I’ve been thinking about parallel universes lately. The idea that people could exist in more than one reality at the same time. Multiverse theories have been explored by philosophers since before the time of Socrates and are still debated among physicists, and portrayed in the arts; whether in novels like The Man in the High Castle or shows like Twilight Zone or Black Mirror or films like Everything Everywhere All at Once or Another Earth.
But parallel universes already exist today. And we all live in them.
Every time you’re at a party or work or school and you tuck into your device for a moment, you essentially go dark in this universe, and reemerge in a parallel one. When you’re sitting in your home office and zoom into a work meeting, your body is still present to everyone else in the office or household, but your mind is in a parallel version of you in the same moment of time.
You might call someone while on a walk, your body continuing in it’s natural rhythm, physically here in one place, while your mind travels into some liminal space where the voice on the other line joins you for an alternate reality of your own ephemeral creation.
Similarly, a friend was telling me how 15 year-old kids don’t care about getting their driver’s licenses anymore. To me, that felt like the perfect example of how satisfying parallel universes can be - especially for young people who grew up in them. A drivers license used to mean freedom, ownership, individual identity outside the home. Today’s kids get that all in their virtual worlds online.
Elder millennials and older folks might find that a bit disheartening, but who is to say that any reality is the realest one?
Anyway. Let me introduce you to some places in the east bay where you can immerse yourself in the present moment, while feeling like you’ve stepped into an alternate universe.
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The Tilden Steam Train is an alternate universe right in our own backyard. Founded in 1952, this miniature railway track will take you on a peaceful 12-minute journey through the Grizzly Peak wilderness - in and out of the fog, through redwoods and ferns - and leave you with a feeling of tranquility and wonder for the ingenuity of humankind. The 70+ year old train ride is hosted by a devoted team of engineers and enthusiasts who volunteer to work on these miniature models day in and day out. The 15-inch locomotives run on steam and were specially designed after turn-of-the-century Baldwin locomotives. You can take a peek into their working warehouse before and after your ride. They sell swag and have restrooms and nearby picnic tables. And on Sundays they open up their special mini-trains which offer a free bonus ride through the woods. Adults and children can fit on the vintage railway cars and my kiddo is obsessed. Tilden Steam Train Open Saturdays & Sundays 11-6.
🍹A Tiki Bar Emerges in Orinda
Perhaps the most unexpected place for a Tiki Bar to appear - the sleepiest east bay suburb of all - Orinda. I’ve long been an admirer of Tiki Bars, I’m not sure when exactly it started - maybe over a virgin colada on a trip the islands in my youth, or maybe when I did PR for legendary Trader Vic’s and I tried to create a campaign to bring back the Mai Tai. The good news is the Mai Tai is fully back and was recently named ‘the official cocktail’ of Oakland. The East Bay has a long history of Tiki Bars that definitely transport you into another universe, and The Boo Loo lounge is the latest to take us there. The tiny tikibar has about two dozen seats inside, plus a handful of outdoor tables. The inside is fully decked out in bamboo with an ambiance that gives nods to the movie The Creature from the Black Lagoon. The bar’s GM hails from Oakland’s Kon Tiki - which you may remember as my pandemic smashburger fixation. The drinks are sweet and they have some sort of hotplate situation in the back with appetizers to soak it all up.
Make it a double header and see a movie at the frozen-in-time historic Orinda theater. The Boo Loo Lounge is open Wednesday - Sunday.
🪑The Eames Archive: The newly opened Eames Archive in Richmond will take you back through design time to Ray and Charles Eames most complete collection of nearly 40,000 pieces including furniture, designs, prototypes and more. You can book a tour in advance for Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays — but this is not the kind of place you go to on a whim; tickets are $85 for adults — and no kids 12 and under allowed. The Chief Curator is Llisa Demetrios, the granddaughter of Ray and Charles who will take you on a 90-minute journey through the archives and share insights on their creative process.
If you’ve been following East Bae for a bit, you likely know I’m into Japanese culture (click here for some of my fav spots), so I wanted to highlight two Japanese-style pop-ups worth chasing down in the East Bay:
Mt Kakigori: for fans of Japanese shave ice, Ting Lin, the owner of Mt Kakigori is popping up all over the bay area with her beautiful and flavorful creations. Ting is importing Kuramoto clear ice straight from Japan to bring a premium experience to kakigori aficionados and leveraging the seasonal produce of the Bay Area to create fresh and creative desserts. Follow her instagram for the latest and you can find her in Albany on 10/13 at the Flowerland Shop on Solano
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Milk Cloud Bakery is popping up around the East Bay with it’s fluffy Shokupan (milk bread) and fruit sandos like strawberry with black sesame cream. Find them at La Noisette sweets in Berkeley this Monday.
PS: Its been a year since I wrote. I was lost in a parallel universe.