(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.