In Nomine Berkeley
Contents:
![[Map of East SF Bay]](inb-map2.png)
Descriptions of Areas
- Downtown Berkeley
- Downtown Berkeley is centered around the area between the
intersections of University &Shattuck and South Berkeley. Berkeley
isn't a particularly large city, so while there are a few high-rise
buildings, it doesn't have the feel of a "big city" downtown. Still,
you can find a number of office buildings, and a good collections of
shops and restaurants. Traffic can get ugly around rush hour; the GM of
the game has been known to refer to the area between UC Berkeley and
North Oakland as the "great Berkeley/Oakland barrier" thanks to traffic
in the late afternoon.
- UC Berkeley
- Although UCLA might dispute this, UC Berkeley is the most prestigous
of the University of California system. It's a large university known
for excellence in undergraduate and graduate education as well as in
research. The campus itself alternates between buildings and open areas
(such as the famous Sproul Plaza), and wooded areas overrun with
eucalyptus trees. On interesting bit of trivia is that the Hayward
Fault (predicted location of an upcoming Big One) runs right through the
football stadium on campus. On the hills behind the campus is Lawrence
Berkeley Lab, not to be confused with Lawnrence Livermore Lab (which is
an hour's drive or so to the southeast).
- South Berkeley
- South Berkeley is a mix of residential areas and more industrial and
business areas. Along the major streets, the businesses tend to be less
oriented towards foot-traffic than is found around the University &
Shattuck area.
- North Berkeley
- A very residential area with most of the "mid-range" housing in
Berkeley. (Which is already extremely expsensive.) There are some
schools, and a few nice shopping areas such as Solano avenue.
- The Berkeley Hills
- This is the more expensive residential area. Marin Ave. extends
straight up the hills on a slope that was originally designed for cable
cars such as are found in San Francisco. Along the top of the hills on
the Berkeley side runs Grizzly Peak. If somebody lives up in the
Berkeley Hills, either their family has owned the house for a long time,
or they are reasonably welthy.
- West Berkeley
- West Berkeley is where the less expensive houses in Berkeley are
found, as well as more industrial and warehouse areas. San Pablo is a
long commercial district, much of which is not the sort of place you'd
want to be after dark. The nature of the street varies along its
length, with some parts of it almost quaint, and other parts where you'd
go looking for paycheck cashing outfits and pawn shops.
- Albany
- Like North Berkeley, only more so. Albany is a relatively small
municipaltiy, and it's very difficult to know when you've crossed from
North Berkeley into Albany into El Cerrito. Albany is reputed to have
the best public schools, and as such the price of small houses in Albany
is even more exorbitant than in much of the rest of the east bay.
- El Cerrito
- Primarily a sprawling residential area, with the wealth of the
residents ranging from fairly low (closer to Richmond) to very high (up
in the hills). Of note is El Cerrito Plaza, a shopping area that was
moribound through the 80's and the 90's but which very recently has seen
a lot of investment and has been revitalized with a collection of
yuppie-compliant big chain stores.
Some Highlights and Locations
- Telegraph Avenue
- The first several blocks of this street south of UC Berkeley are the
primary place for counter-culture wannabes to hang out. Extending off
from Sproul Plaza, the site of the Free Speech protests of the sixties,
telegraph is a very eclectic shopping area. This one-way (to the North)
street has a great collection of clothing stores, used and new
bookstores (including Moe's and Cody's in the former and latter
categories), record stores, and other shops. Additionally, the street
is usually lined with street vendors selling bumper stickers, T-shirts,
jewlrey, crystals and "new-agey" stuff... as well as tables protesting
one or another social policy, including "legaize marajuana" tables
featuring live potted pot plants. The street is always very full of
pedestrians of all sorts, many of whom are young kids who like the
scene, several others of whom are homeless. Sometimes on the corners
you will find street musicians playing a guitar with their case open
before them.
- Freeways
- The major freeways bracket Berkeley, but do not go through it.
Traffic is usually very busy in the Bay Area, and you can count on the
freeways having a good number of cards on them most any "normal" time of
the day, and traffic frequently slows to a crawl within a couple of
hours of rush hour. The freeways are frequently an Ofanite's
nightmare.
- Public Transportation
- BART, the sometimes-elevated, sometimes-subterrainian light rail
system, is a great way to get in and out of San Francisco. There are
two BART stations in El Cerrito, one in North Berkeley, one in downtown
Berkeley (near University & Shattuck), and others in South Berkeley
and Oakland. The buses in and around Berkeley are adequate, allowing
you to get around the major streets.
Numbered Locations
- 1. Mrs. Benson's House
- A tether to Zadkiel, on Grant St., just south of Rose St.
- 2. The Berkeley Rose Garden
- A minor tether to Novalis.
- 3. Danny's Cafe
- A tether to Haagenti.
- 4. People's Park
- A tether to Malphas.