Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

topic posted Thu, April 1, 2004 - 12:50 PM by  Unsubscribed
I always tell people I was rasied as a Cradle Feminist, with Leftist Propaganda in my milk bottle. This legacy has created a left-leaning orientation coupled with a puzzling distaste for orthodoxies of any kind - left, right, or otherwise.

Some memories: playing naked in the fountain in Sproul Plaza, the Carousel in Tilden Park, carob ice cream, hanging out on Durant in the early 80s, Rocky Horror at the UC, punk shows at Ruthie's, metal shows at Keystone, the godawful scary Berkeley public schools, 'free boxes', Cedar-Rose park being built, Ohlone Park when it was just empty lots, field trips to Lawrence Hall of Science, and many more....
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  • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

    Mon, June 28, 2004 - 8:19 PM
    Hi Dolce,

    Yes, I remember sliding down the slide at Cordonices and playing in Rose creek, Live Oak Park Annual Waffle picnics, swimming at Lake Anza, The Little Train, climbing Indian Rock, Washington and Franklin schools, King Jr. High, hail in the North Berkeley BART station lot when it was just a lot, National Guard trucks waking me up at 4AM on their way to the University, the Shanty Town riots, playing chess with classmates whose dad would smoke pot, friends whose parents didn't wear clothes at home, "Now Serving 100% Beef Hamburgers" on the BHS cafeteria menu, "Rollercoaster" at the 6th grade dance, playing on the People's jungle-gym at Ohlone on the way to and from school everyday, sprawling at Sproul, swimming at Strawberry, high diving from the King pool, Grove Street!, spitballs at Fat Alberts, skating at the ice rink, Luis Alvarez lecture on Dinosaur extinction at UCB, also at UCB a lecture almost disproving astrological prediction, Psychic Faire, working The Friends of the Library annual booksale and coming home with boxes of cool books every year, slurpies from the Solano 7-11. Seeing Disney's Bambi at the main library when I was 6 and crying. UC Theatre. (Whew! Its almost my birthday and I'm nostalgic for the past.) Swensons, Ortmans, Eddy's. T-Square and tetherball. T-ball League. Afterschool pottery class. "Hey, you kids!" Bicycle licensing. Giovanni's, La Val's, Bongo Burger, Blue Nile, Cafe Mediterranean, Roma, and Topdog! Co-op, Hinks, Globe Stamps, Games of Berkeley, Toby's Toys, Woolworths, REI, and Silverball...wow, the list goes on and on. "Farms in Berkeley?" and The Little Farm. Riding in my uncle's Model-T in the bicentennial July 4th parade. Shakey's and Woody Woodpecker movies. The Book Mobile. Better stop now before I become overwhelmed!

    See you at the "How Berkeley Can You Be" parade.

    Timbo
    • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

      Sun, September 12, 2004 - 10:21 PM
      The Dot Man.
      La Vals - Northside @ 3am.
      People's jungle-gym at Ohlone - Ah, "People's Park Annex" That's where I used to dump my papers instead of doing my paper route.
      • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

        Thu, September 16, 2004 - 11:52 AM
        Yezzz, I used to play on The People's Jungle-gym every day to and from Berkeley High. Also when it was brand new when I would sometimes walk to or from Washington School lo those many years ago.

        You didn't work out of the Chronicle "shack" on Grove Street did you? I did--keerist! Nostalgia is a hard thing to shake when you get older. Maybe an ex-Barringtonite has a solution...
        • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

          Thu, September 16, 2004 - 12:54 PM
          Barrington - I saw my first punk rock show there; the Zeros and The Dead Kennedys. (1978?)
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Mon, February 14, 2005 - 12:46 PM
            I saw many shows there, but one that really stands out was seeing Bad Brains, and getting really stoned with H.R. (lead singer).

            Those were the daze (how do I remember?).

