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(Monday, Sept. 4, 2006)

No bike shots today, but I do have a proof shot …
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…proof that I went to the University of California Botanical Garden (UCBG; at University of California Berkeley):

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I walked through a lot of the garden, but I know I didn’t see it all. It’s very beautiful. Different from other gardens I’ve seen, such as Bellevue Botanical Garden (BBG; Bellevue, WA) and The Oregon Garden (TOG; Silverton, OR). In addition to having a very different selection of plants, UCBG has less sculpture and other garden art than BBG and TOG.

And a few miscellaneous shots from on and around the University of California Berkeley campus:

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(Sunday, Sept. 3, 2006)

I stuck close to home base today. I have a bit of a sunburn & thought I should spend some time out of the sun for a change. Nevertheless, I did manage to snap a few pictures.

First, some biking related stuff for The Boyfriend (TB):

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And, partly for TB (it’s small and probably fuel efficient), but mostly for me (because it’s so pretty):

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And the obligatory flora, fauna, architecture, & art:

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I experienced a slight change in the weather today — the temperature was chilly all day long. No change in the overcast-sunny-overcast pattern.

(Saturday, Sept. 2, 2006)

I ended up hanging around Berkeley again today. Spur of the moment this afternoon, I decided to take the bus into downtown San Francisco, forgetting that one deck of the Bay Bridge is closed all weekend — the deck that “my” bus uses. I wasn’t sure if BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) could go into San Francisco, so I stuck around my temporary neighborhood.

Note to self: Try that “planning ahead” thing we’ve heard so much about.

Bike pictures for TB (but no “proof” shots):

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This bumper sticker is just good advice. And I laughed out loud when I saw this sign in a local book store. (Click “View the album” to see the captions.)
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For someone not at all religious, I’m strangely attracted to religious architecture and art:

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Non-religious architecture and art:

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In addition to poetry on overpasses, Berkeley also has poetry on sidewalks:

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And some of today’s flora:

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Today’s meals: Breakfast at Fellini, lunch and part of dinner from the Berkeley Farmers’ Market, the rest of dinner and dessert from Andronico’s.

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The weather started out cool in the morning, warmed up for the afternoon, and cooled down again in the evening. Like almost every day, so far.

Another note to self: We love the Bay Area, Berkeley in particular, and we need a job. Perhaps we could be a weather forecaster …?

(Friday, Sept. 1, 2006)

No pictures for TB today. I saw a man riding his bike while using a portable oxygen tank but didn’t take a picture because the O2 tank was stowed in his backpack, and I didn’t think the nasal tube would show in a photo. Now that’s a dedicated cyclist! If TB needed to be on oxygen, he’d still find a way to ride his bike, too. Maybe put the O2 in his CamelBak, maybe fit it in a water bottle holder.

Today’s proof shot:

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Today I trekked to the Berkeley Rose Garden. I saw lots of big, copper-colored dragonflies. I took probably 8 pictures, and captured a dragonfly in only 1. I got lucky — those suckers fly quickly, in a zig-zag pattern. I also got pictures of some damselflies; much easier, they like to spend a lot of time on the ground. This pair flew & landed on the path in front of me many times and never separated. I don’t know if they were mating, riding a little damselfly tandem bike, or had separation anxiety. Also, a third damselfly kept following them; I don’t know what that was about.
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Today’s non-rose garden flora:

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I was surprised that some of the leaves are changing color already. It’s still summer!

Architecture:

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Miscellany:

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I ate dinner at Cha-Ya, a 100% vegan Japanese restaurant:

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When I left my room at about 9:00 this morning to do laundry and get coffee, the weather was sunny & warm. In the afternoon, it got downright hot. Around dinner time, the fog began to roll in and it turned cold. I’m surprised how chilly the air gets when the fog hangs so high over the city.

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Correction to yesterday’s entry: The cool car I saw was a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV), not a Smart Car. That’s what TB told me, and he’d know better than I would.

(Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006)

Today’s biking sign for The Boyfriend (TB), once again from Missing Link Bicycle Co-op:

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New words include: Knobby; Lights; Maps; Nut; Oil; Pedals; Quick release; Ride; Slow leak.

And a couple of photos for one of TB’s other obsessions: Small, fuel-efficient cars, like this Smart Car Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV):

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And today’s proof shot; proof that I was on a bus:

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I spent all morning and part of the afternoon editing photos, updating my blog, checking e-mail, etc. I finally left my room around 2:00 and headed into downtown San Francisco for an hour or so.

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As much as I would have liked to stay longer, I’m glad I didn’t. Once I started walking, I was pretty sore after yesterday’s trek, which I figured to be at least 10 miles.

I had dinner at Fellini Restaurant, one of my favorite Berkeley spots.

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(See also my Bay Area Food page.)

