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Attend
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After Mindfulness is a chance to create a happy playground for giving and receiving, quieting and listening. It’s a chance to look both inward toward yourself and outward across the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area. The first step, though, is getting a ticket.
Get Here
Our parking tip: park for free on weekends in North Berkeley or Ashby Station BART and take 1 stop to Downtown Berkeley then walk for 10 minutes to Zellerbach
Transit
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)
To reach campus via BART, take the Richmond line and get off at the Downtown Berkeley Station. From SFO during night and weekends you might have to transfer in downtown San Francisco (see BART map below for detail).
The Downtown Berkeley station is located one block from the west side of campus on Shattuck Avenue. From there most hotels, dorms and Zellerbach Hall (conference registration) are within 15-20 minutes walking.
BART general information: www.bart.gov
BART map: https://www.bart.gov/stations
BART at SFO:
BART at OAK: https://www.bart.gov/guide/airport/inbound_oak
RIDE SHARE
You can also catch a taxi, Uber or Lyft to 101 Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley.
Drive
Daily commuter parking is offered in a variety of lots near campus, some operated by UC Berkeley and others by the City of Berkeley.
The closest parking lots are:
Overnight parking is generally not permitted in these lots. Attendees who are staying in hotels should request parking information directly from the hotel.
More information can be found here:
https://pt.berkeley.edu/parking/visitor-parking
Fly
SFO – San Francisco International Airport (24 miles to UC Berkeley):
OAK – Oakland International Airport (15 miles to UC Berkeley):
http://www.oaklandairport.com/ground-transportation/
From either airport, you can get to Berkeley by public transportation (BART), taxi, ride share programs such as Uber or Lyft.
Stay Here
There are many accommodations to be found on the internet. Reservations and payments should be made directly with the hotels. A credit card guarantee or pre-payment will be required and reservations are subject to the booking and cancellation policies imposed by the hotels. Please contact the hotels directly with any questions.
For GSB11 Promo Codes click links below:
Our community choice:
(Promo Code to lower the rate: Buddhism19. The Promo Code is good for Check In dates from June 1st to July 7th. $49.00 per night for a room with ONE Twin Bed and $87.00 per night for a room with TWO Twin Beds. )
To get away and have a water view, please check out Double Tree Hilton. Great place for sunset.
DoubleTree at the Berkeley Marina
(In booking window select more option. Choose date and enter booking code in promo code/corporate code section: GC2019 )
(Select the dates June 29-July 1, 2019; select Rate Options, enter code GLOBAL in the Promotional/Group Code field. Available rooms will appear; only a few room types appear on the screen at a time, so be sure to scroll right to see additional availability. Guests are also welcome to call us at 510-204-0702.)
(To book call directly at 510-848-7800 and ask for Mary or Leslie (other staff members may be able to assist or at least take a message). Email works as well at reservations@berkeleycityclub.com. Make sure to reference 2019 Global Conference on Buddhism
The Faculty Club
YMCA
DoubleTree at the Berkeley Marina
Fairmont
Easton Hall
Berkeley City Club
Quality Inn Berkeley
Graduate Berkeley
These internet sites are also suggested for accommodation in the Berkeley area:
Explore Here
The city of Berkeley is a vibrant city with beautiful parks, museums, a thriving restaurant scene and home to one of the top universities in the world. Those looking not to miss a beat - San Francisco is not too far away. And those who seek serenity should not worry as there are plenty of hiking trails to discover and beautiful viewpoints to watch the sunset.
It’s no surprise that visitors extend their stay as there is so much to see to do and explore in Berkeley and the Bay Area.
Arts and Culture
Berkeley's creative scene engages at every turn. Visit Berkeley to wander through an artist's open studio, experience cutting-edge theater or tap your toes to rock n' roll - there are many ways to spark Berkeley's creative side.
With more than 100 cultural arts organizations, including the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Dharma Colledge and Aurora Theatre Company, Berkeley is filled with world-class productions applauded by audiences and acclaimed by critics.
San Francisco’s arts scene has something great for everyone.
