Solano Avenue, Berkley - How to get there
 

I hope I have spelt the street name correctly! I will be San Francisco in June and I want to go Sue Johnson's lamp store on Solano Avenue in Berkley. There is also a well know burger place on the same street, Barnies (?). Can anyone give me directions for using public transport to get there from say the Caltrain station on 1st Street. I have tried to use the web sites for Bart etc but because I don't the names of the stations it doesn't help much. <BR> <BR>Any directions received would be appreciated. <BR> <BR>Thanks <BR> <BR>Anne in Australia

I believe the nearest station for this street will either be North Berkeley or El Cerrito, though neither one is really within walking distance of Sue Johnson's store. <BR> <BR>Solano is a large East/West street bordered on the West by San Pablo and on the East by The Alameda. Part of it is in Berkeley, and the other part is in Albany. Do you have a map that shows it? I would think several buses coming into Berkeley would stop at San Pablo at Solano; from there I don't remember how many blocks East the store is. Taking a bus or taxi from BART might be more pleasant. <BR> <BR>I think Barnie's is within a few blocks of the lamp shop. There are many good restaurants all along Solano, as well as a Peet's Coffee and several bakeries. There's also a good Vietnamese restaurant on the corner of San Pablo and Solano called Da Nang. Hope this helps. <BR> <BR>Terri

Thanks Terri for the information. Now at least I have an idea of where to get off. Yes, I think I would get a taxi from the station to the store to make it easier. Thanks too for the food tips. Much appreciated. <BR> <BR>Anne in Australia

Anne, do you have a website for Barnie's or the lamp shop? Perhaps contacting them directly would be good. Or ask at your hotel as well. You will find that all the BART employees are very helpful so you can ask them as well.

Anne, it will be really easy for you to get to Sue Johnson's and Barney's using a combination of either BART and bus or BART and cab. In both cases, you'll be taking a Richmond-bound BART train from SF. To use BART and bus, take BART to the El Cerrito Plaza station, and take the #15 bus, which leaves from the station and eventually travels up Solano Ave. Tell the driver you want to get off at Solano and Colusa. After you get off, turn and walk back in the opposite direction from how the bus was traveling (west, or downhill on Solano) for a couple of blocks to get to Sus Johnson's. Keep going a couple blocks more to get to Barney's. You can catch the #15 bus back to El Cerrito BART on the opposite side of Solano. If you want to take a cab from BART, I recommend going to the North Berkeley station. Just remember that if you want to cab it back to BART as well, you'll have to call a cab from a store or payphone; you really can't flag cabs down in Bekeley. www.transitinfo.org is a really good web site with lots of info for all public transit in the SF Bay Area. Hope you see this message.

Caitlin <BR>Thanks for the detailed instructions. Just the information I needed. I can't wait to get to Sue Johnson's store. I just love her lamps. We are staying in Sunnyvale so it will be a long trip to get there but definitely worthwhile. <BR>Anne in Australia <BR>

Anne, unless you have other reasons to be in SF already on the day you want to get to Berkeley, you needn't go all the way from Sunnyvale into SF just to get there, even if you must use public transit. You can take Caltrain to Milpitas or downtown San Jose and then take Santa Clara VTA express bus #180 to the Fremont BART station, and take BART into Berkeley or El Cerrito. This would take less time than going into SF first&lt; I believe. Again, www.transitinfo.org is really helpful because it has schedules, maps, fares, etc. for all the different transit agencies in the area and information on making connections, etc. <BR> <BR>I hope the trip to Sue Johnson's is fun; that section of Solano is filled with charming shops, cafes, etc., so you could certainly spend a pleasant afternoon there.

I agree -- I think it would be easier to stay on the East Bay side to get to Berkeley.

Once again thanks Caitlin and Julie. That's an excellent idea. I will go to San Jose first and then then to Berkley. I first went to Sue Johnson's store about 2 years ago with someone who lived in the area and just loved it. But typically procrastinated about buying, this time however I am definitely going to buy one of her lampshades. <BR>Anne in Australia

Holy cr*p, I live right around the corner from that lamp store. I never expected to see it mentioned here! <BR> <BR>On public transportation, the best way is to get off at the Downtown Berkeley station and take either a 43 or 15 bus going north (if you go up the stairway marked "Shattuck-Addison East", turn right and walk towards the Subway Sandwiches store; both buses stop at the stop across the street). You could also take a #7 to Solano & The Alameda if you don't mind walking. The #15 from El Cerrito Plaza isn't any faster, it only runs once every half hour (every 40 minutes on weekends), and you *will* have to wait every one of those minutes. <BR> <BR>Here's a map of the area, if it helps: <BR>http://www.transitinfo.org/cgi-bin/z...=308&Map.y=152 <BR>Sue Johnson is at Ensenada & Solano, Barney's is just east (uphill) of Peralta & Solano.

Thanks NRG. Always happy to oblige in mentioning little stores. Sue is a very accomplished craftsperson. Her work is just wonderful. As someone who quilts and embroiders in wool and silk ribbon I can really appreciate her skills. Plus there is nothing like in Australia, if there was I wouldn't be visiting her store. Thanks for the details for the buses and stops etc. Am very grateful. <BR>Anne in Australia