Nothing to see here, folks. No art or anything. Just a few potted plants and a dude smoking. On the…read moreother hand, there's plenty of sightseeing to be had in the vicinity. Coit Tower, the long line outside of Mama's, the big church, the park full of old Asian exercisers, and everything else can take your mind off this blank destination.

As you climb Filbert St to Coit tower, to your right you'll find this little alley, named for, and…read moreonetime home of, San Francisco poet Bob Kaufman.

Excited to see this brand new mural by @nattypaints honoring local icon Carol Doda at Bodega. The…read morewall previously had Fnnch's bold red lips which was def an influencer photo op. For those that don't know, Carol Ann Doda was an American cultural icon of the 1960s. Born in 1937 in Vallejo CA, she grew up in San Francisco and attended San Francisco Art Institute while working as a waitress and lounge entertainer at the Condor Club in North Beach (down the street on Broadway!). She made history by wearing a topless bikini during her performance on June 19th, 1964, becoming the first noted entertainer in the United States to do so publicly.

a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. It's also a helpful landmark for people less familiar…read morewith the area.

The outdoor decorations are the same this year as they were last year: the pirates scene, the…read morehaunted forest and the graveyard scene. Each scene has some animation. The moving haunted tree is still my favorite. I will probably visit him every year. This year they barely have any giant pumpkins and instead they were giving away a car (cheesy), so I'm deducting a star. It's still free to view the scenes and enter in the dark haunted trailer. They still have pumpkins of various sizes and a snack bar.

I've been taking our kids here for years. As we live here on the coast we have a lot of options…read more This is the most down-home and local experience you going to get here in HMB. It's especially good for kids 12 and under. J

Its been a while since I've been to a Renaissance Fair, but I'm glad I made it. At first, I felt…read morereally out of place, and after spending fifteen dollars to get in, thought I made a mistake. The crew is completely in character, and then you have just regular attendees who are also dressed up and in character, and I felt like I was transported to a time that I know nothing about. The attitude of the people is incestuous and you get the feeling that at close, it turns into a massive orgy. Heaving bosoms are everywhere, and at times can be overwhelming. Some you wish weren't heaved in the first place, and others you can't stop staring at. The food was ok. I had chicken on a stick, and that was great, along with a veggie roll, but the fried plate combination was absolutely horrendous. My girl's niece got a waffle cone, cookies and cream, and that was excellent. On tap in the beer garden, which was a little too small in size served up wine, and beer (Guinness and Prohibition Ale) and some other honey booze called Mead which i didn't try. The entertainment was fun. We caught the last act of a strange man with a team of trained parrots doing some random crowd interactive fun, There was a group of foul mouthed kids in the front row that really added to the entertainment level. The best part of the entertainment was the joust though. These knights pulled off a real looking action packed duel that had the crowd wanting more. Wood would shatter at impact and the winner declared after each pass. The host of the event was very entertaining and the dedication of those involved really makes you believe that these people (weirdos!) do this all the time. There is nothing out of character. On site there was all sorts of random fun, most of all the bow and arrow range. I could have stayed there all day. It was a cheap thrill. Looking back, i realize that these people who do this are not only nuts, but obviously dedicated to a point where that if you can let your initial guard down, then you can have a lot of fun too. A few ales don't hurt either. Oh, and nothing beats holding a mace and thinking back to that scene in Braveheart when on a horse, Mel Gibson (freak) smashes that dudes face in when he's laying in bed. Mad gramercy yo.

