The pool is great! And it's open way more hours this summer than the past. Pretty much 12-6pm…read moreeveryday for rec swim. FYI the pool is only open during the summer.

The Strawberry Canyon Recreation Area (SCRA) is a hidden gem located above the Cal Campus and on…read morethe road up the hill on the way up to the Lawrence Hall of Science. It features an outdoor swimming pool, a ropes course, locker rooms, fitness center, barbecue/picnic area, and the Haas Clubhouse. I've been here for a few private parties at the Clubhouse. But what I really enjoy is bringing the family here for a swim and a chance to hang out poolside or on the grass. It's quiet, peaceful and in lush surroundings. And it's only a short drive from the urban grittiness of my Albany home.

TL;DR beautiful pool, beautiful gym…read more PLUSES: + outdoor pool = great view (campanile) + design is old, rustic, and beautiful + huge locker rooms + halls are perfect for a photoshoot

This 33-meter (108+ feet!) rooftop pool of Roman proportions and elegance is a treasure of the UC…read moreBerkeley campus. The locker room is approached by a walk through a sunlit hallway of old, multi-paned windows. The locker room is spotless, and fabulously equipped. Then, the pool itself...holy crap...first of all, it's on a ROOF, and it's made of MARBLE and mosaic tiles. And there are huge concrete terraces on which to sun and rest oneself, as well as to view eye candy from the waterpolo team doing leisurely laps as if just for show. The lanes are huuuuge so collisions are rare. In fact, it sometimes feels like the place is a secret even from the lucky students who can enjoy it, because I don't remember it ever being crowded. In fact, as the sound of the Campanile heard between breaths of the fresh Berkeley breeze blowing over the verdant quad can charm anyone into thinking that they are having a dream of liquid solitude. Here, I was able to break through my 2-lap ceiling and seal my love of swimming forever. Okay, one pain in the ass is that you have to pay a fee to rent out a locker...but at least you CAN rent out a locker! Another pain in the ass is that you have to wear a damn swim tag on your person to show that you are allowed to be in or around the pool in the first place...but the crispy, sun-yellow, and oh-so-filchable towels provided by the gym make up for all this... Yeah, so basically, there's nothing negative that can be said about this pool. It is a drop of Heaven on Earth.

I visited the club in July and the admin upfront was very disorganized. There was no manager…read moreavailable to speak with? I came here to see if could sign up for tennis lessons and also because I heard great things about the swim lessons but it was a total waste of time and no one was able to help me. Left a bad taste so I left and choose to go some where else.

I grew up watching my Dad play tennis here, and now it's finally my turn…read more After flirting unsuccessfully with baseball in high school, tennis is now becoming my go-to "racket/stick" sport. And after taking a few quick lessons to "get my game back" this summer, I can definitely say that I'm enjoying the additional time I'm spending here. And why not? There's lots to like. The club is nicely set at the bottom of the Berkeley Hills, right off Tunnel Road, where the silhouette of the Claremont Hotel towers over the club in the background. It must be made known that the members of the Berkeley Tennis Club (known as the "BTC"), are a very, very tight knit community, to the point where many members take a keen interest in management decisions, almost as if stockholders. As many members come here basically everyday, it makes sense that they would have a vested interest in making the club the best place possible. However this just reflects the caring nature of most members, as people here are extremely friendly, social, and down to earth. Upstairs in the main "clubhouse", there is a newly renovated workout area, with separate rooms for cardio and weight equipment that both contain large flatscreen TVs. As someone who enjoys working out, this is a key feature for me. Other amenities include: 10 tennis courts, a basketball hoop, swimming pool, hot tub, and a fitness center with cardio machines and weights. Not a bad deal. As I look back on my time I spent here over the years, I realize that this is the place where I learned how to swim. This is where I made some of my earliest friends. And now, hopefully, this can be where I finally learn how to play tennis.

OLYMPIAN GOLD MEDALIST MISSY FRANKLIN…read more I came last Saturday to watch a swim meet between Arizona Wildcats vs. California Golden Bears. The main attraction for me was a chance to see Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin swim in competition. The layout of the facility is different from what I normally see a swim meet on television. First the lanes are only 25 meters long - half of the standard 50 meters lane. Second the facility is outdoor. The facility overall is small than the standard world class swimming facility. However the smaller facility means that you have a great view to see events from the diving competition to the swim races. Another cool feature about the facility is that on the wall facing the spectators you can see years of NCAA championships that Cal Golden Bears team have won relating to water sports - Men's Swimming and Diving Team, Women's Swimming and Diving Team, and Men's Water Polo. Not only did I have a chance to see Missy Franklin swim to win three events - 200M Freestyle, 100M Freestyle, and 500M Freestyle - but also the swim meet was free admission to the public. Where do you have a chance to see an Olympic Gold Medalist compete for free? It appears this is the place to see.

Their website says their open Sat at 11am. I arrived at 1 pm and they were closed…read more Went to Hearst pool, mentioned it the folks at the desk and they couldn't give a damn. Their respond was oh well. Your a college with bright young kids the least you can do is have an accurate website!

