So I have been getting aquainted with getting around town and where everything is. I am biking everywhere which is different, but I actually like it. I feel like I have more energy now after the 3rd day of it. I have been finding all sorts of good food, which is of course a very important part of a new place.
Yesterday I had a delicious meal, at a place called Mint Leaf which you can see pictures of above. The Pad Thai was amazing, and the spring rolls were as well. The spring rolls were fresh ones with fried ones inside! The best of both worlds. The place was also a juice bar, and I ordered the Refresher, aka apple, mint and cucumber! And it certainly lived up to its name. I was disappointed when it was gone. It made me remember how much I love fresh juices like that. The service was really good and if you are in Berkeley you should go there.
Today I went all over the place just exploring. First I went to a thrift store called Clausen House Thrift Store, and what is cool about it is they support this place http://www.clausenhouse.org/ that helps developmentally challenged people. They were really nice there and I found one thing I may use in my shoot tomorrow. Here is the website for the shop if anyone is interested. http://www.chniftythrift.com/
Next I biked on over to Rockridge, a cool area with a lot of shops and restaurants and people everywhere, with the mountains as background. It was too expensive for my budget, but it was cool to go in and look around the shops for a while.
On the way back, biking down Telegraph, which is the main street that I stay around, I stopped at a corner store that advertised vegan items. This was kind of a hole in the wall type store, but had vegan cheese, snacks, ALL kinds of stuff. I got some yummy smelling bread called Zaatar and some fresh fruit.
Moving farther down Telegraph, right beside the street I am staying on was a Mediterranean market. I found Belgian chocolates that are shaped like pringles, with rice crisps in them. I left with those and a few dolmathes. This place has falafel, hummus, all that stuff, really cheap. The part I didn't like was walking past the animals hanging up in the back of the store.
There are a lot of Middle Eastern stores and shops in this area, as well as Ethiopian. The smells all around me as I bike around are amazing, it just smells like spices and food everywhere. There is such a diverse population here. And I was very happy to see two gay men holding hands today, just walking down the street. I have rarely ever seen that.
When I was walking around Berkeley yesterday I saw this where someone had written in wet cement on the sidewalk.
"Find hope in the darkest of days and focus on the brightest" Dalai Lama
Then I saw these 2 cute doggies sitting outside the grocery store and had to snap a pic.
Inside this grocery, called The Berkeley Bowl, were the most yummy looking cupcakes. Vegan. Yes, I am vastly amazed at the amount of food for me here. Maybe I will stop taking pictures of all the cool food I see soon. Probably not. I also took a picture of the chocolate donut I found at whole foods.
Oh yea. There is no sales tax on food here, and it is much cheaper to eat healthy here than back home.
So, basically the past couple of days have been me exploring the areas around me and getting to know where things are and what is going on. I found out Oakland Pride is tomorrow so I am thinking of stopping by there. I am ready to get to work, but waiting on supplies, although I have to shoot before I can do anything. Stay tuned for more to come about what all is going on! I will be taking more pictures as I explore and start my work.
Love to all!
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