The Other Side of Berkeley

Shopping highlights include the many vintage and used clothing stores where you can buy almost-new stylish clothing cheap or a '50's cashmere coat. Great for supplementing your wardrobe as well as finding unusual Halloween costumes.

After shopping, drink some coffee at one of Berkeley's many cafes, where you can watch the passersby. Or stop in for Indian, Asian, or Italian food at one of Berkeley's many restaurants.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Zachary’s Pizza serves – in my opinion – the best pizza in the world. During the 13 years I lived away from the Bay Area, I dreamed about their pizza. I even went so far as to make a friend of mine hand-carry a pizza on a plane in order bring me a piece.

Zachary’s Pizza is famous for its "stuffed pizza," which requires about 30 minutes to make. Stuffed pizzas with 1 topping cost between $13 for a small (serving 2-3) and $19 for a large (serving 4-5). Add about $1 for each additional topping. Thin pizzas are about $2 cheaper. Salads cost $5 and are huge. Wine and beer are available.

My personal favorites are the sausage and pesto stuffed pizza – with a spiral of green pesto over the red pizza sauce (pesto is charged as 2 toppings) – and the plain cheese pizza. A small easily feeds two, with some left-over to eat the next day. I would suggest that a salad be shared – my boyfriend and I made the mistake of ordering one for each of us, and we left a lot on the plate.

Zachary’s is open Sunday-Thursday from 11:00 am to 9:30 pm, and Friday and Saturday from 11 am to 10:30 pm. This location of Zachary’s is smaller than its other location, in Oakland at 5801 College Avenue (510.655.6385). But at either location, during peak hours, you’ll have to wait for a table approximately 30-45 minutes. Zachary’s does not deliver, but you can call for take-out. Be advised, however, that sometimes it’s difficult to get a hold of anyone at Zachary’s when it’s busy, so be patient and keep calling or go there and order your take-out personally. To avoid peak hours, you can also pick up a half-baked pizza and finish baking it at home.

Zachary’s only accepts cash.

Zachery’s has street parking, which may be difficult at times. Parking is easier at this location than at the Oakland location.

I am a big fan of the Crossroads Trading Company, a centrally located clothing store in downtown Berkeley, close to the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Although some of their clothes have never been worn – apparent leftovers from stores like Rampage and Urban Outfitters – Crossroads has mostly used clothing in good condition that is current in style. They have a wide selection of women’s sweaters and tops, all arranged by color. Crossroads also has a small collection of formal dresses and coats, and racks of pants, skirts, dresses, and men’s clothing. Usually, the store has some clothes from well-known labels, which are hanging on the wall. As in most used clothing stores, Crossroads’ inventory varies from day-to-day.

I often stop by Crossroads to see if they have anything new. I bought a black long formal dress for a friend’s black tie wedding ($13), a black chenille sweater ($25), and a purple bias-cut skirt that had never been worn ($15). I have also seen an Ann Taylor silk dress for $15 and a nice coat resembling camel hair for $35. When I last dropped in, clothes hanging on the wall included labels such as DKNY, Vivienne Tam, Anna Sui, and BCBG.

Crossroads accepts major credit cards. Metered street parking lines Shattuck.

Crossroads is open Monday through Saturday between 11 am and 7 pm and Sunday between 12 pm and 6 pm. There are several other Bay Area locations in Oakland and San Francisco. Check out their website, www.crossroadstrading.com, for more information. Their phone number is (510) 843-7600.

As can be surmised by their window display, Mars is a vintage clothing store with an emphasis on the funky and eclectic. Although Mars does have some modern clothes (such as dresses and some Gap T-shirts) the majority of the clothes are vintage. As in all used clothing stores, Mars’ inventory varies from day-to-day. During Halloween, Mars had perfect clothes for costumes. I remember in particular the wedding dresses for those that want to go as the bride of Frankenstein.

Mars displays its women’s clothes (sweaters, blouses, dresses, and skirts) on the first floor. Dresses range from modern sequined sheathes and velvet formals to 1950’s cotton sundresses and 1960’s color block minidresses (mostly all between $20 and $40). Cardigan sweaters from the 1950’s with sequins or embroidery are $25.

Coats, jackets, and men’s clothes are upstairs. Mars has a significant number of coats and jackets (including leather and suede) in stock. I tried on a short faux fur double-breasted ‘70’s style jacket ($55), which was in excellent condition, and a long red wool overcoat with a fur collar ($60). Leather and suede jackets were $60.

Most of their clothes are in fair to good condition. Take the normal precautions in buying used clothes and check the seams, the linings, and the fabric for tears and under the arms for stains.

The store is located on Telegraph Avenue, near campus and is open Saturday 11 am – 7 pm, Sundays through Fridays 11:00 am to 6:30 pm. Mars accepts credit cards, ATM, and traveler’s checks. For more information, check the website at www.marsmercantile.com.

This entry discusses how to get to Berkeley and how to get around Berkeley once you’ve arrived. Berkeley is a great day trip from San Francisco or a trip in itself.

To get to Berkeley:

The Oakland International Airport is the closest airport to the city (about 30 minutes driving) and contains the typical rental car companies. Various shuttles will also take you to your hotel (try the BayPorter), and a bus ($2) connects the airport to the Coliseum BART (the Bay Area commuter train) station.

The nearest AMTRAK station is in Emeryville, the city next to Berkeley.

You can take BART from San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. From San Francisco, you take a Richmond-bound train, a 20-minute commute. On Sundays and certain times on other days (at night), you will have to transfer trains as there is no direct San Francisco-Richmond train. There are three stations serving Berkeley (North Berkeley, Downtown Berkeley, and Ashby), but the Downtown Berkeley station is the most central to the campus and the downtown area of Berkeley. Unlike subways in other cities, BART is not cheap. BART will cost $2.75 one way from the downtown San Francisco stations to the Downtown Berkeley station. BART has an incredibly helpful website which contains schedules and other information: www.BART.gov.

Alternatively, of course, you can drive. Several major freeways serve the Bay Area; the connections between the freeways are often confusing, so make sure you have a good map.

To get around Berkeley:

Plenty of buses service the area. The AC transit bus costs $1.35 per trip. A map of the major routes is posted in the BART station.

You need a car in order to easily explore all the areas of Berkeley – especially Tilden Park and the hills. Berkeley is a city of discrete neighborhoods, some of which are clustered around a shopping street – such as Solano, Shattuck (downtown Berkeley), the Fourth Street shops, and Telegraph (the campus area). Although Berkeley streets are essentially in a grid pattern, some streets are one-way, and concrete barriers block off some streets in order to divert traffic.

Be careful driving. Police cars constantly patrol the downtown area – the police station is there – and the campus. Also, be careful of pedestrians: they do not obey the walk/don’t walk signs. It is not unusual to see pedestrians in the crosswalks walking against the light.

Parking is often difficult, especially around campus when school is in session. Some of the neighborhoods – like those around campus – have permit parking, so check all signs carefully before you park. Most of the shopping areas have metered parking for a limited time. The meters are both regular meters (one for each car) and newer ones (on Shattuck) which are assigned to about 5 parking spaces. To use these meters, look at the sidewalk near the curb near your parking space. There’s a number assigned to your parking space and an arrow surrounding it which points to the meter you should use. Follow the instructions on the meter.

As in any city, when you park, don’t leave any possessions visible in the car.