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Bay Area Monkeys - help selecting hotel for a conference?

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,019
8,555
Exit, CO
Hey all, I'll be in the Bay area (specifically Berkeley) for a conference from April 22-25, arriving late the evening of the 21st. It's a CRM conference being held at the David Brower Center, which looks to be on the west side of UC Berkeley campus according to teh Googles maps. Primarily if anyone has a recommendation on a reasonable hotel in area, I'd appreciate it. My co-worker went to this same conference last year and said the hotel he booked was a nightmare, so I i figured I'd reach out for some local knowledge.

Also if anyone is around and would wanna meet up for a beer at a brewpub/brewery, or possibly take me on a mountain bike ride (I'd have to borrow a bike) that might be rad as well. Conference runs pretty much all day, but by then I assume there will be enough daylight to go on a quick ride?

Lastly, I'm heading up to Tahoe the evening of Friday the 25th after the conference to visit a friend, so if any of ya'll would just so happen to be going that way on that day and would have room for a homey (and most likely his skis) lemme know.
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,970
7,818
Colorado
I'm a little insulted you didn't just email me... the first two are places my folks stayed at while I was still in school. It's been a while, but they are both real chains in a high traffic are, so they can't slide too bad. They are only a mile or so away from campus, but worst case you can just jump on the bus (AC Transit route 51).

La Quinta
920 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 849-1121

Quality Inn Berkeley
1761 University Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94703
(510) 841-4242

Hotel Durant (this can be pricey)
2600 Durant Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
(510) 845-8981

As for riding, try to find somebody to take you down Side-O. If you don't mind riding with a pot-smoking, anti-government angry dude, I can hook you up with my old shop manager. He can probably acquire a bike for you. Also, maybe try Ian Richards from RPM.
 
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H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
Most of (all actually) the hotels on University I've stayed at were kinda sh1tholes. They get a little better the closer you are to the campus, but get lame as you head west.

The Claremont is great. Granted, I stayed there once as a celebration after a 5 week tour and a headlining gig at the Fox in Oakland. It was NOT cheap.
 

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,019
8,555
Exit, CO
So I decided to go the AirBnB route, got a cool place that is 5 blocks from the conference with an illustrator who has worked in tattoo shops. Pretty stoked. Now I just need to figure out how to get from Berkeley to Tahoe on that Friday night... and who's gonna meet me for a beer!


check your pm
I still owe you a phone call, and hopefully you weren't offering up a free place to stay!
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,970
7,818
Colorado
Now I just need to figure out how to get from Berkeley to Tahoe on that Friday night... and who's gonna meet me for a beer!
Will you need a ride back down? I might be able to make something happen. Get me the details and I'll make some calls to my buddies who go up regularly.
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
What nights are you available for beer?

I don't have an extra bike for you and I've stayed away from Side O for years due to some crazy sh!t going down (reports of piano wire across the trail and crazy people jumping out of the woods), I'm not even sure if it's still acceptable for riding.
 
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stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,970
7,818
Colorado
What nights are you available for beer?

I don't have an extra bike for you and I've stayed away from Side O for years due to some crazy sh!t going down (reports of piano wire across the trail and crazy people jumping out of the woods), I'm not even sure if it's still acceptable for riding.
That isht was going down while I was still there.
 

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,019
8,555
Exit, CO
Will you need a ride back down? I might be able to make something happen. Get me the details and I'll make some calls to my buddies who go up regularly.
Word up son, I'll send you an email.

What nights are you available for beer?
I get in pretty late on Monday, and am trying to leave for Tahoe Friday evening. So yeah, could be down to grab a beer any of those other nights. Availability subject to change pending interaction with other conference attendees... it's a fairly small conference for an open-source CRM software platform so my guess is I'll be able to do quite a bit of networking as well. But yeah... beer. Preferably something local.
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
How goes the conference?

Tomorrow is my only free night. Gonna be riding out in the Las Trampas hills after work. I can BART my ass out to one of the Berkeley stations by 8:30 or 9 probably.
 

eric strt6

Resident Curmudgeon
Sep 8, 2001
24,210
14,859
directly above the center of the earth
How goes the conference?

Tomorrow is my only free night. Gonna be riding out in the Las Trampas hills after work. I can BART my ass out to one of the Berkeley stations by 8:30 or 9 probably.

Damn boy, I'm over off St Marys drive 5 days a week. Last run usually finishes at 3pm corner of Moraga and St Marys for a drop off of a special needs kid. we should hook up for a ride sometime
 

Full Trucker

Frikkin newb!!!
Feb 26, 2003
11,019
8,555
Exit, CO
Conference is alright. Pretty nerdy really, but good. Went to Jupiter last night and had some beers for my birthday, they had some decent stuff. Heard of another place called Triple Rock that I might check out tonight, but might not. We'll see.

rockofullr I'll shoot you a PM with my cell, reach out before you Head this way and I'll let you know if I'm even out and about.