In a van down by the river....er, marina.

Shipyards, marinas, and docks have historically been places where elements of the urban underbelly converge. Go to any marina or dock and you'll find some interesting people, trust me. I took a walk from 4th Street in Berkeley (near the Sake factory), over the pedestrian bridge that goes over I-80/580, and down University Ave. to the westernmost point of Berkeley proper yesterday. My intention was to watch the sunset from the pier at Berkeley marina.

Little did I know there is a parking lot at the pier. And little did I know that people like to park their cars facing west and watch the sunset, too, but in the company of bf's and gf's, alcoholic beverages, and what I'd describe as bumpin' muzak. Well, so much for serenity. Oh, the view of the Financial District and the Bay Bridge is super from this parking lot, btw.

People also live in vans and other recreational vehicles down by the marina. It's fascinating. I suppose because it is an industrially zoned area of Berkeley, long term parking and residing on streets down there is largely tolerated. Some of these trailers and camper vans look like they've not moved since before November 2004. I say go for it, as long as noise and debris around these vehicles stays to a minimum. But NIMBY, I guess. I already have enough people illegally parking on my street - they work at the hospital and take naps in their front seats during their lunch breaks. The hospital should provide some sort of lounge or proper napping quarters for these overworked folks. Something tells me that won't happen too soon. Go figure.

Oh, by the way, it's time to turn da' clocks up an hour. Here's for longer days and more daylight for mischief makin'!