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Berkeley Hat Co
Category:
AIDS Support Groups
2915 TELEGRAPH AVE STE 100
Berkeley,
California 94705
(510) 549-2955
In the market for a hat? Berkeley Hat Co. is the one and only place in the Bay Area to go hat...
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In the market for a hat? Berkeley Hat Co. is the one and only place in the Bay Area to go hat shopping. One could spend hours trying on chapeaus in this fun shop, which is filled with every style of hat imaginable, from the serious, to the beautiful, to the fun and funkly, to the completely off-the-wall.
PROS: Every kind of hat you can imagine
CONS: None
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Every Sunday from 10 to 3 (don't quote me on those times) the Thai Temple offers a brunch. A...
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Every Sunday from 10 to 3 (don't quote me on those times) the Thai Temple offers a brunch. A brunch with the prospect of more food than any normal person could want in a single meal. The payment is conducted through a token system--for example, 7 tokens ($7) gets three food items and a drink (which is much more food than most people finish or care to eat in one sitting, despite the fact that the food is extremely delicious). If in Berkeley, a visit to the temple on a Sunday morning/early-afternoon is definitely in need.
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This is the main branch of the Berkeley library, and therefore the biggest. It was remodeled a few...
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This is the main branch of the Berkeley library, and therefore the biggest. It was remodeled a few years ago, and now lives in a tall jade-green building with Art Deco-style carvings in light relief all over it. It's totally gorgeous.
Inside, it is four or five stories of books. You have to walk up at least three flights of stairs just to get to the children's section - which makes sense for the kids, if not the parents. Or you can take the elevator, and thank goodness for the Americans with Disabilities Act that makes that possible for everyone.
This library has a little more flash and razzle-dazzle than Oakland's does. Their library card qualifies you to check out two free passes to the Berkeley Art Museum; they have a fancy little "ticket" on their website advertising their Bookletters newsletter (which I believe is an outside agency, but makes them look pretty shiny anyway); they have a big paintbrush "spaceship" in the kids' room that kids can ride, or at least climb on. They have movie and music events - even though they're a quiet library!
On the other hand, they are a little shorter in the "special collections" department than Oakland. But since anyone from anywhere can use either library, maybe it's better to see them all as a vast network of library bounty, visiting the Oakland collections and the Berkeley events at will and supporting them all in any way we can.
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I have been going to this church for the past few months because I recently moved to Berkeley. I...
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I have been going to this church for the past few months because I recently moved to Berkeley. I go to the 10pm mass at night (yes, there is a late mass) and love it because the songs are really good, most of the priests are great preachers (but all shake your hand before mass and really welcome you), and you get really spiritual when you step into the church. The night mass is dim and only lit with candles but that's great because no one is shy to sing the songs and you feel more spiritual that way. I recommend to all even if you are not Catholic.
PROS: excellent priests, great songs, spiritual feeling
CONS: no 1030 mass
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Although there is a sign posted on the southeast corner of Haste and Bowditch, I never looked at...
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Although there is a sign posted on the southeast corner of Haste and Bowditch, I never looked at it. My attention would always be drawn towards the huge temple-like structure next to it. Every Sunday, the doors open and very "happy" people would enter it. Sometimes during evenings, the place would light up as well. I learned later (after attending the first Mind, Mysticism... etc decal) that this place serves not only as a temple, but also as a meditation center. Upon entering the place, you would notice the fragrance immediately taking you in. The room is always quiet, and when I went, they asked everybody to take off their shoes. The seats are very comfortable. I do not know how their lectures go, but if you are up for meditating, consider the Vedanta Society
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They have great programs for kids and families, a monthly family-friendly film showing (for $5!),...
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They have great programs for kids and families, a monthly family-friendly film showing (for $5!), even theatrical summer camps! There's always something going on there, you can sign up for their email newsletter to be reminded of events.
