One of my favorite things to do is pick a place, travel there and take in the sights around me-the skate spots, people, architecture, food, nature, art and happenings. It doesn’t matter whether it's an exciting city in another state or country, or just the tired, SUV infested suburb fifteen minutes from where I live. I’m convinced that all you need is a little creativity for any seemingly bleak and boring experience to be transformed into an exciting, interesting or at least humorous adventure. I love traveling somewhere, stumbling upon skate spots, whipping my spot book out of my pocket and scribbling down the street names, all the while knowing that most of the people who live there or visit will never have the slightest idea of the treasures within. They will never understand what that school, business or fountain means to skateboarders, or why I'm taking a photo of that bench or staring at that curb. It makes me feel like I’ve discovered this raw, artistic and creative world that is invisible to the majority. I’ve always loved traveling, but it took on a completely new meaning once I picked up a skateboard.
My favorite weather for skating is right before it rains, when the sun is hidden by a blanket of clouds and the air is still and noiseless like a photograph. So this weekend when I woke on a pensive, gray Saturday morning, I felt the urge to spend the day skating and exploring. I decided to take a field trip to Berkeley, which has recently become one of my go-to’s when I need a change of pace from the city. It’s conveniently close to sf where I live, and easily accessible by bart, yet still far enough to feel like a small adventure.
What to bring on your skate trip to Berkeley:
- A bart ticket
- money
- skate tool
- water
- snacks (I recommend haribo gummy bears. Dried mangoes from trader joes are also a good option.)
- a hoodie
- camera
- extra batteries or film for your camera
- something to read on bart (latest issue of HOT, perhaps?)
an ipod with some good tunes
a video camera if you want to film
On this particular Saturday, I took the Richmond train from 16th and Mission and got off bart at the first Berkeley stop, Ashby. Stepping outside of the station, I found the Berkeley flea market sprawled out before me. A group of men sat in a circle playing drums while a woman did yoga in the center. I weaved my way through the stands of Obama and MLK t-shirts and carts selling Jamaican veggie patties, ginger beer, peanut punch and sea moss. Flags waved proudly, bright splashes of red, yellow, and green against the dark sky. The dense air smelled like marijuana and incense. 
the locals are cool.
Heading out of the flea market, I wandered left on Adeline, took a right on Ashby and then a right on Telegraph and ended up at a great little cafe called Mokka. In my opinion, any skate day needs to be started off properly with some sort of delicious caffeinated beverage, preferably in a place with good atmosphere. To each her own.
cup o motivation
Feeling inspired and ready for the day, I headed up Telegraph in the direction of UC Berkeley. There’s a generous helping of skate spots to be discovered along the way, including a row of buttery benches, manual pads, an over sized three and some ledges, to name a few.
beauty is in the eye of the skateboard holder.
I made my way to 510 Skateboarding shop, which is on the corner of Telegraph and Dwight Way. I like that shop. The people are nice and I was thrilled to find that they had the shoes I wanted in my size. I left 510 happily with my new kicks and kept heading up Telegraph. The sidewalks of Telegraph are littered with stands of seashells, incense, jewelry, t-shirts and bumper stickers. There is also a bountiful supply of restaurants and thrift shops. I took in the sights as I went- women with yoga mats talking about enlightenment; hippy kids sitting in front of fat slice pizza with dirt crusted dreads and pit bulls; hipsters locking up their fixed gears and marching dutifully to Buffalo Exchange.
One less car. . . one more hipster. . .
I stopped into Smart Alec’s on Telegraph and Durant for lunch. There are a lot of good places to eat in Berkeley, but I usually find myself at Smart Alecs. It's cheap and delicious- salads, big chunks of buttery cornbread, veggie burgers and air baked fries. Some other good places in the area that I recommend are: Café Mattina on Telegraph and Haste for a huge, inexpensive salad with poppy seed dressing and Razan's Organic Kitchen on Kittredge Street in between Fulton and Shattuck for a really good veggie burrito. Also conveniently located in the area are places that sell gelato and tempting tapioca drinks and desserts, like the Sweetheart Café on Durant near Telegraph.
There are lots of cool spots around Telegraph Ave, Bancroft Way and UC Berkeley like banks, waxed ledges, stairs and manual pads.
After skating around the university, I headed down Bancroft. The downtown Berkeley bart station is on Shattuck. Just about two blocks from the station, on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, in between Allston and Center, is the peace wall, where there are two long curb to ledges with rounded coping. This spot is made for skating so it’s a good place to go when you just feel like spending hours working on grinds and stuff without getting hassled by the 5-0. 
skate in peace
After skating at Peace Wall for a few hours I hopped on bart and took it one stop north to the North Berkeley station to go skate some transition. The trek from the station to the skate park is a little long. Even though Berkeley seems pretty safe, it can still feel kind of sketchy when you go there at night alone, because you have to cut through a couple of parks and it's pretty dark. I think you can take the 19 bus from the station to the park though, if you feel like waiting. I hate waiting so my motto has been to just skate fast and hope nothing bad happens. It’s worked out well so far. The skate park is lit until 9:30. It's a fun park with a step up gap, small pyramid, bowls, and other skate parkish stuff. The park has good flow so it will keep your heart PZA-pumpin especially if you’ve got some good beats GZA-jumpin in your ears. It’s nice to be able to just roll around especially after street skating all day.
Ending it Proper...After the park I skated to San Pablo street where I met some friends for an epic ender bowling session at the ghetto Albany bowling alley (in between Brighton Ave & Clay St.) After bowling there, it’s closer to skate to the El Cerrito bart station and take that home instead of going back to North Berkeley. (If you’re heading back to the city, and you have a car, you can stop at Treasure Island on your way back into the city and skate the bank there that is lit at night. It’s really fun...but I’ll save that for the T.I issue.) If you’re on your way back to the city on bart, why not get off at civic center station for some good old library flatground- always a good way to finish off the night.
stuff to remember:
· check the bart schedule before you go so you don't waste time sitting around waiting for trains
· buy one bart ticket with enough dough for all the stops you plan to make. if you use your credit card too many times the ticket machines will reject it (and rejection hurts.)
· don't go to the skate park if it recently rained because it becomes a toxic wasteland and will be closed
· if your heading back to the city at night after the skatepark you’ll need to take the fremont train and then transfer at macarthur to the san francisco train
skate park is located at:
1100 4th street at Harrison street
local shop:
510 skateboarding
2500 telegraph ave
(at dwight)
(510) 547-8745
have fun!
inspiring!
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