I used to go to the Renaissance Faire in Marin county as a child who was in a madrigal singing…read moregroup. We went in full costume and had a singing guild. This renaissance faire had a few problems, though it was fun. 1.) The directions were awful. Getting off a 34th street was stupid and a waste of time and we backtracked 30 minutes. The directions should have specified to get off at 19th and walk east. 2.) Much of the food was too modern and anachronistic. This was disappointing because I remember whole wheat bread, whole cheese and yummy sausages from ren faires past. 3.) There were too many vendors and not nearly enough entertainment. I DID like the jousting, but it seemed more selling wares than anything else. The site in Marin with the trees was bigger, dustier yes, but it just seemed more authentic and less contrived. 4.) It was too small and there was not enough going on at all. I paid 15 dollars and had seen everything in about 30 minutes. Boo. More characters would definitely have been appreciated. 5.) The bier-garden seemed to have all the action. They should have had more gardens dispersed. I hope next year they expand and figure out a way to make things more entertaining.

Hahaha, i didn't even know you could do a review on this check-in?!…read moreWell, i have been coming to this area way before checking in on Yelp. lol since it popped up on my Yelp to do a review, i thought i would. Valencia Street has a lot of business restaurants and medical centers. You can go check it out for yourself, especially if you like to try out new food restaurants, and they have a lot of them here. i've gone to so many businesses in the last thirty years, and some have had good and bad experiences. Sorry, this was a short review,but I'm not sure what else to say about this area, lol Oh,one more thing whenever you park your car, make sure you lock up your car and do not leave anything in your car because they will break in and steal your stuff. Thanks for reading my latest review~Lizzie ~ ;)

It took me many trips before I found out about this area. Now I come every trip. I like the Dia…read morede Murtes grates under the trees. I love all the unusual shops... Where else can you find a Pirate Shop to buy all your pirate needs? And Paxton Gate is awesome. Bones, fossils and plants are just the start... There are great galleries and places to eat as well. You really must come and check it out

Chahrshanbeh Souri @ The Persian Center in Berkeley…read more NARRATIVE A few years ago before sleepover with Houman, Michelle and I pestered him about No Rooz and all the festivities that went along with the celebration of the Persian New Year. As members of a multi-culti friendship tribe we begin the New Years season on December 31st and then continue on through March until New Years has exhausted itself into Springtime. Houman mentioned fire jumping. I was intrigued and since I hadn't been to Burning Man in a few years, I was called to the fires! CONTACT INFORMATION The Persian Center 2029 Durant Avenue Berkeley, CA 94704 http://www.persiancenter.org/ Phone: (510) 848-0264 HOURS Tuesday before Vernal Equinox, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PRICE RANGE Inexpensive. Traditional Persian cuisine is sold to support the event and the center. SUMMARY This Zorastrian custom dates back to 1300 B.C. It celebrates one of the last evenings of the year and is symbolized by fire so that people can see their way into the new year. Bonfires are lit because they are purifying and can light our way into the new year. In Berkeley Durant is lined with people of all ages talking, laughing, dancing, wishing greetings upon each other, doing the traditional Persian double-cheeked kisses hello and good-bye. Downtown Berkeley is a great venue for the event. Behind Barnes and Noble what is normally a quiet side-street is blocked off and filled with Persian music and flooded with lights. Two sets of bonfires are lit to keep the celebration moving. The DJ and MC are pounding out Persian favourites and new remixes. Parents jump with their young ones who look wary of going near the flames. Sweethearts jump in tandem. Frat boys try to outleap one another in side-by-side races. As the spring crisp air fills your lungs, you look up past the buildings into the deep blue night sky. The moon is lit and the stars begin to speckle the sky. All the while you're bundled in your coat, talking with your friends, and rehearsing the Persian phrase while waiting your turn to jump the bonfires: (Sorkhi-e to az man) Give me your beautiful red colour (Zardi-e man az to) And take back my sickly pallor! Houman wrote it down for us the first year we went. Last year he sent us a reminder and the group of us split between pronouncing it in English and pronouncing it in Persian. Afterwards we all met up at a Chinese restaurant to finish out the evening's festivities. More laughter, more stories. More good times. Don't let the year slip without celebrating another new beginning. Jump the fires on Tuesday night to ring in No Rooz! SERVICE Volunteers are very helpful with guiding newbies to the fire-jumping lines. The atmosphere is FESTIVE! Party down, Persian-stylie! REST ROOMS Port-o-potties by the fire-jumping area or local eateries and bars if you plan ahead. SUGGESTION? Pronunciation guides for the Persian-challenged.

