Lauri Puchall

Bowled Over Again

The venerable Berkeley Bowl recently opened a new outpost in West Berkeley, an airy, two-story structure wrapped in glass and metal. Many patrons can’t get enough of the large, light-filled new store with scads of parking space. Other Bowlies, though, still prefer the jam-packed original in Central Berkeley. Like it or not, the new Bowl is different than its ancestor, with more room to maneuver, more ready-to-eat items, and a cafe.

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Watershed Moments

On most weekends, dedicated East Bay volunteers—like the hardy crew at Oakland’s Beaconsfield Canyon—grapple with stubborn underbrush as they remove invasive plants and replant natives, exerting themselves to unclog creeks and recreate natural havens for city dwellers. They also work to free streams from underground pipes, so that our small waterways flow unimpeded and visible to all. While we have a long local history of active stream-restoration groups—Strawberry, Codornices, and Sausal creeks are all beneficiaries of their efforts—today’s volunteers are also working hard to educate school children and the community in ecoliteracy.

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Built on Tribal Wisdom

A mosaic story pole and feather marquee mark the front of a new Native American health-care center in Oakland’s Fruitvale District, a $32-million mixed-used building inspired by American Indian traditions and philosophy.

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Medieval Modern

Christ the Light Cathedral is only a few months away from opening its downtown Oakland doors to parishioners and tourists alike who want to check out the cutting-edge architecture that employs some old-world touches—like crypts—and some modern twists—like a computer-generated image of Christ.

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It’s Not Easy Being Green

The new green city hall in Orinda is drawing raves from the architectural community, city workers and regular Orindans. But some blast the $12.5 million cost and say the money should have been spent on fixing the town’s roads.

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Faces of the East Bay