I decided to walk back to my room (yes, apparently I am a glutton for punishment) and snapped a few shots:

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The weather started off a little chilly, got quite warm in the afternoon, and chilly again in the evening — seems fairly typical here for late summer.

(Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2006)

First and foremost, today’s biking pictures for TB:
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And today’s “proof” shots:
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Seattle has poetry on the buses; Berkeley has poetry on the underpasses. Actually, it’s one underpass, at University and I-80. You’ll see the first 6 supports heading south (out of Berkeley), the next 6 heading north, and I took the last photo at the south end.
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My first stop was at Takara Sake USA Inc. (Sho Chiku Bai), 708 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA. The building houses Takara USA’s offices, their Sake Museum, and a tasting room.

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Museum admission and sake tasting are complimentary. I don’t know why … I spent a mere $75 on sake before I left. And yes, one gets a lot of sake for $75. What can I say? I’m not fantastic with math to begin with, I didn’t bother to add the prices as I made my selections, and those 5 or 6 little cups of sake put me in a generous mood. Also, Mika, the woman working in the tasting room, was knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.

In my defense, I came out under budget; I told myself I wouldn’t spend more than $100. Hey, as far as I know, I’ll only live once. And it’s only money. And–again, as far as I know–I can’t take it with me (the money or the sake).

Takara is close to the Interstate 80 (I-80) bridge and the San Francisco Bay Trail. As long as I was in the neighborhood:

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Today’s flora and architecture:

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For my daily culinary exploration, I had morning coffee at Guerilla Cafe, dinner at Asiana Garden.

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Miscellaneous stuff:

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The first photo shows a selection of lovely marzipan fruits from Andronico’s Market. Marzipan and sake … what more does a Steve need?

This was a great day for wandering around, sunny & very warm all day. I was thankful for the breeze coming from the Bay while I was walking along the San Francisco Bay Trail.

(Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2006)

Before I forget, this first picture is for my friend, Joyce, who once pointed out that I rarely (if ever) show myself or other people in my photos. Joyce said something like it was “unusual” or “creepy” or “disturbing” and must mean that I “never go anywhere” and I was “obviously a liar and possibly a sociopath”; I forget her exact words. (ha ha) So, here’s proof that I–or my left arm, at least–was in Berkeley today:
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Joyce, I’m sure you’ll recognize the mole & the hairs on my arm. Oh, and perhaps my tattoo.

And on a completely unrelated note, here’s another picture for TB:
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OK, back to me, because this is all about ME. I stayed in Berkeley again today. I’m geographically retarded* and am trying to get somewhat oriented to my surroundings with the hope that I can avoid becoming hopelessly lost. (*It’s not politically incorrect if I refer to myself as retarded.)

Today’s adventures included stops at the Poetry Garden …
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… Live Oak Park …
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… and environs, more sightseeing along Shattuck Ave., plus a meander around the University of California Berkeley campus and vicinity.
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And I’ve seen lots of gorgeous flora all along the way:
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My only meal of note today was at Cafe Gratitude:
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(See my Bay Area Food page for more about today’s meals.)

A note about the weather: Yesterday evening, this morning, and this evening were overcast and rather chilly, with a high fog hanging over the city. Yesterday, I quickly realized the one thing I’d forgotten to pack — a sweatshirt or sweater. This afternoon, the weather finally cleared up & warmed up around 3:00.

(Monday, Aug. 28, 2006)

Yep, I’m back in the San Francisco Bay Area. Yep, I was here with The Boyfriend (TB) in early June, and last September. What can I say? I’m in love — or maybe just addicted. This time, I’m on my own. TB is at home, partly because he has one of those job things, and mostly because I don’t have one of those job things, and I wanted to do some solo traveling.

I arrived in Berkeley, where I’m staying, late this afternoon.

Biking is very popular in Berkeley. These pictures are for TB, a rabid cyclist. Did I say “rabid”? I meant “avid.”
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After dinner at Vegi Food and dessert at Naia Gelateria (click here for details) …
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… I took a long walk down Shattuck Avenue; I’m pretty sure I was heading south. The second photo in this album is for my friend, Matt, a fellow skyscraper/high-rise and architecture-in-general aficionado. Berkeley doesn’t have many high-rise buildings. Fortunately, this is the only unattractive one.
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And then I came back to my room, edited my photos, and blogged. And now you’re up to date!

After visiting the Smith Tower, I headed on up the hill and had lunch at Vegetarian Bistro (all vegetarian {except for one dish with gelatin}, lots of vegan, and yummy dim sum) …

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… then meandered through Chinatown/The International District …

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… then through downtown Seattle …

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… and over to Pill Hill, my final destination.

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The End (for today)

Even on a cloudy day, you can see a lot from the Smith Tower Observation Deck.

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One of Seattle’s most recognizable landmarks:

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The interior alone is worth the $6 admission.

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The top 2 floors comprise a private penthouse, leased (for an undisclosed amount) by a local couple.

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