We finally got to check out Chahar Shanbeh Souri to celebrate Persian New Year. I found out about…read moreit on chowhound last year and made sure to put it on my calendar for this year. It was Tues. 3/18/08. We took Bart to Downtown Berkeley and walked down about 3-4 blocks to Durant Ave. The place was crazy busy with DJ Aykut & DJ Dr. T spinning very loud music. There was a flyer saying 4 Shanbeh Soori After Party 9:30p-Close the DJs were going to be at Pasand Lounge, 2280 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley a 5 min. walk from the Persian Center. People line up around the Persian Center to buy food. There were Kabob sandwiches: chicken or beef wrapped like a burrito w/ rice inside & a small half tomato & water or soda for $10. Chicken was dry and boring to eat. You could also get a noodle soup for $5-very minty w/ a sauce another table had & even some sumac you could add or some chopped onions. Soup was ok, hubby liked it more. For dessert Golnazar Persian ice cream sandwiches were $3. It's Saffron ice cream w/ pistachio. Just ok w/ thin crispy wafer like cookie to sandwich the ice cream. Pre-packaged. They also had a 1-pint tub of Faloudeh for $3. It was frozen solid when A. tried to eat it, he had to wait about 15 min to finally try it, he finished it so it must have been ok. The best part was the jumping over the small fires. The line was Crazy long, but it moved fast, near the fires the line finally breaks into 2 lines and you can jump over 3 small flames. Almost anyone can jump over the fire..we did and it was FUN. Then we left, still Recommended at least once.

Cannot believe there are no reviews for this. One of the best events ever!!!…read more $20 ADMISSION (at door)~ with admission: -Free lift ticket to Bear Valley, Dodge Ridge or Sierra Summit -2 for 1 voucher at Mammoth -Burrito coupon at Wahoo's $20 WINE TASTING UPGRADE~ -Over 50 wineries with booth on site, "taste" as much as you want WINTER SALE~ -Lombardi's and Porters with gear up to 70% off FREEBIES~ -T-shirts, pens, stickers. Jager shots. Mammoth beer. Needless to say, it was a parrrtayy for my friends and I. We drank. We bought hecka stuff! Buzzed shopping! Fun! And nope, no regrets! Love my new Burton boots and pants! =D Next Ski and Snowboard Fest: Santa Clara Convention Center Nov 14th 2009 - Wine Expo Nov 15th 2009 - Beer Expo Don't miss out! http://sfskifest.com/

Great event. I've been for 10+ years. Never disappointed. Love the free lift tix…read more Also the beer/wine tastings are fun too.

This year the honey and I decided we would try out a couple different Christmas Tree Lanes instead…read moreof just driving around hoping to find different lit neighborhoods. This Christmas Tree Lane is perhaps the ultimate Christmas Tree Lane, considering it's an extremely dense block where every single home is lit up with different displays. On one end there was a table with kids selling cookies and hot chocolate and in the middle there was a frosty ice cream truck. We got a bit lucky as it was less busy when we drove in around 6pm or so, but it was a madhouse by the time we wrapped up our visit. We later drove over to the San Ramon Christmas Tree Lane on Woodland Drive and found it to be much less busy and a bit more enjoyable as their streets were wider. All in all, this Christmas Tree Lane is definitely something to experience once, but unless you're local to Alameda I'm not sure I'd make it a yearly trip.

This was our first time going to Christmas Tree Lane here! There are not much areas with Christmas…read moredecoration / lights in this area, so it was nice to be able to find an area with beautiful Christmas decorations and lights. Not much parking that was close by and it was a bit cold / windy during our visit, so we just drove down the street and it was beautiful still.