Why I think Berkeley is the best place to live in the Bay Area

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | April 21, 2015 | by Katie Dowd

[Oldeconomybuyer]

I want to preface this by saying that Berkeley is not for everyone.

You have to have a high tolerance for eccentricities of all types. You have to love a little chaos. And you have to accept that things will always be a bit messy.

But, if you're the type of person who doesn't mind insanity, Berkeley is a wonderland.

Berkeley has a well-earned reputation for its over-the-top liberalism which can sometimes mask its finest quality: diversity. From its various neighborhoods to its endless ethnic cuisine, Berkeley is as interesting and weird as its inhabitants.

Dirty and scruffy on the outside but vibrant and fascinating within. If nothing else, Berkeley always challenges your beliefs. And what more could you ask of a great city?

[delchiante]

Isn’t Berkeley really ‘North Oakland’?

I remember driving in Oakland then just happened onto to a Berkeley sign..

No fan of San Fran but San fran side vs Oakland/Berkeley side no contest..

[madprof98]

Berkeley always challenges your beliefs

As they say in Berkeley, "BELIEFS???"

[Rusty0604]

Towns run into each other around there. Population growth.

[Iron Munro]

Why I think Berkeley is the best place to live in the Bay Area

Years ago when I passed through Berserkely the homeless were openly using the sidewalks for toilets.

Except for the weather it felt like being back in NY City when Dinkens was mayor.

[Mark17]

I used to go ice skating at the Berkeley ice rink, before they built one in Vacaville. I thought that even many of the people on the ice were weird too.

[yetidog]

“And what more could you ask of a great city?”

Maybe to let it kill you—spiritually, physcically and existeniially. All of you. How can anyone considerr human congestion, abberation and folly to be the foundation of a life to be well-lived. The isolation of a Montana rancher, Utah Mormon, West Texas cowboy or Arizona trucker seems more profound and open to the possibility of enlightenment to me.

[ExCTCitizen]

The only Bay Area (left coast) city I’d want to see is Livermore. That is because I was born in the city when my dad worked at Livermore Lawrence Labs.

[Polynikes]

“Berkeley is chock-full of rude, angry people.”

Got that right. I have been to the Bowl. What you have to do is meet the jerks face to face. ie: If they get in your face you feed it right back. They act crazy but they aren't as crazy as they act and are basically cowards. If you make them realize what ever they think will happen will not be the way it will play out as in they will get hurt. It doesn't happen often but has worked ok for me. I make them aware I am capable and willing to deal as in if they don't STFU we will have a serious problem.

[ExCTCitizen]

Yes... their were Canadians playing hockey... :-)

[IMR 4350]

“I mind insanity quite a bit”

Same here.

For some unknown reason I’m a nut magnet.

People I’ve never seen in my life will walk up to me and start telling me their life story and it’s always weird crap nothing normal.

[MasterGunner01]

“Why I think Berkeley is the best place to live in the Bay Area”

Guess: It has the highest crime rate so rents are affordable?

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm ..??

I’ve always wondered why “diversity” is in the same sentence with “neighborhoods”.

True diversity is an integrated neighborhood; not neighborhoods of like-groups of people.

This is just typical of liberals. Diversity means whatever they say it means. In other words, if liberals say that segregating people into neighborhoods is diversity - then it’s just accepted as such. When is this country finally going to figure out that we’re being lied to over and over and over again ..?? As usual, the liberals continue to speak out of both sides of their mouth.

[Yaelle]

The campus is beautiful.

[Nifster]

Berkeley is every libs dream come true....unfortunately it is closer to a third world dump than anything else

[crabpott]

On August 16th 1977 I was making a sales call on a camera store in the middle of Berkeley. The store had a radio on and they interrupted some Greatfull Dead pos drunge to mention Elvis had died. Never a big Elvis fan (I did see him sorta alive at a North Lake Tahoe casino a couple years earlier)but it kinda hit me. An American icon had died. Seeing my slightly shocked expression, a freaky clerk looked at me and in all perplexed seriousness and said “who???”.
I was 30 my and the wife was 22 and from Norway and she was still sniffling when I got home to Coupertino.
A 22 yo from another country was crying and some hippy clerk in Berkeley had not a clue.It was then a realized how huge the disconnect was and knew it would only grow.Thinking of that day still makes me sad.

[Lisbon1940]

Grateful Dead owed a lot to Elvis. Did you ever see Jerry’s pelvic action?

[apostoli]

agreed! This article is the pure creation of the reaction know as incredulous maximus.

[RitchieAprile]

my league (the old PHA) occasionally had games scheduled at the Oakland rink back when in the early 90s. late night games followed by beer in the parking lot. other than a few panhandlers, no one gave cause for concern.

[beachn4fun]

got their degrees , got their doctorates , and are now the ‘professors’ teaching the youth of America from the same vile Leftist ideology that they used to take into the streets in 69’ .

This is what I've heard about Berkeley.

The college is still spewing crazy sh*t.