April 20
Hooray, it's spring! And, Berkeley....
Spring is coming! The days are getting nicer (though I guess the difference is less noticeable here in Seattle where the winter really isn't all that drastic in the first place) and it's generally light when I leave the office... The long, perfect days of Seattle summer can't be far away now. And today is forecasted to be 59 degrees. To me, that screams grounds for wearing flip flops, which I am. Right now. (Does anyone out there own Rainbow brand flip flops? Just a shout out: they're pretty sweet!)
I am also mourning the passage of girl scout season. I have both an addiction and a passion for Samoas, though thin mints are good, too. Rumor on the streets this year is that they've introduced a few new varieties of cookies this year, but my internet research has only turned up the addition of sugar-free brownie bites.
In the meantime, I realize my last post was geared toward interesting things to do in Seattle. Instead of spending more time on *this* glorious city, I thought I'd spend a bit of this blog post talking about one of my other homes: Berkeley, California.
*Get Cheeseboard pizza and a Caribbean Passion Jamba Juice smoothie and eat it somewhere outside, preferably somewhere on UC Berkeley campus - Cheeseboard pizza, a hole-in-the-wall pizza cooperative across the street from Alice Waters' famous Chez Panisse restaurant, serves one type of gourmet pizza per day. Example ingredients include (but are not limited to): fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, feta cheese, fresh corn, pasilla peppers, grilled eggplant...UH-MAZING!
*Visit the top of the Campanile ("Sather Tower") - Few people know that this is one of the tallest structures in the world, and unlike many other "get to really high altitude" attractions, you don't have to exert a ton of effort, pay a ton of money, or waste a ton of time waiting in line to visit it. $2 (maybe it's even just $1) or a UC Berkeley ID gets you one of the most beautiful San Francisco Bay Area views (which, in my opinion is one of the most beautiful views ever), imagineable.
*Try Gelato Milano - Oh My God, this is possibly the best gelato outside of Italy I've ever had. The man who opened the shop actually brought someone in from Italy to train him in the art of Italian gelato-making and it's flipping fabulous. (Yes, I just used the word "flipping.") Plus, who can resist those happy plastic cups and tiny spoons that suspiciously resemble shovels? I particularly recommend the coconut and strawberry flavors.