            J.S.
            • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

              Wed, September 27, 2006 - 3:03 PM
              Ok, I had to join this tribe/thread because as I was reading J.B.'s entry Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley,
              "I saw many shows there, but one that really stands out was seeing Bad Brains, and getting really stoned with H.R. (lead singer)."

              "Secret 77" by Bad Brains is playing on my computer, which is set on "random" play. How funny is that!?

              While I'm here, does anyone remember the homeless lady on Telegraph that used to roll with about a dozen stray dogs and a shopping cart?
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Sun, March 13, 2005 - 3:26 AM
            I never went into Barrington Hall, and I greatly regret missing this essential cultural link in the 80's. But my brother was a clarinetist and was blowing jams there on a regular basis. I dunno...it just sounded a little dangerous there, to me. I also heard how people had trashed it and had this "prankster" mentality, which I definately approved of. Still, it sounded a little raw. What are your best and worst memories of the place? Thanks!
            • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

              Wed, March 16, 2005 - 7:16 PM
              I only went there to a couple of parties or boardgaming nights as some acquaintences lived there. I never went there on my own as it was a friend of mine who knew the people there. It was a crazy place. And definitely a lost piece of the Berkeley puzzle in my opinion.
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Mon, April 2, 2007 - 9:23 AM
            yeah - saw that too. Barrington, where one could hear seven versions of Sugar Magnolia simultaneously from the many rooms - whose occupants would all claim that they were playing THE ONLY version that counted, while punks would throw up outside and Tony's famous dog droog would stop by, looking for treats, good bud, sex or anyone he knew, before making his long stroll back to the hills.

            Too many memories of Berkeley to recount - this forum needs to be more specialized! Any one remember The Rock on Santa Barbara, with the fine bay views and secret and sacred stone benches where there was always a roach to be found? Saw many an extraterrestrial from there! Or telling some bored cop that I wasn't smoking weed but that I rolled my own cigarettes, omitting details about various tobacco-enhancers. Or the beautiful Maybeck and Lloyd-Wright architecture found all over, and the Radcliffs and Julia Morgans. And Strawberry canyon, the Kensington Market (where Icould but beer at 14), or Moe's books or the wonderful Public Library, or cutting afternoon classes and seeing early New Wave free at Sproul Plaza, or Kung Pau at King Tsin's, or the B-square or The Dew Drop Inn, or San Pablo at three in the morning, or Japanese Cal students who were so astonished by their environment that they thought they needed new glasses, or picking Chantrelles or Psilocybans (both useful), or being excused from school due to tear-gas, or most importantly of all: finally realizing that the founding mothers of Berkeley were aging, and that the place was not nearly as liberal as its image. In fact, rapidly becoming yuppified and very conservative! Yes, I remember Berkeley and always will. Like we used to say: "we'd be there if weed be there!" LOL
    • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

      Tue, February 8, 2005 - 9:05 AM
      Timbo you are bringing up some great memories.
      How about the tunnel at night at cordonices park, conga drummers at lower Sproul plaza when I was supposed to be at class (HS) , peoples park riots,
      bubble lady, sparky, fire slides in the Claremont, sneaking in the claremont pool, smokehouse burgers. The Berkeley City Club pool.

      Those were the daze.
      V
      • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

        Fri, February 11, 2005 - 1:40 AM
        Thanks. Everytime I visit this tribe, I wrack my brains for stuff. Right now, I'm thinking of playing baseball after school at Washington, on weekends at Jefferson. Climbing the tallest tree in the neighborhood...sadly cut down years ago when the house on that property was raised a story.
      • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

        Mon, February 14, 2005 - 1:02 PM
        Smoke House, Mmmmmmm.

        I was about 12 or 13 when the People's park riots happened, I was actually walking down the street towards the park when I saw a huge crowd at the edge of the park being held back by U.C. police and "blue meanies" (Alameda Co. sheriffs).

        Curious, I walked right into one the biggest, most infamous battles in Berkeley history. Just as I reached the park, police helicopters reeled around Shakespears bookstore, and began shooting teargas into the crowd.

