Transportation / Venue

Venue

The 15th annual MPM workshop will be hosted at the Berkeley City Club, located just off the south side of the U.C. Berkeley campus.

Address: 2315 Durant Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94704 

The Berkeley City Club is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is nicknamed “The Little Castle”. It was originally opened in 1930 as a women’s activity center and was designed by notable architect Julia Morgan. Julia Morgan was a U.C. Berkeley alumna who graduated as the only Civil Engineer in her class shortly after Berkeley started admitting women. 

Transportation

The San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Oakland International Airport (OAK) are the closest airports to U.C. Berkeley. Note that the Oakland airport is in the process of transitioning to the name “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport”, and thus the new and old names may both be in use. These two airports are reachable by Uber or Lyft as well as BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). The Downtown Berkeley BART station is just a few blocks west of the UC Berkeley campus and the conference venue (14-minute walk). 

Where to stay

The following hotels are recommended considering location and past visitors’ experiences:

• Berkeley City Club (0-minute walk).

• Residence Inn Berkeley (12-minute walk).

• Aiden by Best Western Berkeley (6-minute drive, 34-minute walk).

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Berkeley (9-minute drive).

• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Berkeley (11-minute drive).

Local Highlights

The Bay Area offers plentiful activities, attractions, and culinary opportunities. The following shortlist of recommendations has been assembled by organizers. Transit times are estimated from the U.C. Berkeley Campus/Event venue.

Berkeley

• Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve (15-20-minute drive): great walking trails with the interesting local geology of the Berkeley Hills.

• Berkeley Campanile (on campus): you can take an elevator to the top for a scenic view of campus, or listen to one of the daily carillon concerts. Learn more here.

• Gardens: visit the U.C. Botanical Garden (7-minute drive), the Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden (13-minute drive), or the Rose Garden at Codornices Park (9-minute drive).

Food & Drink:

• Cheese Board Collective Pizzeria (Northside): one of the most famous Pizza places in town.

• Comal/Comal Next Door (Downtown Berkeley): a duet of Mexican restaurants, with the latter offering fast counter service.

• Burma Superstar (North Oakland): we recommend bringing a group to try this Burmese food family-style.

• Yogurt Park (Southside): Long-running favorite frozen yogurt shop with a small rotating menu.

• Durant Food Court (Southside): this small outdoor food court, just two blocks away from the conference venue, has something for everyone: Thai, Indian, sushi, Italian, Korean, Mediterranean, etc., and many other options within a block radius.

• Vik’s Chaat (Southwest Berkeley): Indian street food made in front of you in a casual setting, with an attached Indian grocery store.

• Victory Point Cafe (Northside): bring a group and try out their collection of tabletop games while enjoying coffee and snacks.

• Delah Coffee (Northside): cozy setting with comfy seating. Try the Yemeni Latte!

• Fieldwork Brewing (Northside) and Triple Rock Brewing (Downtown Berkeley): nice local breweries.

San Francisco Bay Area

• The Golden Gate Bridge

• Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39: Pier 39 includes an area where wild sea lions congregate.

• Baker Beach: This beach includes a view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

• Mt Diablo (1.5-hour drive): includes hiking and other outdoor activities, accompanied by interesting examples of the characteristic subduction-zone geology of San Francisco.

California National Parks & Attractions

If you have time for an extended stay, California has many beautiful national parks to offer. The following are within a few hours drive of Berkeley.

• Yosemite National Park includes huge granite features and glacially-carved valleys, with features such as the Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, and giant Sequoias. Yosemite Valley is a 4-hour drive from Berkeley.

• Pinnacles National Park features talus caves (check the status of the caves here) and the rare California condor: the largest bird in North America. This park is approximately a 2.5-3 hour drive away.

• Though not a national park, Lake Tahoe is a famous destination in the Sierra Nevadas with plenty of geologic attractions. Lake Tahoe is a 3.5-4-hour drive from Berkeley.

• Lassen Volcanic National Park, at a 4-hour drive, includes a variety of volcanic features, including active geothermal features and the world’s largest volcanic dome.

• If you are looking for a multi-day trip, you may be willing to undertake the 6-hour drive to Mammoth Lakes, with the bonus option of driving through Yosemite. Mammoth Lakes includes many geologic attractions such as hexagonal basalt columns at Devils Postpile National Monument, the Obsidian Dome, the tufa towers of extremely-saline Mono Lake, and the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest: home of the world’s oldest trees. 

• Whale watching at Monterey Bay is another famous attraction close to the Bay Area. It is about a 2-hour drive from Berkeley.