The city's museums are some of the best in the country. These include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), de Young, Legion of Honor, California Academy of Sciences, Exploratorium
From the experimental to the traditional, explore all the wonderful arts and cultural events and exhibitions, many of them curated here by SFArts.org.
Sightseeing
The San Francisco Bay Area region in Northern California spans the city of San Francisco and surrounding counties. Depending on your mood, there is plenty to see and do in the Bay Area.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Painted Ladies (Victorian and Edwardian Houses) are some memorable sights to see in San Francisco, or as the locals call it, “The City.”
Berkeley is a 25 minute drive into San Francisco. The city of Berkeley is a vibrant city with beautiful parks, museums and home to one of the top universities in the world. Visitors come to Berkeley
Conveniently located on the east side of the San Francisco Bay, you can choose to venture west to San Francisco; north to Napa Valley, or south to Silicon Valley.
The City of Oakland is accessible via rail public transportation (BART). Old Oakland features restored Victorian architecture and boutiques. Uptown Oakland features art deco Fox and Paramount theaters as well as restaurants, bars and galleries.
Napa Valley is 50 miles away from Berkeley and home to renowned vineyards and restaurants. 50 miles south of Berkeley is Silicon Valley, a major technology hub. Take a tour of corporate offices such as Google and Apple or visit the Tech Museum of Innovation in downtown San Jose.
Alcatraz Island is home to the abandoned prison, the site of the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States, early military fortifications, and natural features such as rock pools and a seabird colony (mostly western gulls, cormorants, and egrets).
Gourmet Ghetto
North Berkeley is the birthplace of California cuisine, focusing on dishes with sustainable ingredients that are sourced locally.
For food lovers a stay in Berkeley is not complete without a visit to the iconic Chez Panisse restaurant or cafe.
Other notable stops include The Cheeseboard Collective, Gregorie, Cha Ya and many more...
Beyond the Gourmet Ghetto, Berkeley is home to more than 350 restaurants that caters to your taste and budget. For those that are vegan, here is a list of vegetarian and vegan restaurants.
These attachments will be helpful to find the best food options in the Berkeley area:
Outdoor Activities
Redwood Regional Park
A hidden redwood forest lies off Redwood Road just a few miles over the ridge from downtown Oakland. The forest's peaceful groves give little evidence of the park's bustling past – in the mid-1800s the area was the scene of extensive logging to supply building materials for the San Francisco Bay Area. The logging era has long since passed, and a stately forest of 150-foot coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) has replaced those cut-down.
Muir woods
Walk among old-growth coast redwoods, cooling their roots in the fresh water of Redwood Creek and lifting their crowns to reach the sun and fog. Federally protected as a National Monument since 1908, this primeval forest is both refuge and laboratory, revealing our relationship with the living landscape. outdoor activities
Reservation required, for more information please visit:
https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/reservations.htm
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Experience a park so rich it supports 19 distinct ecosystems with over 2,000 plant and animal species. Go for a hike, enjoy a vista, have a picnic or learn about the centuries of overlapping history from California’s indigenous cultures, Spanish colonialism, the Mexican Republic, US military expansion and the growth of San Francisco. All of this and more awaits you, so get out and find your park.
Point Reyes
From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1500 species of plants and animals to discover. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, the Seashore preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Point Reyes awaits your exploration.
https://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm
Fort Funston
The 200ft high bluffs on the most western edge of San Francisco, Fort Funston is one of the premier hang-gliding spots in the country. Networking trails make it ideal for accessible hiking, horseback riding, and dog walking. Please be advised that if your pet gets stuck on the bluffs, do not go after it, the risk of falling is greater for you than your pet.
https://www.nps.gov/goga/planyourvisit/fortfunston.htm
Yosemite National Park
Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra.
First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm
UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley, or “Cal”, is one of the top universities in the world. It is home to over 35,000 students. Established in 1868 , the university has a rich history of forward thinking and change, such as its role in the free speech movement in the 1960’s. Since then, it is known for its reputation as a liberal mindset.
In your free time, stop by the Koret Visitor Center to take a guided tour of the campus to learn about its rich history.