Their Kaleidoscope Kids Series is a discounted series of fun kid friendly shows and movies. If your child takes one of the many theatre camps Julia Morgan offers, they are automatically enrolled.
The building was designed by architect Julia Morgan, who also designed Hearst Castle as well as many of the historical buildings in Berkeley. It's all redwood and used to be the St. John's Presbyterian Church, which is now located across the street.
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My husband came here to get the necessary tests done for his green card application. He said that...
More 12 months ago
My husband came here to get the necessary tests done for his green card application. He said that the actual medical staff were fine (albeit, elderly) but the administrative staff are abominable, and I witnessed it for myself.
We went to pick up his test results that come in a sealed envelope to give to immigration. Since he had not heard from them in over a month he had to call and they said it was ready. When we went to pick it up, the administrative staff were all in a meeting in a conference room with glass doors next to the waiting room. We could see/hear everything. One woman came out and asked what we wanted and when my husband kindly explained that he took the test for his green card application the woman kept "not understanding" what he needed. This was confusing because this clinic seems to run these tests all the time. Finally she said condescendingly, "OH. You mean the 'sealed immigration envelope'??? THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY." She asked us to sit down and went back into their meeting where the whole staff was laughing loudly and chatting about replacing the building's fire extinguishers and "housekeeping." After sitting there observing their meeting for 20 minutes, we stood up and looked around. Another woman came out and said, "WHAT do you need?" When we explained that we just needed to pick up test results the woman said, "I don't think they're ready yet." What? Had she determined my husband's name through ESP by looking at him and accessed their database through shear mental powers to know this? We assured her that we had called and someone had said they were ready. She said, "SIT DOWN. We'll be a few more minutes. SIT DOWN."
After we had waited a total of 35 minutes their "meeting" broke up and a third person came to the desk and asked for my husband's name and rummaged around in the back for his envelope.
Does it really take 45 minutes to give a patient test results?
Pros: It might be the only place in Berkeley to get the necessary tests done for immigration/green card applications.
Cons: Administrative staff, wait time, customer service.
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924 Gilman
Category:
Civic & Community
924 Gilman Street
Berkeley,
California 94701
(510) .52-5.9926
This warehouse is devoted to a local music scene, often mostly comprised of punk music, but more...
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This warehouse is devoted to a local music scene, often mostly comprised of punk music, but more recently expanding the type of bands they tend to book. I saw Mirah there somewhat recently, Calvin Johnson, and also Casiotone For The Painfully Alone. It's a somewhat grungy venue, but well worth it for the spunky atmosphere. To get into a show, you need to pay $2 for a membership that lasts for the entire year, in addition to the cost of the show. Once you are a meber, you have full voting rights about what goes on in the organization, and are invited to teh regular meetings that are held to run the organization. You may also volunteer to do various tasks for a show, and get in for free. This was ideal when I went to see CFTPA, as I was able to work the door during the first two bands (which I wasn't interested in hearing anyway), stamping hands, and then was able to get in for free to the second half. Get involved!
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Berkeley Library
Category:
Public Libraries
2090 Kittredge St
Berkeley,
California 94704
(510) 981-1834
The main branch library for the city of Berkeley is amazing. It is a huge building and very...
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The main branch library for the city of Berkeley is amazing. It is a huge building and very comparable to the main library in san Francisco. Everything is very new and well maintained. All the staff people are very friendly and helpful. And you can almost find anything that you want here. Its an excellent place to reserch a topic and get your homework done. Highly recommended.
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If you want a good dog, you'd probably get one from the Humane Society. However, this is because...
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If you want a good dog, you'd probably get one from the Humane Society. However, this is because they pick and choose their dogs. They are a private organization so they can turn away dogs they don't think are adoptable - so of course they have a low kill rate. Another option is to go to the City of Berkeley's Animal Shelter (on 2nd by Addison), which takes in every animal that crosses its doorstep, and has only a 6-7% kill rate - compared to rates as high as 30 to 50% at some other shelters in the area!
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