It was 1 of those extremely rare events in all of human history, an aligning of the stars that was…read moreordained to portend an epic & fantastical coming of... well, of something. The 17th Annual Fairfax Brewfest was on March 17th, 2012, which also happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Oh come on, the numerological significance of this is undeniable. The 17th on the 17th & a Brewfest on St. Patrick's Day? Destiny. So it was written (on flyers posted in almost every business in Fairfax), so it was done. For $25 each, the girlfriend & I joined the beer-loving hordes that fine St. Patrick's Day at the Fairfax Pavilion for unlimited beer tastings of brews from 21 local breweries. It...Was...Epic. Iron Springs, Marin Brewing, Moylan's, Lagunitas, Pacific Brewing Laboratory, Broken Drum, Anderson Valley, 21st Amendment, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, Lost Coast, Napa Smith, Drake's, New Belgium, Mad River, The Beach Chalet, Triple Rock, Beltane, Third Street AleWorks, Mill Valley Beerworks, Sudwerk, Pizza Orgasmica: drink all-you-can from all of that for $25! Add in traditional Irish & Celtic music performed live by the Gas Men & it was like discovering what Craic was for the 1st time all over again. It's said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Everyone at the 17th Annual Fairfax Brewfest most certainly was Irish on that day.

2014 was the second year I attended Fairfax Brewfest after 2013 went down as one of the best beer…read morefestivals in the last year. This relatively small beer fest takes place in picturesque town of Fairfax; probaly one of the cutest little places you will find anywhere. The only downside for us out-of-towners is that Fairfax is not anywhere close to the freeway...you have to pass through central San Rafael, drive some 5 miles on a narrow road before you get close enough to park to the Pavilion where the event is held. Coinciding with St. Patrick's Day weekend (and also my birthday), this year's event was a little bigger than the last year's. There were few more breweries present but also the crowd seemed a bit larger occupying the same exact space. Farifax Pavilion is not very large and it can get hot since all the beer is served inside. Unfortunately, it was even more crowded outside where they had several food vendors. Despite the congestion and the amount of beer served everyone had a great time and I did not notice any unfortunate incidents. As far as the brews served it was mostly again local breweries and some guests such as Stone and New Belgium: altogether about 25. There was nothing there that I haven't tried in the past that blew me off, but the waits were not horrible and most of the stuff the brewers brought was very tasty and fresh. The only reason for not giving 5 star rating is that Fairfax Brewfest is starting to outgrow itself. There are people (like myself) coming from out of town and spreading the word of mouth, so the lines for the bathrooms get really long and the main room gets too muggy. Outside area this year was crowded as well so it might be time for the organizers to look for a new venue as they can only expect more people in 2015.

I was disappointed that many of the booths ran out of food by 3:30pm when the the event was…read moresupposed to run till 5pm. There were plenty of vinyards w/ tasty wines to sample. The food that I did try was tasty and made me want to try their full menus. The cooking demonstrations were also good.

