West Berkeley and the Ocean View Neighborhoods border the historic manufacturing district in Berkeley. In 1993, the City of Berkeley began a historic project to rezone the whole city, and the West Berkeley plan was an attempt to keep a true manufacturing district in Berkeley. You might wonder why the 4th Street shopping District doesn’t extend to Gilman Street, which seems like a natural border. It does not extend that far because the City has reserved those last blocks of 4th Street for manufacturing.

The housing stock in these two neighborhoods is built on flat parcels. Many of the bigger buildings demonstrate the age-old idea of a ground floor retail area, with an upper floor reserved for a living area. Many of the houses are modest bungalows, and there are blocks of Victorians, which some locals say were moved to Ocean View and West Berkeley after the 1906 Earthquake. West Berkeley was the first neighborhood to experiment with “loft” type buildings—it seemed a natural fit for the artisans and small businesses that populate the area.

When the idea of a shopping corridor on 4th Street was proposed, many people laughed at the idea. Today, many years later 4th Street has become a Mecca for shoppers. Try the oyster bar at Café Rouge. If you like to cook, Sur La Table is one of the best gourmet cooking stores you can find. If you like East Indian food, a trip to VIK’s (Allston @ 7th Street) is something not to be missed. The breakfasts at Bette Ocenaview Diner are sumptuous, and Skates on the Bay offers a great place to drink a Mojito  watch the sun set over the San Francisco Bay.

What about the views? We always say that a view adds an incredible value to any property. Imagine standing on a deck in the Berkeley hills and gazing at a 180 degree view of the San Francisco Bay, including the San Francisco Skyline, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the idyllic Marin County cities of Sausalito and Tiburon. Imagine watching the sun or the moon set above the Golden Gate Bridge, or watching the sunset explode into colors of lavender, coral and red. We live in a house with a view, and can tell you that every day is another remarkable view.

Our clients are surprised when we tell them that the hills are great walking neighborhoods! There is an intricate system of paths throughout the city, and in the Hills, these paths offer wonderful shortcuts. Please visit the Berkeley Path Wanderer’s Associations’ website @ www.berkeleypaths.org for more information!

One of the things we appreciate the most about the gourmet ghetto is the opportunity to people watch. Someone once told us that the mantra of the gourmet ghetto should be “Come for the food, stay for the show!”

Northside is also home to “Holy Hill”, a collection of divinity schools. The Graduate Theological Union, among others, is home to students from all over the world. The housing surrounding the “Holy Hill” area is mostly student type housing and multi units and condominiums. It is not unusual to see a brown-frocked Franciscan monk walking down the street in vivid conversation with a black cassocked priest, or perhaps a Greek Orthodox priest standing on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Ridge Road.

The Solano Avenue/Thousand Oaks neighborhood also appeals to people wanting to walk everywhere. Since Solano Avenue offers most commercial services such as banking, the post office, grocery stores, novelty boutiques, two movie theatres and several specialty delicatessens.

Every September the Solano Avenue Merchants sponsor the “Solano Stroll”. The street is blocked off, and Solano Avenue becomes a great street party offering music, food, dancing, crafts, and fun for about 50,000+ people.

When we think about the Thousand Oaks neighborhood, we think about the remarkable harmony between the houses, the stately oaks, and the serpentine rocks. As you wander through the neighborhood, you can see houses that seem to be growing out of a huge serpentine rocks. You can also find houses that have been built around a huge oak tree, or a basement floor which has a giant serpentine rock at one corner. The Rocks and Oaks were here long before the houses were, and it is such a pleasure to see how creative an architect can be when asked leave a bit of natural wonder intact.

When we think of the Elmwood neighborhood, we picture two story brown shingled houses framed by bouquets of wisteria. We also see two story grand traditionals with lovely leaded glass, and lovely wide front porches. Elmwood is also home to some of those loveliest duplexes we have ever seen.