        The massive crowd turned and started running right down the street I was coming from, and I was knocked to the ground instantly. I believe I was lifted up by someone, and pushed behind "Joji's" jewelery shop (still there), probably save me from being trampled.

        Another day in the life in Berkeley, Cailfornia.

        J.S.
  • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

    Wed, November 17, 2004 - 10:08 AM
    The Waving man on MLK - we called him Mr. Waverly - he would shout "Have a GOOD day!" as we drove to school every morning.

    The fruit stand on MLK and Dwight Way.

    Ice cream parlors - Mccellans and??? on Solano... and >???? on Shattuck (started with an E?)

    There was a burrito place on Oxford and Center - where the starfucks is now - that was my first burrito.

    Rocky Horror was Saturday nite - but Road Warrior was Friday nite.

    Keg-mont park.

    The tennis courts at live oak - excellent place to bake.
    • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

      Thu, November 18, 2004 - 11:21 PM
      Ortman's (sp?) Ice Cream parlor. Edy's on Shattuck.

      Oh yeah, my parents and they're friends getting the bug to see Rocky Horror at the University on Saturday night!

      Globe Stamp store, Games of Berkeley on Telegraph...

      Husteds where it originally was on Center where I got my first pair of patent leather shoes. Yes, my first memory of Berkeley is getting shoes there and how bustling a place it all was, even before BART was downtown. I lived outside St. Helena before I was five but my mom would drive us to Berkeley to go shopping and to stay in touch with her friends who lived in the East Bay. Berkeley was the Big City to a three year old from the countryside...
    • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

      Fri, November 19, 2004 - 8:03 AM
      It was McCallum's on Solano and Eddie's on Shattuck.

      Remember breaking into the Greek Theatre to "play" when there weren't shows there...Polka Dot Man...evenings at Au Cocolat...UC Theatre...the Rialto on Gilman, where I saw Stop Making Sense.

      Indian Rock!!!!
      • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

        Fri, November 19, 2004 - 9:17 PM
        Yo! Indian Rock!

        Was it McCallum's? I thought Ortman's was right down the street...I used to go to McCallum's for those crazy Nightmares...in fact, I once had a quart mint malt there...I think it was for my 13th birthday.

        My mom said it was spelled Edy's when I asked but she's probably confusing that with the Dreyer's ice cream rebranded with "Edy's". I thought it might have been spelled Edie's. It was pronounce 'eedies' in my day.

        Turns our that Pleasanton still has a Swenson's. Sigh. Berkeley has lost its great Ice Cream parlours...replaced by yucky yogurt places I suppose. Sigh.

        #6/7, #51/4 and all the other bus lines...that took you by all those mysterious neighborhoods.

        Laloma park.
        • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

          Sun, November 21, 2004 - 8:52 AM
          yes, Ortman's was on the corner, you're right. All pink and white. The nightmare at McCallum's now how could you forget that. The 1950's phontos on the walls with kids diving into the monstonsity! I actually rented a flat from Rob McCallum the former owner in the 90's great guy, always gave me the fudge sauce for the holidays. Too bad all the good ice cream paulors are gone.
      • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

        Mon, April 4, 2005 - 9:48 AM
        AAHHH!
        Forgot about Au Cocolat- those were the daze whe all it took to get buzzed was strong coffee.
        Sigh!
        • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

          Mon, April 4, 2005 - 10:00 AM
          Spent hours there, hanging with Coco, Laughing Boy, Bill, Dangerangel and Alexis.

          Maybe that's why I don't drink coffeee very much anymore...I OD'd! hahaha
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Wed, May 11, 2005 - 6:31 PM
            Luara:

            The place that sold the sticky fingers jeans, the painter pants in every color and the cream jeans was called FRESH PANTS. It was across from the Ace Hardware on University Ave. Leave it to Janice to remember!

