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Berkeley says goodbye to Vice President Biden

October 1, 2010 11:33 am by Lance Knobel

Vice-President Biden leaving the Claremont hotel at about 10am Friday. Photo: Lance Knobel

After a quick overnight stay at the Claremont Resort & Spa, Vice President Joe Biden left the hotel this morning shortly after 10a.m. Biden had come in from New Mexico in the evening and was heading to an event in Oakland supporting Rep. Jerry McNerney, who represents the 11th Congressional District.

Biden came out of the hotel by the spa entrance and lingered to thank police and Secret Service personnel who had been working on security. A handful of people (including your Berkeleyside reporter) was kept about 100 feet away –although before the Vice President came out of the hotel it was possible to wander in and out of the entrance.

Before Biden got into his armored car, he gave a cheery wave to the onlookers, and shouted, “How are you all doing?”

As would be expected for the Vice President, there was a significant security presence. Pedestrians and cyclists were allowed up the drive, but the road was blocked to cars. In addition to Secret Service personnel, both Berkeley police and Alameda County sheriffs were out in force. The Alameda County bomb squad had sniffer dogs check the bushes along the Vice President’s route before his car left the Claremont.

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  • John Seal

    He made it out of Berkeley without getting arrested? People, we’re not trying hard enough!

  • http://berkeleydailyplanet.com Becky O’Malley

    One more time: the Claremont is still in Oakland, as it was the last time when celebrities were reported to be in Berkeley because they stayed there. It’s true, you can get there via Berkeley streets, but….

  • Elmwood Neighbor

    Well, yes and no.

    The Claremont Resort – founded in 1906, this historic site was originally the Claremont Hotel. Although the main hotel building lies entirely within the city limits of adjacent Oakland, a portion of the grounds lie within Berkeley, and the resort uses this for its street address.