The Voice of East Bay Living

You will be delighted with this wonderful Rockridge craftsman with many original details including spacious living room with wood burning fireplace, dining room with box beam ceilings, pocket doors, generous built-ins, and wood paneling throughout. The open staircase with soaring ceilings leads to the upstairs 3 plus bedrooms and 2 baths. The large eat-in kitchen, half bath and family area have many convenient storage spots. The rear deck and large private, level enclosed rear garden are perfect for entertaining, gardening, or just enjoying some fresh air. There is a multi-use detached studio and large side driveway parking for multiple cars. And the best part! Location!! Location! The home is minutes away from all the exciting and convenient shops and restaurants on College Avenue, including Market Hall, Philz Coffee, Wood Tavern, Temesal Farmer’s Market, Safeway, Trader Joe’s and Cole Hardware. Lastly, Rockridge BART, Casual Carpool, bike share and freeway access are just minutes...

Homestead Restaurant located at 4029 Piedmont Ave., Oakland is now serving breakfast.The early morning fare is equally as tantatizing and delicious as the evening meals. Check it out-huge parking lot behind the restaurant- a big plus!! Rivoli Restaurant located at 1539 Solano Ave., Berkeley continues to be chosen as one of the top ten restaurants in The Bay Area.  After a stroll on Solanao ave., climb into this enchating environment loaded with culinary delights.

His Lordships - Closed June 30th This historic bay front restaurant located at 199 Seawall in the Berkeley Marina is losing its 50 year lease with the city of Berkeley. The city is thinking of tearing down the structure and building a hotel. Meanwhile, the parking lot has become a refuge for homeless people living in campers and RVs.

“Cooking with Love gives food for the soul” Great cooking class at Kitchen on Fire in Berkeley.  Check out their website for weekly schedule of events.

Outside your front door there are numerous culinary pleasures awaiting you - We thought you would like to see the Open Table recent picks for the top 10 Restaurants in and around the East Bay: Rivoli Restaurant-------------1539 Solano Ave,, Berkeley Pucquio-------------------------5337 College Ave., Oakland Trabocco______________2213 South Shore Center, Alameda Massimo______________1604 Locust St, Walnut Creek Belotti restaurant_______5403 College Ave., Oakland Esin Restaurant & Bar___ 750 Camino Ramon, Danville NM Café at Neiman Marcus-----1000 S. Main St., Walnut Creek Reve-----------------------------960 Moraga Rd, Lafayette Va de Vi Bistro & Wine Bar---------1511 Mt. diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek Bon appetit x

Berkeley Art Museum – Pacific film archive -check it out through wonderful ongoing events for the whole family.

"Light is not just something we see, it is something we feel." Pam Morris of Exciting Lighting creates amazing works of art out of hand-crafted blown glass and forged metal and then does her magical touches with lighting for top restaurants like Post Trio in San Francisco and famous clients like Wolfgang Puck, Georgio Armani and Sugar Ray Leonard.  Pam is a creative force, distinguished as an avant-garde designer. She was selected as outstanding artist in San Francisco and has spoken and been published widely.  You can see her latest work, 4 foot tall "tectonic split" lights at Waterbar on the Embarcadero.  She also has an every Friday 7-8:30 installation in the tunnel across from the Hall of Flowers in Golden Gate park. Battery operated light wands  t ransform a spooky dark space into a Lascaux like magical experience. For more information about Pam please visit her website    or email her at pam@pam-morris-designs.com

  What's going on in the East Bay market – what do you get for $1 million--- The typical Albany home (a two bedroom one bath bungalow with a small yard) is worth almost $1 million. The highest sales price in Albany this year which broke records was for over $2.4 million dollars with the average median sales price in 2017 being $983,000. The median sales price in Berkeley is $1,160,000- for a typical 3 bedroom, one bath bungalow near Sacramento Street. The flatlands of  Berkeley are becoming more popular than the homes in the Hills. Proximity to amenities is a significant price driver. People want to be  close to transportation,  coffee shops, biking and walking.  The median sales price in Piedmont is just under $2 million. The highest sale in Piedmont was in 2004 for $8.8 million. Many people are not moving because they cannot find a place to go and or they do not want to pay capital gains when they sell  because their homes...

L'Ecole Bilingue- 1009 Heinz Ave. -Berkeley,CA. An interview with my niece, Marketing Director at EB For over thirty years,this wonderful school has provided a bilingual international environment where children from pre- school through eighth grade can be exposed to French, English, Mandarin and Latin. Representing more than 50 nationalities, EB students are able to flourish in a diverse and vibrant community. Learn more about Life at Ecole Bilingue Interested in learning more about Berkeley? Contact Sheila Sabine ssabine@grubbco.com

Every year Berkeley Rotary dedicates a redwood tree in the International Peace Grove at Inspiration Point to a person or organization for their efforts to achieve world peace. The  grove was established on the site of the former Nike missile location for the defense of the Bay Area. In 1955, the Grove was given to Berkeley Rotary and 100 redwood trees were planted. This year the award was given to George Mitchell who worked tirelessly to establish peace in Northern Ireland and the Middle East.  The celebration was an Irish theme complete with Irish stew and fiddlers. Be sure and take a hike to the grove.  Want to learn more about the Berkeley Rotary and how you can be involved? Email Sheila at ssabine@grubbco.com