A fun self-guided tour of some of the mainstay restaurants in North Berkeley, and all for a good…read morecause. I had not heard of this annual event prior to this year, but I am already looking forward to next year's. For $25, you get to try samples and snacks from 21 of Berkeley's restaurants and business. Unfortunately, some of the business ran out items (or did not offer them at all), but in the end it was still worth it. All proceeds go t the Berkeley Lions Community Fund, so it is for a good cause. There is no tour guide or formal tour group. You get a booklet with certificates for samples from each participating business (as well as some extra coupons) and you then decide on your plan of attack. You will run into fellow participants along the way. Having a few friends with you not only makes it more fun, but it can also prove handy, as while some wait in line at a popular spot, others can go the the neighboring business for a quick snack. You only have 3 hours, so you need to be efficient. The quality, quantity, and availability of the samples varied, so these are my thoughts for all stops! 1. Sol y Luna Taqueria: one of the best stops! a nice taco piled high with plenty of meat on a home-pressed tortilla. I had not been here before, but will definitely come back! You could also sit down inside and enjoy some cucumber water if you needed to rehydrate. 2. Bistro Liason: another good stop. Salmon souffle with a cognac and cream sauce. Tasty. 3. Oggi: disappointingly, only a skimpy strip of focaccia garlic bread. Both before and after the name change, it seems generous portions are just not their thing. 4. Firehouse North Gallery: definitely the strangest stop, considering they were not letting people into the business and there was only a sign reading 'No Kambucha Here' (yes it was misspelled) to greet us on the door. 5. Foxglove Boutique: they were serving a refreshing carbonated wine drink. Cute store. 6. Taste of the Himalayas: a mini buffet of naan, chana masala, and very tasty pakora. It was great. I felt a little bad for the people paying for dinner that day... 7. YogaKula Healing Arts Center: they ran out of apple cider, but I got a coupon for a free pilates class, so not bad. 8. Poulet: a tasty piece of lemon chilli chicken. We sat inside for another water break. 9. Philz Coffee: they were serving coffee accompanied by live singing and guitar. 10. Barney's: a ridiculously generous portion of their delicious curly fries. This was definitely when the tour got serious and when we started to get full. 11. The Local Butcher Shop: a nice plate of ham, pork rillette on toasty, and pickled fennel and carrots. Very Nice. 12. Gregoire: The wait was long, as their 'surprise dessert' was coming out in increments. The apple turnover-like surprise was hot and tasty, eventually. 13. Dara Thai/Lao Cuisine: two lettuce leaves stuffed with a gingery salad and something else. Refreshing! 14. Cha-Am: a friendly greeting and a generous portion of their tasty tofu pad thai. 15. M. Lowe & Co. Jewelers: they ran out of chocolate, but they had plenty of wine... 16. Mint Leaf: they ran out of samosas. Boo, it would have hit the spot. 17. Alegio Chocolate: a taste of their 73.5 percent chocolate. 18. Kirala 2: a plate with a fried croquette, a shrimp mini shumai, and a california roll piece. Not bad. 19. Lush Gelato: a full scoop of any flavor! I tried the balsamic mascarpone, which I found pretty good. 20. Soop: a generous serving of their red lentil soup. I will definitely come back for some soup to go. I love having soup for dinner. 21. A Priori: cute store and a chocolate-dipped pretzel. No complaints here! 22. Peet's Coffee and Tea: a second cup of coffee and some nice coupons. 23. La Fable: they were a little disorganized and ran out of their pastry. We got a piece of toast with some truffle butter. Just like Chester's it seems they are a bit understaffed. 24. Saul's Deli: a tasty, yet smallish portion of their pastrami. As mentioned before, it was fun and totally worth more than the $25 it cost. Check it out!

As a member of the Berkeley Lions Club, I'm so excited for the Annual Taste of North Berkeley every…read moreyear! A few members of the club work so hard to put on this fundaiser for the local community and they do great job highlighting the restaurants in North Berkeley. For under $30, you get a small taste of various goods up, down, and around the Shattuck. You get a lovely stroll on, get to sample almost all of the restaurants on the street, and finally get a good excuse to visit that store you've yet to step foot in. You even get a nice bag and wooden cooking spoon to go with your ticket to taste all of these restaurants! The 7th Annual one is coming up soon and tickets start selling on April 2, 2016! Tickets can be bought online or you can walk up if they aren't sold out yet!

the "Together We Rise" mural is located at the corner of 13th St & Broadway. it's on the blacken…read morewindows of a former Burger King. a "person" in a blacken galaxy/blue starred background is holding a blue banner reading "Together We Rise". at the bottom right corner "protect the Sacred" is posted.

Mural commemorates "A view of the Valley looking South back in town" before downtown Pleasonton…read moreevolved into a suburb. Highlights the race track, the Original Fair Buildings, the Original Castlewood, the Bernal Bridge, Meadowlark Dairy, & Hopyards Donated to the community by the Pleasonton Downtown Assoc. 7/12/2007 Creator: Gary O Winter

An "art" car does not have to be artistic! But this is ~still~ one of my fav Berkeley events! Kids,…read moredogs, cars, food, SUN!!! What more could you ask for?

