Fall in Berkeley and the Pandemic Persists

Berkeley Fall 2021 (September 1 - November 30)

We arrived in Berkeley right when the summer surge of Delta driven Covid infections had peaked statewide and nationally. It led to a gloomy start. Shattuck Street looked depressing. Stores were open but only a few carefully masked people were in sight. The mentally unwell homeless folks staked out spaces outside the more visited places. The Gourmet Ghetto blocks looked ghostly. Many restaurants, including the famous Chez Panisse, were closed to indoor dining but open for take-out.

Adding to this far from bright welcome, our Airbnb apartment was a bit of a disappointment. A small, over furnished space, with a dated, tired interior in a shabby building. Not much light came through so the interior was dull and chilly. We loved the location, though, on Virginia Street near Euclid Avenue. With the university fully open we were surrounded by the energy of students and faculty. There was a lot of natural beauty around us too such as the mature redwoods outside our kitchen and all over the neighborhood.

Remarkably, the weather during our 3 month Sabbatical in this city was consistently delightful. Every morning we woke up to a blue sky and mild temperatures. In early fall we went on daily after dinner walks. It gave us a better appreciation of the remarkable combination of urbanness and natural beauty that makes Berkeley such a special city. From our apartment we headed up into the hills using the many well maintained steps strategically located throughout the neighborhood. Tilden Park formed the uppermost border. 

Rose Garden on Euclid Street, Berkeley

Looping back down we always ended up at the Rose Garden, which was a short distance from our home and a popular spot for views of the Golden Gate Bridge and sunset.

Sunset from Rose Garden, Berkeley

The Golden Gate Bridge and the deep blue of the bay were visible from many places on our walking routes through parks and residential streets. The fire trail above the UC Berkeley campus became my favorite. It was steep, almost vertical, guaranteeing a strenuous workout. Bay and bridge views from the viewpoint near the Lawrence Hall of Science were jaw dropping. 

We always encountered deer on these walks through the month of September. They seemed very comfortable near people and in gardens. 

Deer in our neighborhood every evening in September

Weirdly, at some point in the middle of fall, we stopped seeing deer. Why? That was a mystery. Once, near campus, we saw a pair of owls in mid-flight. They tagged each other then alighted on a eucalyptus tree. What a special moment! 

Two huge storms brought on by atmospheric rivers in late October transformed the parched landscape. The many redwoods around town released heavy scents. The fields around us turned emerald.

Despite the Covid atmosphere in Berkeley, there was so much to enjoy. For one thing, I felt so at home everywhere because the town was full of people with my world view and lifestyle. 

Food shopping in Berkeley was a dream. Every Saturday morning right after a breakfast of freshly baked pastries from the Cheeseboard, we headed to Berkeley Bowl where stocking up on produce for the week was entertainment rather than a chore. The staggering variety of produce at this iconic food market would inspire even the most reluctant cooks. 

Berkeley Bowl

I loved the variety of mushrooms, especially fresh, healthy shiitake. Imagine being able to find every spice, aromatic, sauce, grain, oil, condiment, bulk item, bakery item, confectionary  under one roof! Of course, it did mean that everyone else shopped there too, so that was something we had to endure. The Monterey Market was fantastic too - which, because of its neighborhood location, had a more local vibe while offering an impressive assortment of seasonal produce from local farmers.

Another favorite weekend activity was Sundays in San Francisco. We explored every part of Golden Gate Park, the marina, and trails along the bay near the bridge.

Sixteenth Avenue Steps, San Francisco

Unexpected, delightful discoveries like Sixteenth Avenue Steps showed us how little we actually knew this city that we'd visited so many times. The weather each time was incredible. Warm, hot at times, windless and cloudless. On Sundays the locals were up and about - strolling, jogging, playing with kids, picnicking, listening to live music. The absence of international tourists was very noticeable.

Shattuck Street in Berkeley gradually livened up later in the fall. More restaurants opened up for indoor dining and as covid numbers dropped people felt safer to venture out. On Friday evenings we usually celebrated the end of the week at Jupiter's. The atmosphere in their beer garden was always upbeat. An IPA and wood-fired pizza by the fountain among spirited students and locals provided a perfect bridge from work week to weekend fun.

