On Thusday we tootled around to some of our favorite spots in Berkeley and Oakland. We went over to the Fourth Street area where there are old warehouses and factories now tuned into shops and restaurants. We visited Builder's Booksource which has a beautiful collection of books about practical things, but accessibly written. So it’s the place to learn about how to build a composting toilet or a better roof, but also how to read weather signs, learn better cooking skills and understand color relationships. We always find interesting things there.
This clothing store also struck me as an "only in Berkeley" (OIB) kind of thing:
Apologies for the less than perfect angle. The sun mad a straight on shot challenging.
We grabbed lunch at Tacubaya, a Mexican place. Corn and veg tamal, tacos with pork 2 ways and roasted corn with cotija cheese.
We also stopped into the toy and children’s bookstore, Five Little Monkeys which provided another OIB moment. The inclusion of progressive heroes in the book collection seemed fitting
But we thought maybe this one was a step too far
Our final stop was Top Drawer which has an eclectic stock of "functional products for work and travel". It’s ridiculously priced and we rarely buy anything there, but they have beautiful paper and writing supplies, clever contraptions for transporting just about anything, funky slippers, reading glasses and a whole lot of other stuff and we usually enjoy a good prowl through the store
Before we returned home, we visited the Mariposa Baking Company shop in Oakland, not far from our house. Known as the best gluten-free bakery in the Bay Area, it did not disappoint i got some fabulous tea cookies that I brought to lunch the next day with an old friend (who pronounced them delicious) and a GF bagel that was definitely a step up from the crumbly bagel-shaped roll that you usually encounter
