We have been going to the Telegraph Avenue Holiday Street Fair for decades. Today we drove into…read moreBerkeley and there was nothing there. SO disappointing! The website and the Facebook page STILL show that it was supposed to be open today. I couldn't find any notice anywhere of a cancellation. How are you supposed to know? After posting a question to another Berkeley Facebook page I was informed that it was canceled due to a weather prediction (the weather was just fine). In past years, it has rained, but the fair still went on. In any case, why no communication? This must be awfully disappointing to the vendors and the rest of Telegraph Avenue shops that benefit from the foot traffic, as well.

This isn't the type of fair where rolling groups of Dickensian-dressed characters sing traditional…read moreChristmas carols a cappella, or where a jovial, bewhiskered old man in overalls gives away chestnuts are roasting on an open fire. No, this is Telegraph Avenue where the hippy-dippy mood is not necessarily holiday-induced. It's really the same merchandise you see at most of the street fairs around here, but that's OK because it wouldn't be Berkeley otherwise. Where else could I get a flying pig wind catcher (photo: http://bit.ly/2EoxKDN)? They close Telegraph from Bancroft to Dwight and hold the fair from 11AM to 6PM on the three weekends before Christmas. It's worth checking out. RELATED - Hungry in Berkeley? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed: http://bit.ly/2N4anQA

what can I say that's not already been said?…read more my experience was excellent from the beginning. I went on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 4pm with my cousin. we arrived early but were still promptly greeted by the owner's son who explained some ground rules such as masks were to be worn inside the museum. we were free to peruse the many artifacts that Mandy Aftel (the proprietor) collected over time. and when we were ready to smell some scents we could go outside where they were all carefully laid out and labeled. as a mildly OCD person, I loved how organized everything was. my cousin who was with me is an interior designer so her "design eye" was especially attuned to the museum environment. I asked her what she thought and she basically said that it was aesthetically pleasing (the details I did not ask bc I would probably not understand). Her response sufficed to say the least. Anyway, I loved that we also got to meet the proprietor! She was lovely. I was impressed by her ability to change careers and do what she loved in her 50s! amazing! I wish we could just go in to look at the little shop surrounding the checkout desk but maybe I'd come back with another friend just to look at the 300 year old books. such a cool experience!

It's a museum on scents and perfumes. There is a small rare book collection on perfume recipes,…read moreperfume ingredients, scent smelling, etc. Some books date back to 1820. I found the books quite interesting - easy to read. I never given a thought that there was a science in making perfumes and scents. The museum is inside a cottage that looks like it was built in the mid 1900. It's small, cute with well thought out displays and simple to understand signage. The family owned staffed museum is friendly and informative. Inside, you are required to wear a mask to smell perfume samples and a glove to touch artifacts, open drawers and books. Outside you get a paper sniffer to smell bottled perfumes and a black cloth to clean your nostrils from smells. Admission is $25 per person including smelling/touching packet. You will receive a brief introduction and then you are free to guide yourself in the museum. The museum is only open on Saturdays with reservations. Mandy, the woman, who created this museum, authored several books on scents and perfumes. She will sign your books upon request. My favorite display is the 19th century clove ship from Indonesia. It's so intricate - something to appreciate for the person who built it. Scents are natural essences of animals, flowers, fruits, trees and whatever.

I love this! It was a great event and I missed some of the speakers, but it's very spread out and…read morefinding people and events can be hard. This has gone from a "I can't miss this" to a "I can take it or leave it" event for me and that's sad because I love books. I did run into an acquaintance and that was nice. And the food wasn't as great as it has been in the past. And running alongside the farmer's market may not be the best idea either. I don't know if I'll come back because I was a bit underwhelmed with the selection. Also, a swag bag would be good. How can you have an event where people are buying books and not have a bag for them to carry them home in? Just some questions. I'm sure Berkeley won't have answers.