Pizza at Jupiter's in Berkeley

The daily routine I fell into during the work week was intensely satisfying. After breakfast each day I drove to Equinox, a gym that felt like a five star experience compared to the one I go to in Goleta. At Equinox all equipment was always available and always worked. The woman's shower rooms sparkled. High end toiletries and plush, white towels were provided. After a workout followed by a shower I always felt enthusiastic about all that I needed to do the rest of the day. After lunch at home I grabbed my laptop and headed to the main library on campus. On my short walk I past clusters of students and UC employees at sidewalk tables eating lunch or sipping coffee. I tried different libraries on campus. Each provided the right setting for concentration. Quiet, lots of natural light, and comfortable chairs and sofas. The afternoon always disappeared too quickly. In the evening, when the days were shorter, Daryl and I would head out for a quick stroll to catch the sunset.

A Weekend in the Mountains

In mid-November we spent a weekend in the mountains with Santa Barbara friends who own a cabin in Soda Springs. All the ingredients for a magical time were present. Pristine air suffused with pine scents, sunshine, mild temperature, shimmering snow alongside patches of green, rushing water, a peaceful lake, breathtaking views of snow capped jagged peaks of the Sierras, the delightful company of dear friends, and hearty food. At about 7000 feet altitude there was snow on the ground around their cabin. The weather systems called atmospheric rivers of late October and early November dumped snow at that elevation. Luckily for us, the weekend was unseasonably mild so we had the benefit of enjoying a sort of winter landscape in warmish weather. On a 6 mile hike along a creek and through heavily scented pine forest we caught views of the Sierras topped with light snow. Emerald grass poked through the ground that had been parched much of the year. What a heartening sight.

Snow in November in Soda Springs

Covid Status in November

All through fall the Delta variant of the coronavirus kept us anxious. Even though the infection rate in the Bay Area was low the stories of breakthrough infections and waning vaccine effectiveness kept us fuzzy about whether the pandemic would ever end. In late fall infection rate jumped in the USA and Europe. South Africa was looking good with under a thousand new daily cases. Deaths dropped to double digits. 

Health experts expressed optimism about the future. A winter surge was expected, but not a big one. Studies from Israel showed booster shots to be effective in preventing breakthroughs and hospitalizations. Also, new treatments - antiviral pills from Pfizer and Merck - were expected to be available, further reducing hospitalizations and deaths. The SARS-CoV2 virus outsmarted experts often enough that nobody dared to predict when the pandemic would end.

Then, the day after Thanksgiving, a new chapter of Covid began. It was a pleasant, sunny day in Berkeley and after a couple hours of reading on the patio of Cafenated, I returned to our apartment and opened up the New York Times on my iPad. That was when I learned about the panic around a newly discovered variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus in South Africa. The many mutations - the most ever seen thus far - had alarm bells ringing all over the world. Vaccine evasion was the urgent concern. My heart sank. South Africa had been making remarkable progress since coming down from their winter surge. Their new daily infections deaths were at an all time low. And suddenly, just this past week, the situation switched. New case numbers doubled every day.

The new variant, named Omicron by WHO, dominated the news in the days and weeks that followed. The USA, much of Europe, the UK, and a host of other countries imposed travel restrictions on South Africa.  This was devastating to a country that was preparing for the return of international tourists during their festive season. Their infectious disease experts, highly qualified and eminently well-trained, felt they were being punished for being transparent. 

Of course, since the Omicron variant was brand new, predictions couldn't be made. We'd had so many bad twists and turns with this virus. Was 2022 going to be yet another pandemic year?The entire world let out a mega scream. Pfizer and Moderna quickly announced immediate work on lab tests.

Days after the news of Omicron broke, amid the gloomy speculations, there was one piece of promising news from a South African clinician, Dr. Coetzee, who first detected a change in her Covid patients and suspected a new variant had emerged. Everyone who came into her clinic presented with mild symptoms, mainly severe fatigue and headaches. Her guess was that this variant, unlike Delta, may not lead to severe illness.

On that somewhat optimistic note we packed up our things and got prepared for a month in Hawaii.