            It was awesome you could go right in - pick any color painter pants imaginable and they would hem your pants for you on the spot. Yes, somehow I wrangled the money from my mom for more than a few pairs.

            Of course going even further back they replaced the dittos I had in 6th grade. Now that was fashion!
            • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

              Wed, May 11, 2005 - 6:53 PM
              i just couldn't pull that out of my brain...good job! thanks to Janice.

              My neighbor was totally into that look but I was hanging out with her older brother listening to the Sex Pistols and Wild Cherry...OOOO...what a combo!
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Wed, April 25, 2007 - 2:54 PM
            DA and i have already discussed this, but me and my crew used to hang out at The Old Mole and curse the bourgeois devils at Au Coquelet, downing coffee after coffee and reading zippy the pinhead and the book of the subgenius out loud to each other. nowadays i'd probably just as soon as hang out someplace like au coquelet though - particularly if they were to have a decent croissant, another item that we sneered at back then.
    • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

      Mon, February 14, 2005 - 1:08 PM
      Holy Sh*t,

      Edy's! (on Shattuck), I used to work there right out of high school.

      Also, there were two ice cream shops on Solano, one were Starf*cks is now, an one right up the street. And of course I can't remember the names of either of them, damn!

      McCallum's was on Shattuck across from Missing Link.
      • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

        Mon, February 14, 2005 - 1:33 PM
        Anybody remember Bott's Ice cream when Mr. Bott served it up himself and concocted the C.C.A.C?
        • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

          Sun, March 13, 2005 - 3:39 AM
          I remember Botts! That was a couple blocks from where I grew up. And right next door, the Chinese restaurant with the '30's art deco chinese interior. Wet dreams of eating steaming bowls of wor won ton soup on a stormy day, looking out across the street and seeing the art deco sign of the Elmwood Theatre.

          Back then, Berkeley was safe. We never locked our doors or cars. Kids could go around unsupervised on Halloween and get tons of candy. I used to ride my Schwinn Stingray with my top off and no hands, up and down my street.

          Our friends mothers and fathers were wild, historic characters on the cutting edge of art and culture: my best friend was Katy Moscowitz (Moe's books), next door neighbors, the Sussmans, won the Pulitzer for editing the Tribune, ditto the Temkos...miss Elizabeth, Alan got the Pulitzer for Architechtural crit sometime in the 80's, round the corner, one of the most famous of the underground cartoonists, not Crumb, but similar style. The friends whose parents boasted of being homeless and had posters on the wall of all these sex positions, in blacklight!~ Well, it goes on and on - exposure to grand intellects, mixed up in my memory with shocking doses of bohemian influenced decadence, just part of growing up in Berkeley in the 60's. I loved it!
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Sun, March 13, 2005 - 8:04 PM
            Uhh, I know Katy actually i was friends w/ her half sister and would you have grown up near Woolsey Street?The Sussmans on Woolsey? The Chinese restaurant oh yeah.My dad was photo journalist for Examiner and do I have some stories.
          • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

            Thu, March 17, 2005 - 8:51 AM
            Wow, you really stir up even more memories!

            Speaking of bohemien influence growing up, my father (Jimi Suzuki) was part of the East Bay art scene in the early sixties, Peter Volkus, Joan Brown, Manuel Neri, Steve Potts, etc.

            I grew up hanging out at art shows and crazy parties in warehouses way before there were "warehouse parties" that most of use are familiar with. My mother's second husband was the guitar / organ player for Country Joe & the Fish, so needless to say the next few years growing up (way too fast) in Berkeley were interesting.
            • Re: Memories of Growing Up In Berkeley

              Fri, March 18, 2005 - 8:52 AM
              Damn this tribe is blowing through the windmills of my mind. Steve Potts. Yes, his son was a friend of mine when I was at Washington. I remember going out to visit their place in Marin where there were dragster parts and stuff. That was back in 1971?

              Florence MacDonald, Joe's mom, is a friend of my mom.