Really cool event! And really glad it's an annual thing (Bay Area Book Festival,…read morewww.baybookfest.org). I went in 2018, and it was its 4th year. Located in downtown Berkeley, really nice place with many shops and restaurants in walking distance as well. The festival had tons of vendors, $3-5 books for sell, food trucks and ice cream, a fun art pop-up blow up, activities for kids, speaker events, and book signings! Got some freebies as well :) here's to all the book lovers out there (:

My guess is that there are plenty of Cal Students who spend their 4 years here and walk right past…read morethis place without giving it a second thought. I first noticed this Museum on the way to class a few weeks back and had some time recently to take a look. And I'm glad I did! The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology was founded in 1901. The original goal of the museum was to support systematic collecting efforts by archaeologists and ethnologists to support a department of Anthropology at the University of California. The Museum was originally located in San Francisco from 1903-1935, when it moved to the UC campus. On the Berkeley campus, the Museum was located in the former Civil Engineering Building until 1959, when it was moved to the newly built Kroeber Hall. This museum was also the final residence of Ishi, who lived there from 1911 until his death in 1916. The Museum houses an estimated 3.8 million objects plus extensive documentation that includes field notes, photographs, and sound/film recordings. Major collections include: - Approximately 9,000 California Indian baskets, representing almost every tribe in California and all of the region's basketry techniques. - A broad collection of approximately 20,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts. . - A large Peruvian collection, especially strong in pottery and textiles. - Approximately 16,000 African artifacts - An important collection of Oceanic objects, including collections from the Trobriand Islands and from excavations in Fiji and New Caledonia. It's all free (with a suggested voluntary donation) and well worth your time, including an extended look or even study.

11.2 afternoon. It is an exhibition about poison, prescription, prayer and pleasure: the world of…read moremind altering substances. It is a small museum. I spent 20 minutes to see it. I saw many stone carving, cups and bottles of China. The building is quiet at weekends. There are only two visitors. There ate sofas and chairs to sit on.

The Gilman District Street Fair just finished its 4th year and has grown in size, attendance and…read moreamazing offerings! And apparently, the Fair gods have smiled upon it as even as it has become more popular, it has retained that same friendly, hyperlocal welcoming vibe.

With the warming weather of Spring, it's nice to be out and enjoy the outdoors and neighborhood…read moreevents. Read about the Gilman District Street Fair and decided to check it out this afternoon. This one day event was the second annual and encompasses three blocks of Camelia St from Sixth St to the railroad tracks and on Fourth and Fifth Sts from Camelia to Gilman St. Its street parking and we were able to park two blocks south on Fifth St. The fair was family friendly with art, crafts, entertainment, food, wine, beer and music with over 114 vendors. There were two music stages, on Fifth St and at the end of Camelia next to Trumer Pils. There was a Maker's Faire in a short alley off Camelia. There were delicious food vendors like De La Creamery ice cream, Woo Can cook wok fried rice, Picante Mexican food, and Homeroom mac n cheese. Homeroom has been on my to-try list and glad I was able to get the try it at the fair. Their Gilroy Garlic Mac was delish! We had a great time at this cozy street fair. Will be looking for to the third annual fair.

The monthly Go!Ohana shows RAMA puts on at La Pena Cultural Center are amazing! They somehow find…read moreall these talented performers from he community you would never hear of in the mainstream or otherwise They put on many other events too, all worth checking out!!

This passed weekend I volunteered my service to the Savor Filipino food event. What's Savor…read moreFilipino? The Filipino Food Movement is an organization of volunteers who share a common vision of Filipino Cuisine becoming a regular part of the American diet. Much like our other Asian neighbors, we envision a future where restaurants that serve Filipino Cuisine are more accessible to foodies around the US & the world. To the uninitiated, Filipino Food can be hard to relate to. But once you learn that it is an infusion of flavors and influences from around Southeast Asia and Europe, you'll realize that it's everything you didn't know you wanted! The event offered many attractions such as well known Filipino Chef's hold cooking demonstrations of their highlighted dishes, mainstream Filipino cuisines, Filipino native dances, beer garden, live entertainment of soul music, street vendors, and of course food food food. I happened to managed the Dessert booth, and I can tell you first hand it was a challenge but also a success. Words cannot describe all the fun I had, but for those who missed out there will be a next year. Hope to see you then.

