Berkeley Blog: The Wizard of Cal
The Wonderful Wizard of Cal:
My walk to Berkeley is straight outta a fantasy story. It begins normally, near the transit hub in a populated trendy downtown area in Berekeley. As I cross a few streets, pass by a few stores selling tasty grub or CAL clothing supplies, I'm outside of the city and at the doorstep of the walking path that leads into UC Berkeley. Greeting me at the beginning of this enchanted path is a giant metal ball that lays still in a tuft of grass surrounded by brick. I often think to myself that it marks where a new dimension begins.
On this path, I have seen the oddest creatures. Coffee-carrying unicyclists whizzing past me at weirdly high speeds, skate-boarders with no clue that other humans exist, solo sign-wielding bandits handing out religious and/or political literature to cowering students, teams of cackling friends walking side by side forcing others off the path and into nearby giant dirty trees where the squirrels play and have sex, and even groups of researchers educating the younglings on the ins and outs of nature life. Students and faculty of all ages use this path to march into Cal.
Just ahead is the first of two bridges. The first one, a wooden bridge, spans the length of Strawberry Creek and on most days the rails are emblazoned with Berkeley scripture written in chalk. Messages such as "Go Bears!" or "Occupy!" have been seen on a daily basis on this bridge and all over the asphalt path.
Just past the bridge, the path has its first fork. On the right, the path leads up a wooden staircase that empties into the street. It must be a scary direction because I have yet to see anyone use it. On the left, the path forks into dense trees and I can see a small bridge off in the distance which spans the snaking Strawberry River.
Near the mid-point of my morning walk, the path hits a major fork and the second bridge. The span is made of cement and is big enough for delivery trucks or a small parade. The rails are metal and feature a sculpted Star of David in the center of each side.
The bridge forks into three directions here: to the busy street on the right, to a large artery walking path on the left, and to the center past a few bird-poop-stained stone statues and stone benches for resting. When it rains, this part of the path is especially treacherous with teams of rushing people trying to stay dry.
I take the center route and continue on a path made of stone. No two pieces are alike, each one seems to be randomly put together like a jigsaw puzzle. I can only think of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indy must walk on stones in the right order to spell out Jehovah (in Latin, it starts with an "I", Indy!), or he will fall to his death.
Near the end of my journey I can see the large buildings which lay down their wisdom. Huge white columned buildings bursting with knowledge. I can only assume in one of these buildings lives the wonderful Wizard of Cal.
My walk to Berkeley is straight outta a fantasy story. It begins normally, near the transit hub in a populated trendy downtown area in Berekeley. As I cross a few streets, pass by a few stores selling tasty grub or CAL clothing supplies, I'm outside of the city and at the doorstep of the walking path that leads into UC Berkeley. Greeting me at the beginning of this enchanted path is a giant metal ball that lays still in a tuft of grass surrounded by brick. I often think to myself that it marks where a new dimension begins.
On this path, I have seen the oddest creatures. Coffee-carrying unicyclists whizzing past me at weirdly high speeds, skate-boarders with no clue that other humans exist, solo sign-wielding bandits handing out religious and/or political literature to cowering students, teams of cackling friends walking side by side forcing others off the path and into nearby giant dirty trees where the squirrels play and have sex, and even groups of researchers educating the younglings on the ins and outs of nature life. Students and faculty of all ages use this path to march into Cal.Just ahead is the first of two bridges. The first one, a wooden bridge, spans the length of Strawberry Creek and on most days the rails are emblazoned with Berkeley scripture written in chalk. Messages such as "Go Bears!" or "Occupy!" have been seen on a daily basis on this bridge and all over the asphalt path.
Just past the bridge, the path has its first fork. On the right, the path leads up a wooden staircase that empties into the street. It must be a scary direction because I have yet to see anyone use it. On the left, the path forks into dense trees and I can see a small bridge off in the distance which spans the snaking Strawberry River.
Near the mid-point of my morning walk, the path hits a major fork and the second bridge. The span is made of cement and is big enough for delivery trucks or a small parade. The rails are metal and feature a sculpted Star of David in the center of each side.
The bridge forks into three directions here: to the busy street on the right, to a large artery walking path on the left, and to the center past a few bird-poop-stained stone statues and stone benches for resting. When it rains, this part of the path is especially treacherous with teams of rushing people trying to stay dry.
I take the center route and continue on a path made of stone. No two pieces are alike, each one seems to be randomly put together like a jigsaw puzzle. I can only think of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indy must walk on stones in the right order to spell out Jehovah (in Latin, it starts with an "I", Indy!), or he will fall to his death.
Near the end of my journey I can see the large buildings which lay down their wisdom. Huge white columned buildings bursting with knowledge. I can only assume in one of these buildings lives the wonderful Wizard of Cal.
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