My Visit to Berkeley

As part of my effort to see more of Northern California, I recently visited the city of Berkeley. The town is well-known in regards to the University of California Berkeley aka Cal, and in regards to its associated cultures of academia and bohemianism. Since I have developed some interest and curiosity about Northern California and the Bay, I tend to read a variety of news blogs about areas and events in the region. 

The university tends to write quite a bit about the city and its local politics and cultural scene that happens throughout the city and at the perimeter of the school. I was particularly fascinated by the images of the campus’ buildings and could not believe that such architectural styles existed in California, so this was really an occasion to actually see such places up close.

During my initial visit and first impression I was expecting the scenery of Downtown Berkeley to be very bohemian, since it is commonly depicted in that way. But it really was not that way at all. I actually saw several modern buildings in this downtown section along with cafes and some (bohemianesque) bookstores. It was not really as incense & caftans as I had imagined it to be, but I’ll elaborate on that later. 

 When I visited the UC campus I was rather impressed that the architecture not only exists for real (in California), but some of it was even larger than it seemed in photographs. So many buildings of classically stylish designs and artistry. Such examples are a testament to the history and people of the past. The best things about Northern California is the trees and the architecture, in my opinion-  and a place like Berkeley is chock full of trees and historically significant architecture. The landscape of the university is very similar to that of UC Davis.

Though the downtown area of Berkeley does not seem very bohemian or artsy along its main street of Shattuck, it does have what is commonly referred to as a “college town”, or a section of small businesses that cater to the population of college students for food, entertainment, and shopping, aka a “village”. It is here where much of the bohemian scene can be seen with (grassless) People’s Park, some record stores, incense shops, bars, etc. After visiting this section the news blogs make a lot more sense as it is a bustling area with lots of people and traffic.

In regards to bohemianism and its associated traits Berkeley is another city that has had some issues with housing and gentrification. Some say that gentrification of neighborhoods will drive away the culture and only become a place for people with lots of money. But in regards to a place like Berkeley I have been reading their historical databases and there is quite a bit of historically significant realities here. Where some city databases and websites say “this lot”, “this area”, “this mound”; the databases of Berkeley say “this house”, “this school”, “this church”, etc. Looking at all of these realities I understand requires quite a bit of upkeep and preservation, even without gentrification. I wonder if there is some greater cause to the cost of living in such places. 

Another reality of Berkeley is that it actually seems rather intellectual and conservative. The local culture seems to be more about sustaining a standard, rather than being purely materialistic and showy. This is unlike other places that are highly materialistic, where parents want to give/buy their kids “everything”, while having little to no regard of the larger society. I did not see a Sephora, or a Starbucks on every corner, whom I had to search for to find their consistent products. But I did see plenty of entrepreneurialism and independent businesses, for whom lots of traffic seems to be just a flow. 

I would not say that a place like Berkeley is an experiment, but more of an example of culture and intellectualism. From its history it is a place of entrepreneurialism, culture, and prestige; a place where they value education, and look to examples set by George Berkeley, Julia Morgan, and others.