InBerkeley

Closest thing I can think of with the potential for what you describe is Aquatic Park down by the freeway just south of University Ave. There’s a children’s playground and picnic facilities there, as well as some old, dilapidated buildings which could be renovated and turned into something really attractive as they sit right on the “lake.”

Beyond that, there’s Lake Merritt in Oakland, which has a newly renovated Lake Chalet restaurant that I hear is quite nice (www.thelakechalet.com).

The Wisconsin Union terrace is of course unique. I lived in Berkeley for many years and among the spots that echoed some part of that experience were Walnut Square and Sproul Plaza. Caveat: this was in the 1980s and a lot has changed since then I’m sure. Among the many things I miss about Berkeley are the comfortable commercial spaces like Walnut Square, the Thousand Oaks end of Solano, the corner of Hearst and Euclid, Telegraph Avenue between Bancroft and Dwight Way, the Rockridge area, and College Avenue around Ashby. Live Oak Park was a good place for hanging out on a summer afternoon.

Sadly, there’s no flagstone terrace on the lake with uncomfortable iron chairs and colorful people though. I don’t think there is anything in Berkeley that directly compares with the terrace, the free live music, the free flowing beverages and so forth. The Berkeley Student Union just didn’t measure up in the seventies and eighties. I’d be surprised if it does now.

Berkeley actually does have a lake. At the increasingly lively Aquatic Park, Berkeley’s largest park and home to nonprofits like Waterside Workshops, the inspring BORP (creating adaptiove bikes for disabled people), the terrific adventure playground, a disc golf course (why are those folks so serious about their sport?), a rowing center, and a jogging path all around the lake. Want to get away from the freeway? cross the bike/ped bridge (shielding your eyes from the ghastly, embarassing sculptures) and there’s the Bay! West Berkeley rocks!

@Frank Paynter
What about International House?

I don’t think that there’s a place *quite* like that.

MLK Civic Center park appears to serve a similar function for high school students during the day.

The area around South Gate (Sather Gate) just off campus is a bit like that, mostly but not exclusively for college students.

During the summer, there’s a lake with swimming and a big green lawn up in Tilden park. (No vending and I would guess that alcohol is, strictly speaking, not allowed.)

Lots of people have their favorite pub or cafe which can be a *bit* like that but of course it’s much smaller and less diverse crowds.

I suspect we don’t have anything quite like Memorial Union Terrace because we’re more naturally “spread out” according to our walks of life and where our business takes us. Being a student at Cal, these days, appears to be a lot more serious business style and competitive then perhaps it once was (so a lot of students don’t appear to do a lot of “hanging out”). The average “hill person” leads a quiet, indoor or back-yard lifestyle for the most part. The folks down here in SW Berkeley tend to just the street as where to hang out. The flats have scattered parks: the kid parks seem like where lots of parents meet one another (similarly the dog parks).

In short, things are pretty spread out and segregated along various lines. Public transportation, intra-city, kind of blows. Most people are too busy for much hanging out….

I don’t know you, only the persona your play on the net and such, but if you haven’t already tried it you *might* get a kick out of hanging out around Telegraph and Sather gate on a nice day. There’s coffee and beer to be had. Lots of delicious inexpensive food (much, of course, not necessarily the *healthiest* stuff you could eat). Park at a cafe or bar or in People’s park, wander around, etc. Do you play chess? I dunno if it is still the case but there used to be very frequent times when you could always get a pick-up game of street chess in People’s Park.

Mark, I never hung out there, but then except for some telecom engineering courses I was never a student. Isn’t it more of a “residents only” thing than a public gathering place?

@Frank Paynter
Anyone can go into International House, buy something in the cafe and sit out on the terrace. Much like a hotel that way.

@Thomas Lord
Lake Anza has food, it has a vendor open everyday during the summer.

I’m surprised you suggested People’s Park as a place to hang out. I never see students or families hanging out there.

@Tim
“I’m surprised you suggested People’s Park as a place to hang out. I never see students or families hanging out there.”

Perhaps it has changed a lot since I last hung out there. It was, indeed, never much of a place to bring the little kids for a picnic, so to speak. It at least used to attract a fairly wide variety of folks and I was trying to picture Dave (what I know of him) solo. As I say, for one thing at least used to have a pretty thriving street-chess community.

Didn’t know about the (relatively new, I guess) vendor at the lake.

-t

Jupiter?

Wouldn’t it be great to have piazzas in Berkeley. With all the urban development it would be nice for planners to recognize that we need urban squares to relax and share time with neighbors. I live off of San Pablo and as the city approves 4-5 story buildings it would be wonderful to include some plazas to be lined with small retail businesses, cafes, news stands, etc.