The Best of Berkeley is the Daily Californian’s annual reader-voted contest to find the best people, places, and businesses in Berkeley.
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Campus
Best View: Campanile
Daniel Kronovet
Although it was a real tight race for the coveted “Best View” category, we are pleased to announce that the incumbent, the Sather Tower, was able to snatch a narrow victory away from… wait. Just kidding. Nothing came close. Of the stunning view of the bay and San Francisco, little more can be said—the real charm of the Campanile comes from viewing the UC Berkeley campus itself from your perch on Mt. Olympus. As I stood on the watchtower 18 stories up, what I was seeing was Berkeley in microcosm. Looking out, I saw a small tribe of 12th graders tentatively rolling down 4.0 hill; I saw the variety and art of the different buildings; the madness on Sproul; Telegraph, sprawling into the distance. If you’ve been up before, take another trip to appreciate the scene. If you haven’t—well, you have no excuse. The Campanile rocks, in a majestic way.
Editors' Pick: Campanile
Honorable Mention: The Big C
Best Professor: Alex Filippenko
Arielle Little
Astronomy professor Alex Filippenko is no stranger to the Best of Berkeley Awards, having been named Best Professor multiple times in the past. His introductory astronomy course, Astro C10, is taken by hundreds of students every year. The class is so popular not only because it satisfies an L&S breadth, but because of Filippenko’s unmatched energy and brilliance in the lecture hall. A world-renowned astronomer, he has been known to throw things around during class, show up dressed as a black hole, and do a whole host of crazy things to get students excited about astronomy. Always passionate about science, Filippenko is one of those professors who is an absolute genius but also loves to teach and have fun in the classroom. Perhaps this is why Filippenko has been honored so many times: He is all at once insightful, inspiring and adept at making science interesting and accessible to his students.
Editors' Pick: Kevis Goodman
Honorable Mentions: David Presti, Darren Zook
Best Class: Physics for Future Presidents
Alina Xu
A course designed to make physics understandable to the less math- and science-inclined among us sounds potentially disastrous, but in the competent hands of Professor Richard Muller, the subject isn’t dumbed down so much as rendered in a fascinating way with meaningful connections to the real world. Muller’s dedication to teaching, expert knowledge of the subject and genuine concern for his students are obvious – though he’s not averse to informing the class on April Fool’s Day that their collective grades will be lowered in accordance with a department crackdown on grade inflation. For humanities and social science majors, there’s no better way to fulfill that pesky physical science breadth requirement; for everyone else, it’s science from a compelling new perspective.
Editors' Pick: History 7B
Honorable Mention: Astro 10
Best Campus Eccentric: Happy Happy Man
Louis Peitzman
If you’re like me, you feel vaguely threatened by most of our campus eccentrics. Sure, that Yoshua guy isn’t yelling at you directly, but it still feels that way. And you’d really rather not be harassed for your use of a cell phone, especially when it’s your only form of defense against Stoney.
The safest bet, then, is Happy Happy Man, who promotes a message of peace, tranquility and, well, happy.
Of course, there are some—namely, anyone who’s read his sign—who might disagree. The repeated “happy, happy, happy” chant reflects not his state of mind, but rather his perception of our stunning apathy. It serves as a call to arms, so that we might break free from willful ignorance and subordination by our oppressors. His smile, rigid and unyielding, serves as the ultimate irony.
That’s probably so. Me, I choose to take him at face value.
Editors' Pick: Umbrella Man
Honorable Mention: Stoney Burke
Best A Capella: UC Men's Octet
Stefanie Lee
The Cal heartthrobs have done it again! Maybe it’s the Wednesday at 1:00 time slot (an essential mid-week pick-me-up), maybe it’s the adorable choreography (nothing beats “Bohemian Rhapsody,” except maybe “Elephant Love Medley”). Or maybe it’s the fact that they’re just so damn good. The UC Men’s Octet has repeatedly proven to Cal students, Berkeley residents, and choral ensembles at other universities that they can command both the stage (and Sather Gate) with their tight harmonies, beautiful ranges, and charming camaraderie. The eight-some boasts an impressive and extensive repertoire, ranging from 50s sock-hop ballads to Disney hits to traditional Cal fight songs. And let’s not forget their rousing rendition of the Cal Drinking song; these guys are definitely the only ones who would be able to remember all the words, no matter what state they’re in.
Editors' Pick: UC Men's Octet
Honorable Mention: Golden Overtones
Best Place to Have Sex: Main Stacks
Christine Borden
SWF looking for NSA fun, boy or girl. I don’t usually do this sort of thing, but I’m graduating this year…
Have you ever fantasized about finding a beautiful stranger on the other side of the shelf? You pull out a red leatherbound copy, I reach for the James Weldon Johnson. We catch each other for a brief second, I blush and look away from your inviting brown eyes. You reach through the opening. My heart skips a beat.
We run to the end of the aisle, meet each other face to face. You pin me to the stack. Our tongues dance inside our mouths.
We break and then rush to a secluded aisle, you holding my hand and smiling back at me as you lead me there. I pull up my skirt a bit, push down my panties, and you unbutton and unzip your pants.
It’s hotter knowing someone may find us, or even watch.
Editors' Pick: The Big C
Honorable Mention: Memorial Stadium
Also Won For: Best Place to Study, Best Wireless
Best Place to Use Your Meal Points: Golden Bear Cafe
Melissa Fall
Ah, yes. The Golden Bear Cafe. Those of us who no longer have the meal plan can only vaguely remember the glory days of points, those bright, heady months when fried chicken, Freshens smoothies, and double-A batteries were only moments away from our 500-person lectures in Wheeler Auditorium. Now, we’ve picked our majors, we’re imprisoned in Dwinelle or VLSB, and we have to use a real-world debit card to buy real-world groceries at a real-world supermarket. But while prepaid Kettle Chips may be a thing of the past, the memory of the oddly delicious tuna in the sandwich line and the pigeon-product-riddled patio tables will always remain. And if you’re one of the lucky few who still have 7382 meal points left this semester, enjoy them while they last. Getting West Coast Pizza delivered every night isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Editors' Pick: Crossroads
Honorable Mention: Ramona's
Best Blog: The Daily Clog
Editors' Pick: UC Berkeley OTR
Honorable Mention: UC Berkeley LiveJournal Community