Hotel at a Glance: Hotel Shattuck Plaza

Located in a town defined by the prestigious University of California, Berkeley and a tradition of social activism, Hotel Shattuck Plaza combines the spirit of both influences. Inside the turn-of-the-century hotel, the hotel’s historic dining room, grand chandelier, and marble floors exude a classical elegance befitting the university next door. But the hotel also shows a contemporary edge, evidenced by the large peace symbol on the floor at its entrance and a number of eco-friendly initiatives implemented during the 2009 renovation. The New York Times writes that Hotel Shattuck Plaza has “caught Berkeley’s venturesome spirit” and that “if a hotel can be outspoken, this one is.”

• Where you’ll stay: The guest rooms are done in a warm, earth-toned palette with soft lighting. Many of them even feature views of the San Francisco Bay or Golden Gate Bridge.
• Dine in style at the on-site restaurant and lounge, FIVE, which received a Bib Gourmand rating from the Michelin guide in 2012 for its farm-to-table approach to California cuisine, use of locally sourced ingredients, and impressive wine collection.
• Enviable location: From its spot on the corner of the city’s iconic Shattuck Avenue, the hotel offers easy access to upscale international restaurants in the north side’s Gourmet Ghetto and high-end boutiques downtown.
• Other guest perks: complimentary WiFi, on-site fitness center, laundry services available, turndown service

Berkeley, California: Eclectic College Town Full of Art, History, and Culture

Situated across the bay from San Francisco, Berkeley is best known as the location of the oldest University of California campus, home to some 40,000 students and a still-thriving activist spirit. Residents are left-leaning and politically engaged, a legacy of Berkeley’s role as one of the major centers of campus unrest during the late 1960s. Though things have settled down since the city’s turbulent peak, public demonstrations still take place every now and then. Telegraph Avenue remains a colorful, free-spirit-friendly thoroughfare lined with cafés and smoke shops. During the school year it teems with scholars and bohemians. Over on Shattuck Avenue, a slew of bars and restaurants serves microbrews and farm-to-table food.

Those looking to sample Berkeley’s renowned folk-music scene can drop by the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, a venue that has hosted blues and other Americana artists since 1968. For a night of anything from opera to jazz, head to Hertz and Zellerbach Halls on the campus of the university.