9/27/21
Wow. Today was breathtaking!
After a leisurely start to the day (including a wonderful phone call with a local friend of a Portland friend, and some delicious avocado toast prepared by my Warmshowers host) I set out on foot to explore my environs a bit.
First I headed up College Avenue, through the Rockridge neighborhood. I loved the aesthetic! The architecture, the street trees, the transportation infrastructure… no wonder people love this area. I moseyed along, soaking it all in, until I crossed over into Berkeley, and soon stopped into a local vegan bakery (Timeless Coffee Roasters and Bakery) for a decadent chocolate turtle, which I enjoyed a few minutes later on a shady curb.
Then it was time to scale some serious hills, and see some unbelievable views. I headed up Derby Street until I reached the entrance to Claremont Canyon.
I’ll let the photos speak for themselves: wow! (Of course, that shining city across the bay is San Francisco, lit from above like the Land of Oz.)
I got in a good workout by climbing those hills, and then walked back “home” in time to head out by bike with my host for dinner at a nearby Burmese restaurant. I tried some unique dishes, including a tea leaf salad! (Pictured, before we stirred it up as one does before consuming it.)
Before dinner, I marveled that I was seeing Facebook posts about heavy rains in Portland. It was their first real rain in months, and people were jubilant about breaking the summer drought. I was happy for the people and plants and land up there, but (not-so-secretly) also happy that I was avoiding the rain and chill I had so intentionally set out to escape on this journey.
No sooner had I said this out loud, however (and, ahem, made a Facebook post about it) when the clear, sunny Oakland skies suddenly turned dark, and a mist began to descend… which turned to a full-fledged rain as we pedaled to the restaurant.
Doh!!
At least I was wearing all non-cotton clothing, so by the end of the meal I was mostly dry, and after sitting inside at home for the next few hours (the rain having stopped falling during dinner) I am once again cozy and snug.
Tomorrow, I’m biking to Pleasanton, with plans to stop along the way at a vegan doughnut-and-gelato shop (yum!) as well as the Hayward Japanese Garden, which I had hoped to visit on my last trip to the Bay Area but had missed.
I’m loving this journey!
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So glad the Bay Area got rain though! Burma Superstar is legit. I used to go to the SF one on Clement. Did you go to the Alameda one or did they open another location? I love that you’re experiencing good eats in these places where intentionally vegan food was once so unpopular! Lucky!
Yay! Yes, I think this was a new one, because it was right in Oakland. It was a great experience!