If you like wacky people, cool off-the-wall art exhibits, naked wrinkly assed people, Hare…read moreKrishnas, garage bands, pink men, naked wheelchair people with hard ons, drag queens and unicycles, this is the parade for you! I enjoyed it myslef, its quite a spectacle Maybe once every other year it can be more appreciated

Copy and pasted from their website: "Caltopia 2025 is…read morescheduled for August 24 & 25, 2025. Celebrating its 22nd anniversary, this two-day interactive festival will introduce Cal students to brands of all sizes aligned with the Cal lifestyle." Quality/Quantity - My wife "forced" me to come to this event. She and my daughter love these types of events. My favorite booth was the Safeway (5% off loyalty card) and Frito Lays. Overall I still had a good time. Well I made my own fun, lol. My wife and daughter will probably come next year without me, I/we will plan better. Atmosphere - Decent size location. My daughter said in previous years there has been low attendance. But it was crazy busy today. If you do not like crowds, come later in the day. The event is held at the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF), UC Berkeley. 2301 Bancroft Way; Berkeley, CA 94720. Service - Self service. Overall good. Some vendors take their job way too seriously. ONLY one per person, yelling at the poor freshmens... Someone needs to tell those few serious vendors their objective is to get these freshmen "hooked" on your product for future sales!! So it's okay if they take two. You will NOT run out. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Happy 22nd Anniversary. Thanks for having this annual great event (for my daughter).

Caltopia 2013! Here is the definition and details as what Caltopia is:…read more http://caltopia.berkeley.edu/details.php It is UC Berkeley's method of celebrating the start of Fall 2013 by throwing the Recreational Sports Facility's ("RSF's") doors open to the Cal community and the general public. Fun, food, and lots of free stuff! Free stuff?! Did somebody say, "Free Stuff?!" Whoa--I am so there! I checked out the website as to who would be participating at Caltopia XI. I read there were going to be free haircuts and mini manis from Paris Beauty School. Oh, I will definitely get in on a free haircut! My hair needs it! And it is free! And Yelp! is going to be there?! Oh, I will definitely go to Caltopia to see Yelp! Because of my studies, I have not been able to attend any Yelp!-related events. Other participants were The Melt, IKEA, Extreme Pizza, Bank of America, Ben and Jerry's, Paris Beauty School, Benefit Cosmetics, Aveda, Pentel, and many of Cal's student services and organizations on campus. I was amongst the early birds who got there early and was amongst those waiting in line for Caltopia to begin. I took part at Cal Student Store's plinko game. Scored a gold pen and Cal scarf! I made a new Yelp! friend (Hey Maggie W!) while we were waiting to be let in! Scored a campus police tote and a car air freshner right before the moment we were allowed to go into the RSF. All righty then, let's roll. Played a few games, won some prizes. Signed up for some of the campus services, especially Cal's Office of Emergency Services. Signed the pledge to honor Cal being a a smoke-free campus in 2014. I found Paris Beauty School's room at RSF. Had to wait about 20 minutes and was ushered into Maggie's chair for my haircut. Got four inches cut into layers, got fringy, whispy bangs, got a blue hair extension, and a sample of hair conditioner. Love my new haircut! I hope Maggie has a bright future as a hairstylist! Any salon would be quite fortunate to have her! And I found the Yelp! photo booth! And Ben T. was running the show! It was great to meet Ben T., Yelp's East Bay Intern and my Yelp! friend. Ben told me Shirene, another Yelp! crew member would be joining him later. And Nique would be in on Monday. I will be back on Monday afternoon. When it was my turn for my photo, I got and donned on the Yelp! Red gear for my picture and my degree of YELPY CUM LAUDE. Also scored my Yelp swag of Chapstick, mint, and gloves! Thank you Ben! I got lots of free bags, and as Maggie W. said in her review, they will come in handy as many of the stores are charging for bags now. I got a nice cold bag from Bank of America which will come in handy for refrigerated goods from the store to home. Got a free T-shirt promoting community service after my promising to contribute to the community. Got some pix taken as well. Got my Yelp! ones. Still waiting for Cal Student Store to post mine with Oski and the sweet Aussie bloke on their Facebook page. Will be back for a quick Monday in and out just to see Yelp! A quick update--we shall see! Go Yelp! And Go Bears! Caltopia XI 2013 Review #3 Fresh Yelp! Review #59 for 2013

Feb. 10th is the official day of Lunar New Year. It's celebrated as "Spring Festival (China),…read moreTet(Vietnam), Seollal(Korea). It's a national holiday in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia. Other countries with significant Chinese population also celebrate it: Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, U.S.... For Chinese, it's the year of the dragon. Posting a few dragon murals: -10th & Jackson: Dragon chasing a glowing object. Creator: Dragon School 99 -10th & Alice@Lincoln Square Rec. Center Green dragon has shiny object in claw Smiling dragon having fun Creators unknown