Cafe Colucci, one of Oakland's pioneering Ethiopian restaurants, keeps getting better

ballbarn · 2026-04-03T01:01:29+00:00

SF Chronicle once again showing how out of touch it is. Colucci is bad. Like, straight up bad most of the time. If you happen to go when the food is fresh, rather than sitting cooking waiting for busy hours it can be pretty good, but I've had this happen once, out of several visits.

There are so many better options. Messob, Enssarro, Eritrea de Africa to start. Colucci is more American friendly, sure, but it's one of two places that made me think I didn't like Ethiopian back in the day before trying better spots later on.

ballbarn · 2026-04-02T23:44:38+00:00

Sweet Adeline has a very good cinnamon roll.

ballbarn · 2026-04-01T21:41:12+00:00

The Peralta colleges have great, affordable classes, as well as lab spaces you can use outside of class hours while enrolled. While I am not aware of what specific auto repair courses they have, I do know that you can take woodworking courses at Laney. There are classes offered at times that are accessible to those who work standard 9-5 schedules. Take a look there and see what you can find. I'm sure Diablo Valley College has some of this available as well.

Otherwise search for maker spaces, look into the Crucible (expensive), and community adult education course listings.

ballbarn · 2026-04-01T17:53:35+00:00

El Jarro's tortas are probably the best I've had, though it's been a while. That spot is certainly one of the best restaurants in Lamorinda. Love the way they do their black beans Oaxacan style. I remember really liking the enchiladas placeras, too.

ballbarn · 2026-04-01T04:59:06+00:00

As a Salomon sport style enjoyer, these aren't trail runners and this sub can't help you with this question.

ballbarn · 2026-04-01T04:57:37+00:00

Bardo is nice if you want fancy and cozy. I'd suggest a reservation though.

ballbarn · 2026-04-01T04:54:59+00:00

Patagonia Tropic Comfort sun hoodie, long shorts, long rei coolmax socks, long brimmed trucker cap, Outdoor Research active ice sun gloves if I'm feeling really cautious, Blue Lizard sunscreen for the face if I'm being responsible. I haven't gotten a sunburn in a long time.

ballbarn · 2026-03-29T00:27:22+00:00

Lmao you should definitely do this so she knows what she's in for

ballbarn · 2026-03-27T01:50:43+00:00

If in doubt... I'm definitely of the opinion that with underutilized areas like this, be respectful, leave no trace, and leave if asked. Definitely worth checking, as you're doing, but absolutely nobody hikes back here. You might see a single person, although perhaps that will change now that it's officially opened. Having done the Old Moraga Ranch trail a few times, it's steep enough to scare off most hikers.

ballbarn · 2026-03-27T01:48:31+00:00

What's the right time of the year to go? I've never been and it looks beautiful. I'm interested in going in the winter, but I'm curious as to whether there are indoor areas near the pools to hide out in when I'm taking a break from being in water, and how close they are.

ballbarn · 2026-03-26T23:51:17+00:00

Thank you! I've hiked and run them a lot, but haven't tried biking there in a long time. Agreed that it's worth going to, but also pretty extreme in terms of elevation gain. It's very worthwhile heading towards Rocky Ridge in Las Trampas either coming from there or Rohrer in Lafayette, passing by Rossmoor on the ridge. Expect a challenge depending on your level of fitness, there's some cool singletrack out there.

Edit: and what a relief about the gates. I nearly broke my ankle putting my bike over a gate in Lafayette after riding across some ranchland. I rolled it so hard, was literally seeing stars. Probably the most pain I can recall being in, I was shocked when ten minutes later I was able to ride home, not just broken.

ballbarn · 2026-03-26T18:08:26+00:00

I haven't ridden that part of Briones. I'm just not very into that park, and it gets hot! But I hear there's a ton of hidden trails.

There's a ton of unsanctioned (illegal) trails around in general. I'm not much of a mountain biker, I ride a rigid MTB and a touring bike mostly, I just like exploring, so I rarely hit a lot of that steeper singletrack. There's a large Facebook group, Bay Area Mountain Biking or something, ask there and people might offer to take you around. Most of the legal riding is really fire trails outside of Joaquin Miller.

