In Remembrance on Memorial Day from The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa

“It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.” ~ Norman Schwarzkopf

From everyone at The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa, we offer our thanks to the veterans and appreciate the ultimate sacrifices of our soldiers during this time of remembrance.

"National Moment of Remembrance"

Since 1997, a standard American tradition will continue as we take a moment of silence in honor of our heroes and their valor during the National Moment of Remembrance - 3 pm local time.

Memorial Day Weekend at the Claremont Hotel!

Memorial Day weekend marks the symbolic start of summer: the weather warms up, schools are winding down and families everywhere are taking their first trip of the season.  All cause for celebration here at the Claremont Hotel!  And celebrate we do with special offers and events.

The Claremont Hotel will host a poolside Memorial Day barbeque at our Bayview Café on Monday.  This event is a special treat for our Hotel guests and members of the Club at the Claremont.  We will have music, drinks and amazing food prepared by Executive Chef Josh Thomsen and his team.  The grill is ready to be fired up after a winter of hibernation.

If you haven’t yet made plans for your three-day weekend, we would be happy to welcome you!  We have a few rooms left and we are offering our popular Beat the Heat package over this holiday weekend.  The Beat the Heat package is remarkably affordable, and this weekend the rates start at $219 per night.  The package includes room, tax, facilities charge (regularly $24 per night), overnight parking (regularly $24 per night), and a $20 per day credit at any of our restaurants, including Meritage.

As our guest you will be able to enjoy two heated pools, plus our Kids’ Activity pool, take a turn on our tennis courts, prepare your body, mind, and spirit for summer in one of the fitness classes or at Spa Claremont, or simply relax on the deck at Paragon.  Spa Claremont has extended its hours on Sunday and Monday so you can schedule a treatment at your convenience.

We love summer here at the Claremont.  The outdoors calls us to leave our computers and spend time with friends and family rediscovering all that the Bay Area has to offer.  So get out there and explore.  Just know we have a comfortable bed and a cozy room ready for you when you come back from your day of adventure.

Showcasing the Bay Area's vibrant world music scene - 7th Annual Berkeley World Music Festival on Telegraph Ave - June 5, Noon - 9 pm!

On June 5th from Noon to 9 you can enjoy free continuous performances by some of the finest world music artists at the 7th Annual Berkeley World Music Festival. It offers a mix of intimate performances on this music tour along Telegraph Avenue in cafes, shops as well as a featured concert in People's Park from 1- 6 pm. Click here to check out who will be performing and where. 

Along with the Music Festival there will be the International Craft Bazaar and the Berkeley Poetry Festival. After the Music Festival there will be the After-Festival Party at Askkenaz - $12 cover starts at 9:30pm.

It's a day in Berkeley that has something for everyone. Enjoy the festivities and then come relax at The Claremont Hotel Club and Spa! Visit our website for hotel information.

Berkeley Traveling Facts brought to you by the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa!

This week we thought we'd give you some traveling info and facts about Berkeley!

All travelers coming to the East Bay, will find Berkeley's central location in the San Francisco Bay area a convenience and an asset with 3 major airports serving the area (Oakland International, San Francisco International and San Jose International) and 3 BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) stations!

We have the convenience of location and we have the Mediterranean-like weather too! Here is a look at the average seasonal temperatures as a guide.

                           MAX      MIN    MEAN     RAINFALL

Spring                  63        48         56           2.50"
Summer              70        54         62             .38"
Fall                       70        53         61           8.22"
Winter                  56        43         50         12.06"

Driving:

You need a driver's license! You can make a right turn on red lights, unless otherwise noted. Seat belts are the law! You can't use a cell phone when driving unless you have a hands-free system. Remember no texting either!

A good number to keep handy if you're driving to learn 24 hour road conditions is 800-427-7623, the California Department of Transportation. For local and regional traffic info, dial "511" or visit www.511.org. Non-emergency highway patrol call (707) 551-4100, emergency call "911".


Parking:

Colored Curb Markings: Painted curbs mean that parking is controlled.  Curb color rules:
Yellow Curb: Reserved for commercial use for loading and unloading merchandise or materials.
Red Curb: Designated “no stopping, standing or parking” under any circumstances.
Green Curb: Short term, restricted or limited time parking.
White Curb: Passenger loading zones.
Blue Curb: Designated for vehicles displaying valid Disabled placards or Disabled Person license plates from any state.