Just another reason why I love living in the San Francisco Bay Area!…read more A festival to celebrate the cuisine of the Philippines? I'll be honest. Even though I live super close to Daly City and its plethora of Filipino restaurants I rarely eat Filipino food. The few times I've had it I've enjoyed it, but I don't even know why it's simply not a cuisine I'll make an extra effort to go and seek out and enjoy. Maybe because it's still relatively unfamiliar to me, but hopefully by attending a few more festivals like the Savor Filipino food festival held Saturday at San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza Filipino cuisine will finally become a "destination cuisine" for me. I had a great time at this inaugural event focused on promoting Filipino cuisine and trying to bring it into the mainstream of popular cuisines. I guess I never thought of it in this way but since the San Francisco Bay Area is a melting pot of so many different cultures why isn't Filipino food more popular than it is? I visited the event website on the night before my visit, checked out the menus posted and mentally made a game plan of things I wanted to try. To date I could name only a handful of Filipino items I've eaten - Lumpia, BBQ skewers, Kare Kare, Chicken Adobo, Tocilog, Sisigsilog and Leche Flan. Savor Filipino would be a culinary adventure for me and I was looking forward to it. I arrived an hour after the event had started and it was already packed with long lines at all five food tents. From my research I knew I wanted to hit the Street Food tent first. If paying by cash never stand in a line that takes cash and credit. I learned this many years ago by volunteering at these type of events. Look for cash only lines and chances are the line will move much faster. What I enjoyed about the menu is that all accept the dessert tent offered a sampler plate. The sampler here was to consist of a BBQ skewer, Sisig and Kinilaw, but I'm told some paperwork issue came up and they weren't allowed to prepare or serve the BBQ skewers just yet. No problem as the BBQ was replaced with Lumpiang Shanghai (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savor-filipino-san-francisco-2?select=b-wr6KTy05c5_SBQ_7_Iig#b-wr6KTy05c5_SBQ_7_Iig). I'm not a huge fan of coconut anything so I was thoroughly surprised of how much I enjoyed the Kinilaw, fresh fish marinated in coconut vinegar and coconut milk. It was tasty and reminded me a bit of ceviche. The Sisig was interesting in a good way as this was my first time eating pork cheeks. Next up was the Fiesta tent, but darn it when I got to the window to order I was told the samplers weren't ready yet. I decided to order the Lechon Baboy (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savor-filipino-san-francisco-2?select=b-wr6KTy05c5_SBQ_7_Iig#wSznOcPNqQAiOJMtB9ExeA) instead because, seriously, who can say no to roast pork or its crispy skin? I know I can't. This was very good, but the skin wasn't as crispy as I would've preferred and I found the sweet and sour sauce drizzled over my pork just a tiny bit offensive. It's amazing how quickly rice and meat can fill you up so I decided to take a break. I walked over to the demo area to watch a cooking demonstrations by vegan chef RG Enriquez (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savor-filipino-san-francisco-2?select=b-wr6KTy05c5_SBQ_7_Iig#_y4otAS4wm7Hb8gOJM8yAQ) preparing a Vegan Kare Kare and found some refreshing fruit juices (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savor-filipino-san-francisco-2?select=giJWVxsxczTwcnog_WAEMw#giJWVxsxczTwcnog_WAEMw) in the process. I decided dessert was in order so off to the dessert tent I went. There I found pure bliss in the form of my first-ever halo halo (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savor-filipino-san-francisco-2?select=b-wr6KTy05c5_SBQ_7_Iig#wC4W8U5-BN16RQEmnrRaZg). The assortment of textures and flavors melted together perfectly. Life is good! I returned to the cooking demo area where a crowd had formed many there to see Black Eyed Peas member and famous Filipino-American chef/singer/songwriter/rapper Apl. De. Ap (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/savor-filipino-san-francisco-2?select=b-wr6KTy05c5_SBQ_7_Iig#eCu7ZpVHcG303xayfb8vMA) do his first-ever cooking demonstration and sharing his mom's recipe for Chicken Adobo. It was a fun segment, and I got tons of photos and some cool video footage, but all that did was make me hungry again. By the time I returned to the plaza most of the food tents were sold out of everything. Great for the festival, bad for me. I didn't need those extra calories anyway. If this event makes it a return in 2015 I too will be back!!

My husband and I used to live in the area so walking up to the festival was a matter of walking a…read morefew blocks. But it got big, had big name sponsors and was OK. But I was inspired to go after hearing about it on KPFA and the organizers decided to have a health fare and get rid of the big name sponsors. That was a great idea! I absolutely loved the festival. They had everything from community agencies, transportation and health services, to live dancing and sage ceremonies. The crowds weren't huge and overwhelming, something that led to fighting some years back (and the reason we stopped going). Moreover, I decided on a whim to get my COVID booster. They had flu shots as well, and it was an impulse decision, made after my husband stopped to be social with some former colleagues. It was fine. I'm sure that if they keep the ceremony like this, it will grow. I think that after this last year and a half, keeping the community in touch is the way to go. And this festival did a great job of that.

This was our first time to the festival since the pandemic shuttered it previous times. And was…read morelots of fun to attend. They had plenty of vendors, activities , booths and so forth. It was much more crowded than we expected when going. But again was great to get out of the house and enjoy life again the way it was intended. Everyone so friendly and polite......