115 Alpine Terrace  A Mark Becker masterpiece -luxury residence in Upper Rockridge  list price $4,750,000 540 Gravatt 2016 Idea House -sophisticated craftsman- eco friendly - Sunset magazine sponsor  list price $2,795,000 16 Emery Lane  One of 8 private homes designed by Mark Becker -Upper Rockridge  list price $2,100,000 Want to learn more about these listings and others in the Bay Area,  email Sheila ssabine@grubbco.com

WOW- watch the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge & Mt. Tamalpais or BBQ in the private landscaped gardens. You can stretch out & relax in this gracious mid century contemporary -all level living, versatile spaces, updated kitchen, hardwood floors, close to AC transit, Tilden Park, Gourmet Ghetto & U.C. Campus. Open House on Sunday, Jul 17, 2016 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM If you are interesting in learning more about this listing or others in the area, please email Sheila Sabine at ssabine@grubbco.com

This past weekend, I went on a fabulous walking tour of the Elmwood district of Berkeley sponsored by my friends in the  Berkeley Rotary .  The neighborhood is full of beautiful craftsman homes that have been designed by many famous  architects including Walter Radcliffe, Julia Morgan, John Hudson Thomas, Albert Dodge Coplin, and James Plachek. One can view dormer Windows, Tudor roof lines, colonial revivals, Queen Anne and other residential styles from the period. In 1903, a streetcar ran along College Avenue.  In 1905, Alice Alta Bates started a hospital with eight beds on College Avenue and later the current campus of Alta Bates Hospital was founded. In 1906, the Elmwood district became popular after the San Francisco fire when a lot of people moved into the East Bay. In fact it became one of the fastest-growing areas in all of the US.  In 1907, the oldest commercial building of Elmwood was built at the corner of college and Ashby....

This University of California garden was formally established in 1890 in Strawberry Canyon. Within two years the collection of native trees shrubs and plants had 600 species.  The original garden was located near Haviland hall on the north side of the Berkeley campus and was centered around a large glass conservatory modeled after the London crystal palace. One viewer describes the gardens "It was gorgeous up here I mean straight up beautiful - it was freezing and on and off drizzling but the greenery was just breathtaking." In the following decade, it grew to 1500 species and began to expand its scope in collections to have plants from all continents and about 10,000 species. Check it out - it's worth the visit.

Berkeley Botanical Gardens ,  located i n Strawberry Canyon, Berkeley  :  This University of California garden was formally established in 1890.  The original garden was located near Haviland Hall on the north side of the Berkeley campus and was centered around a large glass conservatory modeled after the London crystal palace. Within two years the collection of native trees shrubs and plants had 600 species.  In the following decade it grow to 1500 species  but then bega n to expand its scope in collections to have plants from all continents and about 10,000 species. One viewer describes the gardens: "It was gorgeous up here I mean straight up beautiful - it was freezing and on and off drizzling but the greenery was just breathtaking." Check it out - it's worth the visit. UNIVERSITY of CALIFORNIA BOTANICAL GARDEN at BERKELEY 200 Centennial Drive Berkeley, CA 94720-5045 Open Daily 9 am – 5 pm (No admission after 4:30 pm) Closed 1st T...

Did you know that  more than 4600 school children benefit each year from Berkeley symphony's music in the schools program? over 150 ensemble coaching sessions and master classes in the area middle schools 11 visits from the symphony concerts at elementary schools each fall 6 concerts each spring  providing young musicians an opportunity to rehearse and perform with the Berkeley symphony This year at the annual Music in the Schools Luncheon ,  Carolyn Doelling , my friend and client, was honored for her unwavering and dedicated service to help raise donations  to bring music to the schools. During her speech, Carolyn read the following quote: "Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the holes and feel beauty." -Maya Angelau? It is so important for all of our children to have a touch of beauty in their lives.  Learn more about  Music in the Schools . 

This 10,000 sq ft. Gallery opened to the public on 1/31/16. http://bampfa.org/ It has a small amphitheater built with re-claimed pine trees made into seats,four study centers, a drop-in art center with free materials for all age groups 6-80, an outdoor viewing screen, a permanent collection of world culture objects dating back to 3,000 B.C. and on going lectures and movies. It is truly a treasure  for all the world to see. Sheila Sabine Senior Sales Associate, The Grubb Company ssabine@grubbco.com 

Today at Berkeley Rotary, we had a speaker from the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) who shared information about climate change and why it's important for individuals to be aware of our changing environment. ACE is a national organization that was founded in Oakland and dedicated to educating people about climate change. Statistics show that 90% of scientists believe that climate change is caused by people while 46% of the general public disagree. In fact, polls reveal that climate change is very low on the list of the general public's priorities. People are mostly worried about terrorism, the economy, and jobs. Climate change is at the bottom of the list. The urgency of climate change is very apparent with the drought in California. Climate change impacts all of us living on this planet. Young people have the most to lose when it comes to climate change and the most to gain by taking action. This is where ACE has found an opportunity to make a difference by connect...

This week, Berkeley rotary hosted an executive from Tesla - the largest employer of the automotive industry California.  Priced at $75,000, these highly coveted electric cars are manufactured in California in the Toyota factory located in Fremont. The Tesla model X is an SUV car and can hold up to seven people.The battery life lasts for 250 to 270 miles. The cost is about $8 to $10 for electricity to drive 270 miles. There are Tesla charger stations that have been set up across United States (207 stations across America and 420 stations throughout the world). The charger stations are conveniently located near 24 hour stores where you can shop or eat while you're waiting. It takes 30 minutes to charge your car battery and it is free.  The  mission of Tesla motors is to accelerate the world to sustainable transportation. The goal of the company is to have an affordable car by 2017 for $35,000.  You can schedule a test drive locally in Walnut Creek...