I wonder sometimes if I wouldn’t be ten pounds lighter if I didn’t work on Solano Avenue with all the fabulous restaurants and gourmet offerings resplendent along this wonderful Berkeley street.  While in my sublime food coma, it is easy to forget that there’s more to this area than restaurants and shops.  A visit to the Berkeley Path Wanderers website might just be the encouragement I need to walk off some of those excess calories.  The site offers maps and pictures of verdant pathways beyond Solano’s restaurant row and up into the hills.  You can buy a map, donate to path restoration, or just surf the blog.

As a lover of all things real estate, these paths deliver picturesque walks into neighborhoods beyond my own.  One of my favorites, Indian Rock Path, starts at the top of Solano Avenue and climbs gently to the top of Indian rock.  This rock is a favorite for climbing enthusiasts that want to increase their upper body strength by scurrying up its face.  But don’t be intimidated–if you head up the back of the rock, there are carved steps and a gentler grade that still rewards you with a spectacular Golden Gate Bridge View.

If you visit Berkeley Hills Realty’s listing at 855 Colusa this Sunday, don’t get wooed by its ‘latte factor’ alone.  It is just a block away from a stroll into the hills amid the treasures of our Berkeley paths.