotto. 30 years ago this was the best fish restaurant for miles around according to Tom. We visited the fish market though to see if they had any fresh, wild King Salmon to BBQ tonight. Unfortunately the restaurant had some but the market had none to sell.
To tempt you to visit this colorful neighborhood I’ll list a few of the interesting shops – Stone House Olive Oil Tasting Room, Traditions Antiques, Design Within Reach, The Gardiner, Castle in the Air (a studio for the imagination), Thousand Cranes (futons).
July 22 2007 11:05 pm | Neighborhoods
