Nomi had another appointment with Deborah ,her writing coach. I wanted to walk the hill over the Northbrae (Solano) Tunnel. Now I had the chance. I knew nothing about the walk nor the neighborhood. Here’s some notes gathered on the web, post walk: “Northbrae is an affluent neighborhood in Berkeley known for its hilly terrain. The built environment follows along the natural topography which includes trees, the existing outcropping of volcanic rock, rhyolite, & 136 stairways carved into the landscape. The central hub of Northbrae is the Fountain at the Circle. The water fountain (c. 1906 & redone & rededicated 1996), designed by John Galen Howard, the head architect of the University of California, is surrounded by a terracotta roundabout & a stairwell. Northbrae made it into the American Planning Association's list of Great Places in America in 2011.”
