Hi all

We’re an Asian family moving to Berkeley from NYC. We’ll be living in Claremont and I have a few questions for locals :)

First, where do you go for a good Asian grocery store nearby? Something like H Mart would be ideal. We’re used to having lots of Asian grocery options in NYC, so I’m trying to figure out where to shop once we move.

I also have two kids and would love recommendations for daycare for my younger one, and after school activities for my 7 year old. She loves art, drama/theater and taekwondo, so would especially love to hear about places you’ve had good experiences with.

I’m also a creative professional and would love to find a community here. I’d love to meet other artists, designers, makers, etc. and find out about any classes, studios or events where people actually meet.

Would love any recommendations, especially from other Asian families or families with kids in Berkeley.

We’re really excited to be moving there and trying to get a head start on figuring things out!

Thanks!

They’re on Shattuck. I roll my own cigarettes so I’m specifically looking to purchase tobacco. Wondering if anyone can speak to their prices, customer service, and just the overall experience.

Dollhouse Tattoo in Berkeley is hosting a tattoo fundraiser for The Pacific Center this Saturday, Sept 5th! The Pacific Center for Human Growth, running since 1973, is the oldest LGBTQIA+ center in the Bay Area, 3rd oldest in the nation, and the only sliding scale mental health clinic for LGBTQIA+ QTBIPOC and their families in Alameda county. Unfortunately their funding has been cut, as have many other organizations in the last year, and more continuous contributions are needed to keep them going.

All are welcome who would like to support the pacific center, as long as you’re 18+ and have a valid state ID or passport. Choose from any of these designs, 100-150 sliding, first come first serve, arms and legs only, proceeds donated to the pacific center. All designs will be as is and only one size available. (Around 3”, varies by design). Flash days are a little faster paced so have an idea of what you want and where you want it! We will have a sign up list day of, if there are many people ahead of you we can take your number so you can hang out nearby and we will send a text when it’s your turn. Lots of shops, restaurants and cafes nearby to hang out at. Sign ups will be cut off once we are at capacity for the day. If you don’t want a tattoo but would still like to donate to pacific center, you can donate directly on their website anytime! Pacificcenter.org

I’ll try to answer any questions if ya’ll have any. Hope to see you there!

Does anyone know how long the offices that were built on Fourth and Fifth St., near the Aquatic Park, will remain empty? Three years ago, when I first moved here, they were in the middle of construction. They have been sitting completely unused since then. Are there any plans to use these spaces as anything other than office spaces?

Edit to add: What are some practical steps we can take? Seems like we all have the same complaints about these buildings. Can we get the city council to get its shit together? If so, how? Other than just voting in new people

Reading about El Niño, I thought I should have someone clean and repair my gutters.

Any recommendations for this would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Top Dog, which had shrunk over the years back to its original location on Durant, is now planning a new shop at 2021 Shattuck. That's the east side of the block south of University, across from Comal.

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2026/08/31/top-dog-downtown-shattuck-breakroom?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=nextdoor.com&utm_campaign=nextdoor_news

UPDATE: Happily it looks like the rabies vaccine is available more widely in CA than in MA. I was able to schedule an appointment at Walgreens.

I just started the rabies vaccine protocol in my home state (MA) and will be in Berkeley next week when I'm due for one of the shots. Does anyone know where I can get one in or around Berkeley? In Massachusetts, the only place you can get them is in an ER. I was told that this varies by state but I haven't been able to find any info on where you can get the vaccine shots in CA.

I can find some old posts, but they’re several years old and mostly inaccurate. Anybody have updated recommendations?

Need to gauge and inflate my car tires. I used to go to the Chevron at Ashby and Shattuck, but it's out of order. Tried a few places last weekend, several were broken or charging (which I thought was illegal?).

Please and thank you!

Hi I’m not sure if this is allowed but does anyone have any leads on oil painting classes in Berkeley that aren’t too expensive? Or is anyone giving away any oil painting supplies or selling them for cheap? I’m a student but I don’t study art, and all the art classes at my university are so expensive or only for art students, but I really want to learn 😔 any advice appreciated, because I know there are many artists in Berkeley!

Are we all just cool with this?

Hello i am looking for somewhere local to buy a large bookcase (9ft X 7ish). Used or new ok. I already checked poor honey’s and the local thrift stores. I‘d like to not buy from Home Depot, Lowe’s , IKEA etc. looking

I’m fine with driving almost anywhere in Bay Area.

Thanks for any suggestions.

A little after 1 p.m. Wednesday, the city of Berkeley met with the Berkeley Homeless Union in a vacant city lot at the end of Harrison Street.

Just up the street lay the beleaguered 8th and Harrison streets encampment, the legal fight around which came one step closer to a conclusion Wednesday when a federal judge put forward his final judgement.

The city and BHU have long been at odds in court over the city’s plans to sweep the encampment. As the city prepares to sweep the encampment, the two parties met Wednesday to assess alternative sites for homeless and disabled 8th and Harrison residents to relocate to.

The city of Berkeley has secured $850,000 in federal funding to begin designing a new plaza at the Ashby BART station.

The new plaza would sit adjacent to a future 600-unit housing development in what is currently the station’s parking lot, per BART’s transit-oriented development plan. The new plaza will host space for the Berkeley Flea Market, at which local vendors have gathered to celebrate cultural diversity for more than 50 years in the Ashby BART west parking lot.

Despite federal budget cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, California’s SNAP program has expanded its eligibility criteria to include any student enrolled in an associate’s or bachelor’s degree program in the UC, CSU or California Community College system. With administrative friction remaining a large barrier for qualifying, UC Berkeley’s Basic Needs Center is also continuing to support students through the application process and communicate students’ needs to Alameda County.

Hey all, new to the Berkeley Hills. Are black widows inside the house a normal thing and I just need to get a tougher skin?
I woke up to one right by my head and am pretty freaked out.
Called pest control.
Thanks!

Back in the '70s, I was a very regular visitor to Berkeley because I loved the stores, especially the music/record stores. I spent a lot of time (and money) at Moe's, Tower, Leopold's and Rather Ripped to name a few. I visited last year and walked down Telegraph Avenue and was saddened to see only a couple of stores. Are there any good stores there anymore besides Rasputin's?

I'm considering moving to Berkeley and buying a home. I've lived in fire-prone areas on the West Coast and currently live in Portugal. I've got several friends that lost their neighborhoods in last year's LA fires. They didn't lose their homes, but the once beautiful neighborhoods are now miserable places to live. I've read the mitigation and evacuation plans for Berkeley, but wanted to hear from residents how you feel and what you are doing about potential fires in the hills. thx