Local Information

Climate

The San Francisco Bay Area has two seasons: wet (winter) and dry (summer). In July and August it will not rain. High temperatures will be 70° F (21° C) or higher in Berkeley, lows 55° F (13° C) or lower; mornings may be foggy. Bring sweaters and jackets for mornings and evenings, and shorts and t-shirts for afternoons, but not umbrellas.

Public Transportation

For transportation throughout the Bay Area, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) is very useful. The AC Transit bus system, which serves the East Bay and includes lines that go between the East Bay and San Francisco, is useful for transportation within Berkeley. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has buses and a light rail system that offer transportation within San Francisco. There is a trip planner at transit.511.org that can be used for planning trips both within cities and throughout the Bay Area.

Childcare

The Berkeley Parents Network has a webpage about Childcare in the Bay Area, which includes links to pages where parents share information about childcare in Berkeley and summer childcare, among other things. Among the many summer camps in the Berkeley area, we can mention in particular the downtown Berkeley YMCA; weekly enrollment is possible. If you are interested in joining an email list for Institute participants with children in Berkeley, please send email to Andrew Garrett; this list will allow Institute participants (including some Berkeley locals) to exchange information and to ask questions of each other and the Institute staff.

Internet and Libraries

Wireless internet access is available to registered students and affiliates on campus through AirBears. Internet acccess is also available in computer labs and libraries on campus. Information about campus libraries is available on the UC Berkeley Library webpage.

Dining

For information about dining on campus, see the Cal Dining webpage. Students and faculty staying in the dorms will have meal plans included in their housing contracts. For restaurants in the area, there is a useful guide at http://www-rnc.lbl.gov/Restaurants/Restaurants.html.

Athletic Facilities

Information about athletic facilities on campus is available on the UC Berkeley Recreational Sports webpage.

Cultural Activities and Entertainment

UC Berkeley: http://www.berkeley.edu/life/ent.shtml
Bay Area: http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/