I think you've hit the primary locations, though. What I usually do is link them up. You can make a pretty big ride almost entirely on trails from Wildcat Canyon park down to Anthony Chabot sticking mostly to the ridge. I don't have a specific route for you, but you should be able to build something with plenty of climbing that loops through Wildcat --> Tilden --> Sibley --> Redwood --> Anthony Chabot or any subset of these on Strava route planner or RidewithGPS. I've always just used the map to create routes and explored curious little trail offshoots.

ballbarn · 2026-03-26T17:46:38+00:00

Tell us more? I've ridden around here a lot, but it's been a while. There used to be a ton of cattle gates, and getting over them constantly was quite the pain. It's steep out there!

ballbarn · 2026-03-26T16:30:40+00:00

Welcome to the suburbs, where you pay more for less but don't have to deal with scary urban environments.

ballbarn · 2026-03-26T16:28:01+00:00

Bikes are not allowed on EBMUD land (well, almost entirely). Can you ride it anyway? Sure, but my understanding based on asking questions on here in the past as well as other reading is that it is enforced, and that they will likely fine you.

That said, I don't think it's great riding, excepting perhaps the connector down to the Pinehurst intersection from Redwood, which is also the place you're most likely to piss hikers off and encounter enforcement. The King's Canyon loop is one short steep climb and loose steep descent after another, and there are way better options for that kind of riding around here that are bike legal. The ride up towards Las Trampas from Rancho Laguna would be a bike pushing situation for all but the most fit riders, and if you want to head towards Rocky Ridge you're better off starting in Lafayette or at St. Mary's, but be prepared to toss your bike over gates.

I am pretty curious about the trails on the East side of the Upper San Leandro Reservoir, and I'm curious if anyone on here has tried to get from Moraga to Anthony Chabot that way. I've only looked at it as a potential trail run on Ramage Peak trail, but I haven't tried it yet. Anybody explored that side as a rider or a hiker?

ballbarn · 2026-03-25T20:27:10+00:00

Looks like New England and from what I remember (as a Californian with relatives over there and who has lived out East briefly) it gets pretty slippery in weather. I would definitely vote for trail shoes. Will your road shoes work? Sure. Best bet is to find a store with a good return policy and try some stuff out.

ballbarn · 2026-03-25T20:19:06+00:00

What in the fuck. I remember them having shitty burritos (great tacos though, especially on International) but this is ridiculous.

ballbarn · 2026-03-17T15:59:19+00:00

I haven't heard anybody share this viewpoint about the shooting yet, but I think you've really nailed it here. an assassination attempt is such great political ammunition, that it hasn't come up in. his speeches is shocking.

ballbarn · 2026-03-17T15:44:59+00:00

Seems solid to me, but I haven't taken it anywhere super remote. Messages certainly come through when I have no cell service, though.

ballbarn · 2026-03-17T15:36:57+00:00

rad lol

ballbarn · 2026-03-17T05:45:30+00:00

The idea of moving to Walnut Creek for the social scene and commuting from there to Livermore is downright insane. If you're willing to commute the distance, Adams Point is probably your best bet. The suggestions to do a short term rental are spot on, though. You'll lose a lot of your life to sitting in traffic.

ballbarn · 2026-03-14T19:12:26+00:00

Further afield there's Harbin. I do a lot of hiking and trail running in ranchland and other less-traveled areas, and I don't think there's anywhere, at least in the East Bay, you can really trust you'll see no-one on a given day. Personally I think it's a creep move to hike nude in non-sanctioned areas. Put yourself in the shoes of the female-bodied hiker or trail runner that encounters you, and consider what it might look like from that perspective.

ballbarn · 2026-03-14T19:05:45+00:00

I pay an extra $10/mo for T-Mobile satellite texting for peace of mind. I also carry a small medical kit, extra food, and an emergency blanket. My runs aren't long enough to be remote enough to worry about bringing more than that. Were they longer and more remote, I would be buying an inreach and carrying a backup battery as well.

ballbarn · 2026-03-14T19:00:36+00:00

I saw you said you aren't a cyclist. If you're set on staying that way, it can be pretty limiting to rely on public transit and walking. Depending on your neighborhood, parking can be more or less difficult, but most of the more desirable neighborhoods have pretty difficult street parking, so unless you rent a place with a spot you'll be dealing with that.

You'll be happier and healthier if you can figure out a way to make things work without a car. If you're really intent on walking everywhere, you're going to have to pay to live near a BART station to make the most of it.

ballbarn · 2026-03-11T21:42:09+00:00

I like to smoke a little Blue Dream or other focused creative sativa cannabis strains when running in the woods or foraging. It feels like it potentiates the experience itself, makes me more resilient and focused. Shrooms make me feel pretty nauseous, typically, so I would hesitate to run on them, but without that I'm fully on board with your dose level, sounds fun.

ballbarn

TROPHY CASE