Daily Archives: October 7, 2011
The Berkeley Wire: 10.07.11
Review: “Phaedra” at Berkeley’s Shotgun Players [Mercury News]
Is Walmart allergic to Michael Pollan? [Grist]
Wall Street protests echo UC professor’s findings about income gap [UCB News]
“Occupy Berkeley” plans take shape [Frum Forum]
Photographer’s shots of civil rights movement at J-school [SF Gate]
Owners of Spring Mansion can’t settle on price tag [Curbed]
Herbivore, where vegan is delicious [Savor]
Photo: Moonwake, by D.H. Parks/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeleyside takes a minute to thank its advertisers
Berkeleyside would like to express its gratitude to our current advertisers:
Amoeba Music, Aurora Theater, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Institute, Berkwood Hedge School, Bernardo Lopez Garden Design & Installation, Buy Local Berkeley, Carolyn Jones at The Grubb Company, Focal Point, Gather, The Grubb Company, Hotel Shattuck Plaza/Five Restaurant, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Moe’s Books, Park Day School, Pasta Bene, Photo Laboratory, Telegraph Avenue Business District, Tom Miller & Friends Lawyers, UC Berkeley Extension, and UC … Continue reading »
Northbrae named one of nation’s Top 10 neighborhoods
This week, the American Planning Association named Berkeley’s Northbrae neighborhood a Top 10 Great Neighborhood for 2011. In making its selection, the organization took into consideration views, unique features, engaged residents — and good planning, of course.
The ten winners — which included Chicago’s Pullman neighborhood and Birmingham, Alabama — exemplify, according to the APA, “exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value”:
Northbrae was singled out for its abundance of preserved views of the San Francisco Bay; garden suburb design with streets and footpaths that follow the contour of the hills and gracefully skirt outcroppings of magnificent volcanic rock; impressive public spaces and amenities; and engaged residents who have done much to restore and maintain the neighborhood.”
Developer Duncan McDuffie was the brains behind Northbrae. A conservationist who favored single-family houses on tree-lined streets in a park-like setting, his initial plans for the area were influenced by the local Chamber of Commerce’s proposal to move the state capitol to Berkeley. Stone pillars, streets named for California counties, and a majestic public circle with classical balustrade and fountain were all part of the package. Magnificent rocks and boulders were also part of the landscape’s attraction.
Speaking about the area, Berkeley’s District 5 councilmember Laurie Capitelli said: “The Northbrae neighborhood is an amazing place to live. The vision developed in the early 20th century has transitioned beautifully into the 21st: small-scale shopping districts, restored creeks, walkable amenities – schools, library, parks – and a street plan that augments and preserves the natural beauty of the Berkeley Hills and views of the San Francisco Bay.” … Continue reading »
Homegrown truths: Sunny Side Café chef Aaron French
Aaron French, a self-described eco-chef, has headed up the kitchen at The Sunny Side Café on Solano Avenue in Albany since it opened in 2004.
For the past two years he’s served up breakfast standards (think pancakes and eggs) and simple lunch fare (burgers, sandwiches, salads) at a satellite café of the same name in Berkeley.
French bounces between the two popular spots several times a day and jokes that the breakfast-brunch shift is the Rodney Dangerfield of cooking (it don’t get no respect).
Still, he’s proudest of his low carbon emissions menu options and his weekend food specials, a short, seasonal list that emphasizes local farms and calculates food miles.
French isn’t your typical chef. Before he cooked for a living he worked as a scientist. His interest in ecology led him to spend two years living among pygmies in Cameroon, where he studied seed dispersal by monkeys and birds.
An avid nature photographer, he’s also written about the relationship between ecology and food for the Bay Area News Group, where he penned the EcoChef column, as well as for Civil Eats and Fungi Magazine. … Continue reading »
Police blotter: Recent crime in Berkeley
Auto Burglary – Acacia Walk & Spruce Street
A Berkeley woman parked her Nissan in the area of Acacia and Spruce on Monday, October 3, in order to go running. She left her car at about 9:00 a.m. and when she returned at 10:45 a.m., the driver’s side front window was smashed and her purse and contents were missing. Amongst the items stolen were a wallet, CDL, credit cards, debit card and some house keys.
Auto Burglary – 100 Seawall Drive
A Walnut Creek man parked his Ford Explorer at noon and returned to it at 1:36 p.m. after having lunch in the Marina on Monday, October 3. He noticed that the left rear window was smashed. He further discovered that his North Face brand jacket, a black and gray backpack, Canon camera and a laptop had been stolen from the interior of his vehicle.
Auto Burglary – Hearst & Euclid Avenues
On Monday, October 3, at about 2:30 p.m., a Berkeley woman parked her Lexus in the area of Hearst and Euclid Avenues. When she returned to the car at about 3:45 p.m., an unknown suspect or suspects had smashed her front passenger window and stolen her purple purse, wallet that included credit cards, ID and cash and additional miscellaneous contents. The purse had been left in the car. … Continue reading »
Closure of BHS gym rattles athletes, angers parents
The unexpected and abrupt closure of Berkeley High School’s Old Gym this week has thrown some of the school’s athletic programs into turmoil.
On Monday, members of the football team were told they could not go into the locker room in the Old Gym to suit up for practice or to retrieve their belongings. Since then, the team has not had a place to change, store personal items, use weights, or watch films to prepare for upcoming games.
“It has caused a lot of confusion and it is having an effect on how we practice,” said one member of the varsity football team who did not want his name used. “It has a detrimental affect on the team.”
The abrupt closure on Monday October 3 came about because Superintendent Bill Huyett only recently learned of reports that the structure may not be seismically safe, and decided to take action.
“I am a very prudent and cautious person when it comes to student safety,” said Huyett.
Huyett was referring to an engineering study included in a 2006 environmental impact report that raised – but did not answer — questions about the seismic stability of the Old Gym. The structure was built in 1922 based on a design by architect William Hays. In 1929, an addition housing what is now known as the Warm Pool was added. The complex is slated to be torn down in 2012 and replaced with a $35 million, three-story building that holds 15 classrooms, a new gym, and a fitness center. … Continue reading »
