A day in Berkeley

Having just moved to the Bay area, Chip and I have been exploring different areas on the weekend. We especially like Berkeley, as there are all kind of creative shops, good restaurants and interesting vintage homes. We had a little trouble getting out of our neighborhood though. There is a small lake near our place that has some resident geese. The were in the middle of the road and didn't really see the need to move. As we got closer they would waddle down the road a bit and then stop. I had to get out of the car and nudge them gently off the road so Chip could drive through.

I wanted to go to Berkeley estate sale, so we headed over there first . The estate sale was in a great old rambling Victorian house, with what appeared to be the original furniture and fixtures. I bought a sweet french chair to reupholster and a vintage oak mirror with carved detail. Both had some "fix-it" issues, but the prices were right (cheap!). I'll show pictures later, I'm going to do a before and after.

After that we went to the Berkeley Bowl. I had heard that they had great produce, and wow, what a selection, they had way more fruits and veg tables than I had ever seen in one place. I was planning to made Cassoulet in order to use up my leftovers. It's a french stew, usually made with chicken, sausage, and beans. I had the meat, so I bought the onions, parsley carrots, garlic and the beans I needed.

Then we headed over to Home 101: Urban General Store, a great shop at 2530 Shattuck Ave., in Berkeley. The San Francisco Chronicle had an article about the store in the Sunday paper today, so I wanted to check it out. One of the owners, Allison Etchison, graciously let me take some pictures (all pictures, except the geese, are from this store). The concept of the store is reasonably priced vintage.

They have a great mix of vintage and hand made, with nothing made in China. I loved the vintage black phones on the walls, the fab jewelry made from hand dyed ribbons and vintage beads and brooches, and the great soaps and candles. I also couldn't resist the Tayberry/Lemon Verbena syrup by June Taylor.

We are back at home now, it's raining outside and the the cassoulet is bubbling in the oven. I'm sipping my Tayberry/Lemon Verbena Spritzer (I just mixed the syrup with sparkling water). It was a great weekend. Tomorrow I will start painting my furniture for the next sale at Room With a Past.