After the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, many people left San Francisco for the East Bay. In the years following the quake, the real estate firm of Mason McDuffie built some impressive neighborhoods, and we think that the Claremont neighborhood is a stunning example of a great planned neighborhood. The houses here are stately, the lots seem larger than other parts of Berkeley, and the settings are lush and regal. The houses in the Claremont Court area of the Claremont are simply spectacular, each different, each appealing in a different way. Many of these grand houses have a grand pedigree, from famous architect such as Julia Morgan, William Worsted, and Walter Radcliff.

The centerpiece of the Claremont neighborhood is the Claremont Hotel. This lovely, all white hotel holds court above Berkeley. It currently features a hotel, spa, and a members only/hotel guests athletic club. The hotel was built in 1915 on 22 acres of prime property. Inside the hotel are a series of wonderful historic photos of the hotel, and the Sunday Brunch service is an absolute delight.

Claremont Hills

Some of the real estate industry refers to the Claremont Hills as the “firestorm area”. After the tragic firestorm in 1991, many of the upper portions of the Claremont hills were rebuilt. From the two tunnel road entrances, Bridge Way and Alvarado Road, the drive to the top of the Claremont hills takes many twists and turns. The older original houses in this neighborhood are grand, and the yards are beautifully maintained. Many of these homes have lovely views. After a few twist and turns you will come to the newer part of the Claremont Hills—the rebuilt areas. There are a myriad of new kinds of architecture here, both traditional and modern design. Many houses have beautiful outlooks of the Claremont Canyon open space, and some have lovely South Bay views. One house on Tunnel Road was built to resemble a saxophone. The houses seem much bigger here, and they are! Behind the Claremont Hills is Hiller Highlands, a luxury condominium community, which is built around a community center. These modern condos have wonderful views, as if you were sitting at the edge of the universe.

The centerpiece of the Northbrae neighborhood is the Hopkins Commercial strip, which features several specialty stores. The Monterey Market is a fresh produce and fruit market reminiscent of a giant open market in another country. IN just one block, you can shop for fresh fish, fresh bakery goods, gourmet cheese, and stop for a delicious espresso at Café Roma. Also in Northbrae are public tennis courts, a public swimming pool, and the loveliest public library of all at the intersection of Hopkins and The Alameda. If you enjoy gardening, take an hour or two to wander through Berkeley Horticulture on McGee Avenue—it is a gardener’s dream.

Westbrae’s central street is Gilman Avenue, which houses two of the best restaurants in Berkeley: the ultra cool and always satisfying LaLimes, and the sumptuous Vietnamese restaurant Mama Lam’s. The New Leaf Garden Gallery has a fabulous assortment of garden fountains. The centerpiece of Westbrae is the lovely street-to-street Cedar-Rose Park. It is a great place to picnic, or just let your kids run til they drop!

There are also some of the prettiest vintage duplexes and triplexes in this neighborhood. (For a list of historic landmarks in the City of Berkeley, please go to www.berkeleyheritage.com or try the City of Berkeley website.

Southside has its share of cheap eats, great coffee shops, and the iconic organic grocery market. Whole Foods. At the intersection of Oregon and Shattuck Avenue, don’t miss the Berkeley Bowl. If you like to cook, and need special ingredients, this is the place. The Berkeley Bowl prides itself on offering the freshest fruits, vegetables, fish and meat. It’s fun to try a new breed of apple, grape or squash. Southside also has a fabulous bakery, Crixa. The ginger cakes as well as the coconut cakes from Crixa are really something special.

This neighborhood is not far from the Berkeley BART station. Here is an interesting bit of trivia about BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit): why did it take so many years to complete BART in the Berkeley area? Well, besides the problems of imminent domain, the City of Berkeley absolutely demanded that all BART tracks be undergrounded. In spite of protests from other cities around this issue, the City of Berkeley was successful in this demand. You don’t see many above ground BART tracks in Berkeley, but you do see BART tracks in Oakland, San Francisco, El Cerrito and Albany.