Sales tax is 9.75%
Legal drinking age is 21. Bars are open until 2 am. Liquor stores are open seven days a week.

A fun fact:

If you see the giant sundial at the foot of the Berkeley Pier, it was donated by Sakai, Japan in 1974, our oldest sister city! Berkeley became a sister city to Sakai, Japan on March 15, 1966!

So fly into Berkeley, drive around, park your car, enjoy the weather while seeing our giant sundial and enjoy the splendors of this great city while the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa indulges you!

Ready for a visit yet?

 

Berkeley Wine Festival Comes to a Close

Tonight we celebrate the successful conclusion of the first annual Berkeley Wine Festival here at the Claremont Hotel!  The Closing Reception will be a chance to taste wines from this year's participating wineries, get a sneak peek at what might be on the schedule for the 2011 Berkeley Wine Festival, and share stories of this year's highlights.

First we want to extend a huge thank you and congratulations for this year's participating vintners: Larry Maguire from Far Niente, Chris Benziger from Benziger Family Winery, John Williams from Frog's Leap, Jack Bittner from Cliff Lede Vineyards, Dan Duckhorn from Duckhorn Wine Company, Daniel Baron from Silver Oak Cellars, Dennis Cakebread from Cakebread Cellars, and Damien Parker from Joseph Phelps Vineyards, plus all the wineries who poured at both the Opening and Closing Receptions.  Each of you went above and beyond to bring your passion for wine to all the dinner attendees.  You also brought some outstanding wines!  The lucky folks who attended the dinners were delighted by the quality of the wines you provided, as well as the generosity of your hospitality.  Again, thank you!

We also cannot reflect on this year's festival without giving credit where it is due.  Executive Chef Josh Thomsen did a phenomenal job of creating and preparing amazing food for each winemaker dinner.  His menus reflected his deep passion for fresh food and his skill at pairing each dish perfectly with the wines brought in by the vintners.  Simply put, guests at every dinner were blown away by Chef Thomsen's food.  It is no wonder that Star Chefs named him a Rising Star Chef for 2010!

Tonight we will look back at what this year’s Berkeley Wine Festival has meant, but we also will be looking at how we can make the 2011 Berkeley Wine Festival even more successful.  We look forward to partnering with new vintners and to bringing more of our local community into the Festival.  It is exciting to consider that we are at the beginning of what can become the wine festival of the East Bay!

Tickets are still available for tonight’s reception at www.berkeleywinefestival.com.

Chef Thomsen at the Opening Reception

Berkeley Arts Festival - Full month of May Celebration - "in Berkeley every day is an arts festival"

Celebrating all month long, the Berkeley Arts Festival is another exciting reason to visit Berkeley in the Springtime! The first month long Berkeley Arts Festival began in 1997 and is going strong!

As they wrote on their website "in Berkeley every day is an arts festival", we couldn't agree more! May scheduled events below. Also click the link to see other events held through out the year in Berkeley.

May Schedule

5, 6,  7 — Return of John Schott's Typical Orchestra with Steve Adams, John Hanes, & Dan Seamans
7 — Pianist Jerry Kuderna lunch concert, noon
9 — India Cooke-Bill Crossman Duo, improv and compositions for violin and piano
12 — Poetry reading Peter Dale Scott, Chana Bloch, Diana O'Hehir, Sandra Gilbert, 7:30pm
13 — Luciano Chessa
14 — Kuderna lunch concert, noon
14 — Berkeley CO and War Resisters Film Night, 7:30pm
15 — Jerry Kuderna, piano and Anna Carole Dudley
19 — Dean Santomieri, multimedia with Julie Oxendale
21 — Kuderna lunch concert, noon
21 — Steve Adams-John Hanes ambient duo with video projections
25 — Graham Connah's "Ted 'Lachrymose' Brinkley's Horrnblower Cruise" big band and glee club
26 — Sarah Wilson Quintet with John Schott, Sheldon Brown, Jordan Glenn and Lisa Mezzacappa
27 — The D'Armous Boone Experience
28 — Kuderna lunch concert, noon
28 — Phillip Greenlief's Citti di vitti with John Hanes and Lisa Mezzacappa
30 — Dan Ploney's Daniel Popsickle, 7pm
31 — Arnie Passman's Take Back Gandhi's 9/11

All events at 8 pm unless noted otherwise.
Location: Judah L. Magnes Museum, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley CA

Visit the Claremont Hotel Club & Spa and experience all that Berkeley has to offer!