Positives: They…read morehave like 17 squat racks in a room. It's amazing to see. The chemicals in the spray bottles are blue, so I know the workout equipment I'm spraying it with will be clean. The cardio area looked nice but I didn't get a chance to use it when I went two weeks ago. Negatives: Their upper body free weight area is kind of stuffy.

The Berkeley YMCA continues to be my least favorite branch, which is unfortunate because it is my…read morehome branch. A month ago or so, I was there on a Saturday afternoon, and a staff member comes into the locker room to announce they are about to close. I hop in the shower and quickly get dressed. The staff tell each member on their way out that next time, they need to leave earlier. I can certainly understand wanting people to exit by closing time so that you can clock out as soon as your shift is over, but how about setting yourself up for success by starting with some sort of announcement about closing time? Do they really think all members know the exact gym hours -- which vary by the day of the week? I don't think they have public address system, but it would solve the problem of members not being aware that the gym is closing soon. The public library gets everyone out on time by announcing 30, 15, and five minutes remaining. The YMCA should do the same. One more thing: the men's locker room is has an unpleasant air -- and it isn't just from the men. The vents push warm air in for some reason, making it uncomfortable. I guess it's another way they try to get people to leave.

Amazing job from design to finish. I would never have thought my yard could look so good. Malrie…read morelistened to my long wish list for the yard and then designed an amazing outdoor space that I'll be able to use for years to come. Once I committed, they showed up 2 weeks earlier than I expected and finished the job early. Their team was amazing. I really liked the way they thought everything through like the order things should be done in and how to reuse materials already existing in my yard (e.g. deconstructed granite) which saved me money. The whole team was polite, always smiled when I came by and helped me more than once move things around. The materials they used, for example, metal edging instead of bender board look really clean and will last for years. I made a number of changes over the course of the project and always received change estimates quickly which made it easy to make decisions. Every night they cleaned up walking areas and kept all their tools neat and out of the way. There were so many little touches that really made a difference. I would definitely work with Malrie, Carlos and their team again.

Phenomenal job from design to finished work. We renovated our front yard, back yard and pool. This…read moreinvolved retaining walls, concrete, pavers, gas lines, irrigation, electrical, lights, fencing etc.. Lots of moving parts. Malrie is the design guru while Carlos and his crew execute the design with painstaking detail. Malrie brought to life a dull design we received from another outfit. Communication and expectations were clearly outlined. This is not the norm in my experience when dealing with contractors but critical when tackling a project as complex and expensive as ours. The value for the design/work was incredible compared to other companies we spoke with. Do yourself a favor and call Arreola Landscape. You'll be glad you did.

We wanted a Japanese garden with a waterfall cascading down a…read more 17-foot drop in front of our home and to have two Japanese bridges cross the stream at different heights. We thought this idea would be difficult to execute because it would need engineering, electrical work, plumbing, lighting, plants, boulders, and a beautiful design. We contacted Jorge and explained what we wanted and after a consultation of about an hour at our home, he said he would think about it and give us a proposal. We were amazed at the conceptual design that he had and that he had diagrammed, overwhelmed by his attention to detail in the bid, and incredulous that he and his crew brought it flawlessly to fruition. The job took about 4 week and the transformation is incredible. We have had neighbors tell us that it is not only a thing of beauty but is a calming influence with the sound of the rushing water. One neighbor puts his chair at the bottom of the waterfall and meditates for long periods of time. We love the sound of the rushing water and keep our front door and windows open to hear it through the day and evening. Jorge and his crew are highly skilled, extremely knowledgeable, neat considering the tons of material they needed to do this job, highly professional, and priced very fairly for the stunning beauty they create. Jorge managed the entire job and communicated with us every step of the way. You can trust your project will be done perfectly if you engage their services.

They are very organize. They were on time for the price quote and for the job. Communication was…read moreeasy.easy and they are very nice. Thanks for your help.

This review is long overdue form my time at Cal, but I went to RSF throughout my time at Berkeley…read moreand loved it. It was fairly good and clean gym, they do get super busy in the evenings and have time limits for machines (during busy times), but oh well. I did take taekwondo there too, though though I wasn't too keen on the teaching style. I did love the equipment, mostly running, used the pool, and it was fairly decent experience overall as a student

The RSF weight room is honestly the bare minimum. For a multi-billion dollar university like…read moreBerkeley, the lifting space feels like something you'd see in an underfunded high school.

Christopher is amazing and works great with kids! Our kids love him and always look forward to…read moretheir swimming sessions with him. I'm glad I found Sunsational Swim School which gives us a lot of flexibility with our busy schedules. We're happy to book additional lessons with Christopher for both of our girls.

Natan was an incredible instructor. Our 3 year old went from scared of the water and even of…read moreentering the pool to swimming by herself (!) after about 6 lessons. She's now putting her head underwater, wanting to stay in the pool for hours, and just so much more confident than before. Highly highly recommend Natan and the school. Would give a 6th star if I could!