Mission Accomplished!

We'd like to say that our wedding was awesome and we had so much fun. Thanks go out to everybody, especially our many helpers.

Bus tomorrow

No changes to the bus schedule.

There are 32 seats on the bus, so first come, first serve.

Friday Night Get-Together

Come by and have some drinks starting around 8:00 PM tonight at the Presidential Suite in the Doubletree Hilton room 3227.

Door access might be an issue. We'll post some notes and a cell-phone number to make sure you can get in. We'll try to have a small rotating contingent in the lobby to guide people to the party.

See you all soon!

Short-term wedding forecast

According to meteorologists who know their work, tomorrow's forecast is for a cool partly cloudy evening with light winds out of the northwest. Temperatures at ceremony time will be about 48 F (9 C) so bring something warm!

Friday Night Location Details

The Friday Night get-together is going to take place at the Doubletree Hotel in their Presidential Suite, which is room 3227. This means it is in Building 3 and is on the second floor.

Entering the Doubletree Hotel Building may be complicated. Buildings are locked and require guest passes to enter. We'll prop a door open and have someone check the doors frequently.

Give our cell phones a call and we'll send someone to get you inside.

More restaurants in Berkeley Area

Americana
-Barney's Gourmet Burgers. $8 dollar burgers that are pretty good. Get the spicy curly fries. There's one on Shattuck and Cedar, and another on Solana and Tacoma.
-Zachary's Pizza. Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza. Expect to wait 30+ minutes to eat after you order, cause they don't make it ahead of time. It's worth the wait.

Pricier Indian
-Cafe Raj - Delicious entree's and they can be spicy. Solano just east of San Pablo.
-India Palace - University and Oxford. Their tandoori cheese logs are delicious (Kofta Mala or something like that?)

Vegan and Hippie
-Cafe Gratitude - Do you prefer not to have cooked food? Do you prefer communal seating? Cafe Gratitude might be for you! On Shattuck near Virginia

Seafood
-Spenger's Fish Grotto - Carolyn and I don't eat meat, but people say this place is good

Brunch
-Sunnyside Cafe - Awesome brunch place, although it is tough to get a table on the weekend. About $10 a plate. On Solano near Santa Fe.

Pricier and Fancy
-Chez Panisse - Birthplace of California Cuisine. Expect $30+ per head for their upstairs cafe. Shattuck and Vine.
-LaLimes - Italian Bistro. Gilman and Sante Fe.

Cheap but delicious eats in Berkeley

This post covers cheap (<$10) restaurants in the Berkeley Area.

Mexican
-Gordo - Awesome mouthwatering burritos for <$6.00. This is actually in Albany, but is very accessible with a car. On Solano and Santa Fe.
-Picante - Christine Payne swears by this place, but it's more expensive and not as delicious as Gordo. On 7th avenue near Gilman
-Cancun - Right next to campus on Allston Way and decent if a bit pricey.

Thai
-Thai Noodle - If Garish pink neon doesn't scare you, the food is delicious. This is on Shattuck near University.
-Dara - Thai/Lao style. A little more pricey, but their stuffed eggplant is delicious. On Shattuck and Cedar
-Cha Am - Right next door to Dara. Also good.


Indian
-Vik's - Super cheap and delicious, but not much of a restaurant. On 4th avenue.

Other
-Cheeseboard Collective - Morning style rolls, muffins, breads, and cheeses. They also have artisan pizza in the evenings, but you have to take whatever they are making that day. Always vegetarian. Shattuck and Vine
-Boogie Woogie Bagel Boy - Best bagels in Berkeley area. Gilman and Santa Fe
-Peet's Coffee - Berkeley's local coffee which has become a national chain.

Berkeley is beautiful!

Just arrived in Berkeley and it's a beautiful clear cool day.

Carolyn and I are at the Doubletree Hilton in Building 1.

I'll be adding a post about restaurants in the Berkeley area soon. If you have anything you are particularly fond of, I can try to recommend something that meets your needs.

On the road

We're heading up to Berkeley today through the rain.

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

Long Range Weather Forecast

Currently, we're looking at rain in the Bay Area through Friday, March 6th. There may be lingering showers Saturday morning. On the evening of the wedding itself, we expect clear skies, light winds, and a temperature around 50 F (10 C) for the ceremony. The short wedding ( < 10 minutes) ceremony is going to be outdoors if it isn't raining. So if you get chilled, bring something warm for those 15 minutes you'll be outside.

Bring jackets and umbrellas in your luggage and have something warm to wear for the ceremony! I'll update the forecast on Thursday using my meteorologist colleagues at work, so check back for the latest on Bay Area weather.

Six days and counting!

Six days of errands, parties, driving, flying, and fun!

See you all soon.

Friday night get together

On Friday, March 6th starting at 8:00 PM we'll be hosting a get together for out-of-town guests. Come to the Hilton Doubletree at the Berkeley Marina (map below) and find your way to the Presidential Suite. We'll provide some drinks and snack. We would love to see all of you there if you don't already have plans for Friday night!

Bus Pickup and Dropoff Locations

We have rented a 32 seat bus which will be provided to take guests too and from the Brazil Room from the Doubletree Hilton at the Marina and the North Berkeley BART. Please see the map for locations. We will have the pick-up locations marked with Balloons or a sign, probably of the white color variety.

Tentative pick-up times are:
4:30 PM Doubletree Hilton at the Marina
4:45 PM North Berkeley BART
5:00 PM dropoff at Brazil Room

5:35 PM Doubletree Hilton at the Marina
5:50 PM North Berkeley BART
6:05 PM dropoff at Brazil Room

Departure times from the Reception are tentatively scheduled at:
9:30 PM
10:30 PM
11:30 PM

The bus will drop guests off at the North Berkeley BART and the Doubletree Hilton, and depending on the number of riders, may go to other hotels at the drop-off point as well.

We will update this post a couple of days before the wedding.

Bus survey

Howdy all,

Carolyn and I are considering various bus size options and we need to know whether you and yours are willing to ride a bus to and/or from the wedding. There will be two pick-up times to get to the wedding location (1.5 hours early and 15 minutes prior to the wedding). There will be three drop-off times leaving the Brazil Room at 9:30, 10:30 and 11:30 PM.

Would you ride the bus? Yes, no, or maybe?

Wedding locations

View Larger Map

Here's a map of the Bay Area with some key locations marked down. You can click on the blue markers and some descriptions pop-up to tell you what you are looking at. Also, you can drag the map around to see additional areas that aren't showing up.

This map has some tourist attractions in case you are looking to see some touristy sites that are Mike and Carolyn Recommended(TM).

Recommended locations include:
The golden gate bridge. You can walk right across this puppy and if it is a nice day, this is probably the best and cheapest form of entertainment around.

Chinatown and North Beach. These are two touristy districts that have lots of interesting sites and sounds and smells.

Haight-Ashbury. Check out the hippies and smoke-shops!
Telegraph Avenue and UC Berkeley. Check out the students, hippies, and smoke-shops!

Napa Valley. Wine tasting and vineyard tours. If you are on the cheap, sonoma county wineries are more often free and less crowded.

Palace of the Legion of Honor. Somewhat boring museum, but there is a beautiful cliffside hike behind it with stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the City of San Francisco. Only do this on a nice clear day.

Updates

Book your hotel rooms now! You can get rooms for $100-120 a night at many of the local hotels right now. Carolyn and I will be staying at the Doubletree in the Marina.