You know you’re a real Berkeleyan if you…

The San Francisco Chronicle ^ | May 1, 2012 | Vlae Kershner

[2ndDivisionVet]

There’s no mistaking that Berkeley enjoys an outsized reputation for a city of only 113,000 people.

While people from the redder parts of the country may think of Berkeley and San Francisco as liberal twins, the East Bay college town has a progressive flavor that leaves its big-city neighbor lying in the middle of the road.

For this slideshow, Allen Matthews, Katie Dowd, John King and Dave Curran and Kitty Luce came up with the captions. Gate photo editor Douglas Zimmerman shot or found the illustrations....

(SLIDE SHOW AT LINK)

[Carthego delenda est]

“has a progressive flavor”

Open-air drug dealing, crack whacks begging for money, hookers working the streets in daylight, Bong Shops, Pot Stores...

REAL PROGRESSIVE, there....”

Exactly! At one time UCB had THE premier library.... Now?

[aquila48]

“He is not kidding, and I think he is exactly right. It can be very entertaining to be a conservative in Berkeley.”

And the food is good.

As irritating as it can be, I think every country needs a Berkeley - it provokes the mind, like a sand grain in an oyster.

[I still care]

Actually, it’s interesting. The food looks good. I mean, I’d like three world class bakeries near me.

Other than that, it seems to be a town of strange people who get off on telling others how to live their lives. As the caption says, for a town of hippies, there sure are a lot of rules.

[2ndDivisionVet]

The Dallas/Ft Worth area is full of good food, from gourmet restaurants, deluxe supermarkets like Central Market and Whole Paycheck to greasy spoons, Koreatown, Mexican joints, TX BBQ and on and on. I’m doin’ my darn’dest to get back there...

[TChad]

And the food is good.

All those great little restaurants, of the type that Marion Berry despises.

[Viking2002]

The only thing this thread does for me is A: make me remember all the urban pig I used to see under the lipstick, and B: realize the last quake out there wasn't nearly strong enough.

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their hearts desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

--H.L. Mencken, The Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920

[Norm Lenhart]

That place should be quarantined. It is no different in effect than the Ebola virus. Ideas/people there quickly spread throughout the body of society, leading to rapid deterioration of function. The result is fatal to the host of the virus.

Sure, geographically it’s beautiful. So lets take a page from the liberal handbook. Remove everyone and only allow their return if they meet our criteria for occupation. If the unions/libs can do it for jobs, we can do it for homes. They set precedence after all.

The refuse we can send to Detroit.

[caveat emptor]

I like them both; last lived in Berkeley in late 60s and SF in early 90s.

Started reading Buckley in Berkeley library, and drank my first Arabica coffee at Peet's (see Starbucks) in Berkeley. Movies at Studios A and B and terrific Mexican food next door. I'm still using SS flatware bought a couple of blocks north of there, on Telegraph Avenue.

Thoroughly enjoyed living in SF, last in the Tenderloin, where I lived - across the street from the O'Farrell Theater - and worked. Shopped on Polk Street, where I was routinely encouraged to "take me home tonight mister" by hookers of all persuasions. On weekends I could take a local bus to a wilderness park in Marin County, hike for 3 or 4 hours, and be back home for a mid-afternoon nap. I'd move back tomorrow if ...

I'm one of the few lucky people (especially those living in Canada) who gets to vote against Nancy Pelosi every two years.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

“As the caption says, for a town of hippies, there sure are a lot of rules.”

-

Signs, signs, everywhere signs...

Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign!

[JimRed]

We don’t call it Berserkley for nothin’!