Telegraph Avenue

Telegraph Avenue Review

Berkeley's student-oriented thoroughfare, Telegraph Avenue is also the best place to get a dose of the city's famed counterculture. On any given day you might encounter a troop of chanting Hare Krishnas or a drumming band of Rastafarians. First and foremost, however, Telegraph is a place for socializing and shopping, the only uniquely Berkeley shopping experience in town and a definite don't-miss. Take care when wandering the street at night, as things can feel a bit edgy. The nearby People's Park, mostly harmless by day, is best avoided at night. Cafés, bookstores, poster shops, and street vendors line the avenue. T-shirt vendors and tarot-card readers come and go on a whim, but a few establishments—Rasputin Music (No. 2401), Amoeba Music (No. 2455), and Moe's Books (No. 2476)—are neighborhood landmarks. Allen Ginsberg wrote his acclaimed poem "Howl" at Caffe Mediterraneum (No. 2475), a relic of 1960s-era café culture.