Jim & John-Mario
Things To Do
University of California Botanical Garden
For you plant lovers. This is directly across the street from the Grove, where the ceremony will be. You may visit the Garden any time on the day of wedding ceremony. Admission is free for our guests.
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Great movie series running all of the time as well as excellent art gallery, gift shop and cafe.
Tilden Regional Park
Nature nearby...so many great trails.
Aftel Archive of Curious Scents
One of the coolest and most unique collections of anything...aroma. An exhaustive olfactory museum.
The Lawrence Hall of Science
A fun place to explore science and the natural world with kids. Life-size, articulated dinosaurs in the back. Spectacular panoramic view of the East Bay, SF Bay, SF.
Oakland Museum of California
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) curates art, history, and natural science to tell stories of California. It's as if The Met Museum and The Museum of Natural History had a baby that moved to the East Bay.
Chez Panisse
The iconic California restaurant still run by Alice Waters, still fresh and delicious everyday. We especially love their more casual Cafe upstairs. They have a new place next door, Bar Panisse, which is walk-in only.
Strawberry Creek Park
Small park in West Berkeley to sit on blanket on a sunny day. Get a coffee at the Hidden Cafe.
Lucia's Berkeley
Our #1 pizza (Neopolitan style) in Berkeley gives NYC and Naples competition.
Oakland Ferry to SF
Instead of taking BART (public underground transportation) or driving over the Bay Bridge, take the ferry from Oakland to SF's Ferry Building, which has nice shops and food. From the Ferry Building, you can take a SF cable car to other SF sites, like Union Square, Nob Hill, Chinatown, Russian Hill and North Beach.
Farmers Markets
There are so many and the time is ripe for fresh produce. Saturday: Downtown Berkeley, Grand Lake (Oakland) & Ferry Building (SF) Sunday: Kensington, Temescal (Oakland)
Tacos Oscar
Don't be fooled by this joint, which looks like the repurposed shipping container that it is. The tacos are darn good.
Oken
Contemporary Korean-inspired cuisine. So ono (yummy, in Hawaiʻi).
Kiraku
For affordable authentic California izakaya, laid-back charm, fresh fish, and sometimes very loud UCB co-eds.
Great China
Deep, deep, deep wine list and pretty good Chinese food in Berkeley.
Joodooboo
Freshest tofu and exquisite banchan for lunch.
Dim Sum recommendations (Eater guide)
For those who want some dim sum...and then some.
North Beach
Just one of our favorite neighborhoods to expore: AB Fits (clothing), Tony's Pizzeria and Flour & Water (pizza!), The Golden Sardine (natural wine), Hilda & Jessie's (brunch), Washington Square Park, Cafe Trieste...
Haight-Ashbury
Just a cool, funky, vintage-laden neighborhood that exudes its counterculture history.
City Lights Booksellers & Publishers
Legendary bookstore and home of the beat poets.
Cheese Board Collective Pizzeria
The Cheese Board Collective bakery and cheese shop is a Berkeley institution whose artisan dairy goods and sourdough baguettes have attracted crowds for decades. On Friday, the store reopens after its first major remodel and expansion since the 1980s, having doubled in size.