EAST BAY INSOMNIAC

JULIANNA THE PSYCHIC 

San Pablo Ave @ Solano, Albany • 558-6900

OPEN UNTIL: 1AM (”Walk-ins welcome!”)

PARKING: street

NOTE: I need to get a picture of the real sign. It’s above a nail shop I think. All I could really find on her was a “flagged-for-removal” posting on Craigslist in which the cached page mentioned a “gift from God” and an “85%-90% reading accuracy.” I wonder how she measures it?

ALBANY FORD

718 San Pablo Ave, Albany • 528-1244

OPEN UNTIL: 12AM (Mon-Fri)

I don’t know much about this repair shop. There’s one 1-star review on yelp. There’s an old consumer report-style critique here. I drive by Albany Ford pretty often, and it’s hard to miss the giant “Open ’til Midnight” signage. I’m putting it the “CRISIS” category, since ostensibly they’ll repair your car ’til midnight. When I first started this site in 2003, it seemed unlikely that people would have access to the Internet during an automotive emergency. But of course, all that has changed. Maybe this will help somebody.

KINGMAN’S IVY ROOM

860 San Pablo Ave @Solano, Albany • 526-5888

I haven’t been here since it was reinvented, so I’m quoting the following Yelp reviews. Apparently, there is no more live music, no cover charge, no beer on tap and better restrooms. A sampling:

• “I’m sorry, but I loved the original Ivy.  This one bites.” 
• “The place is excellent, and it’s nice to not have to go to SF for a decent bar.”
• “I miss the shuffle board, and the sticky floors, and the jazz band that played in the other room.”
• “A PIER 1 IMPORTS WITH A BAR.”
• “They know how to make Mojitos and Martinis… they have an entire Martini menu…”

Perhaps “Sophia C.” sums it up best: “In order to appreciate the new Ivy Room, you can’t compare it to the old–the two are like night and day.  The only recognizable remnant of the old Ivy Room is the sign outside.  Old clientele will be disappointed by the change and will probably never set foot in the new version, except maybe to use the (clean) restroom.”

OPEN UNTIL: 2AM

PARKING: street

WEBSITE (splash page): Kingman’s Cocktails

REVIEWS:

The Ivy Room past and present…

STOGIE’S SMOKE SHOP & HOOKAH HUT

3288 Pierce St., Albany (inside the Pacific East Mall) • 558-1510

FEATURES:

• hookah rentals & bar
• billiards room
• big screen TV
• Middle-Eastern and hip-hop music
• complete headshop: bongs, pipes, papers, etc. available ’til 1AM! (see picture below)
• domestic & imported cigars and cigarettes (smoking allowed)

From their website: A hookah is a Middle Eastern water pipe fueled by a variety of fruit flavored molasses. There are no chemicals or drugs added, and what’s more, the water filters out all but 1% of the nicotine normally inhaled from an entire pack of cigarettes. Voted “Mellowest Smoke Shop of 2005” by The East Bay Express.

AVAILABLE FLAVORS: apple, apricot, banana, bubblegum, cherry, grape, jasmine, lemon, licorice, mango, melon, mint, orange, peach, rose, and strawberry, as well as our own “exotic house blends”

PRICES:

• $10/person Sunday - Thursday (includes hookah rental, DJ and pool)
• $15/person Friday - Saturday (includes hookah rental, DJ and pool)
• just hookah rental:  $10.00 minimum for 1-2 smokers, and $5.00 for each additional smoker after that; cover charge is waived
• just pool tables:  $10.00/hour; cover charge is waived

OPEN UNTIL: 1AM (Thurs-Sat) • 9PM (Sun-Wed)

PARKING: lot

THE EBI REVIEW:

Without sounding politically incorrect, Asians know how to get down after dark. Witness the Koryo strip-mall where one can partake of sushi, BBQ, computers and karaoke past 2AM. I thought that was pretty spectacular until one day I strayed beyond the Pearl Tea and Engrish stationery of the Pacific East Mall to the corridors that went from Hello Kitty to Hello Kind Bud. OK, minor exaggeration. There’s no cannabis co-op at the P.E.M. (yet), but if you’re a card-carrying member (or not), you can get all your smoking supplies at Stogie’s Smoke Shop.

I’ve been looking for something just like this place. Stogie’s is the epitomy of East Bay Insomniac, really. I’m holding it in that high a regard. Those Yelp reviewers can be a bit harsh, and I’ll address their allegations shortly. But honestly, not even on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley can you buy a bong (er, tobacco water pipe) at 1AM. Even non-smokers have got to appreciate that.

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7-ELEVEN

1501 University & 2601 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley

1540 Solano, Albany

4100 Broadway, Oakland

Really, they’re everywhere. See the Store Locator below.

FEATURES:

• limited groceries
• liquor
• energy drinks
• sundries
• Slurpies (see also: Slushies, Icees)
• lotto

OPEN UNTIL: 12AM (Berkeley), possibly 24 Hours in other locations

PARKING: lot

7-ELEVEN store locator

THE EBI REVIEW: Whenever I go into a 7-Eleven, I feel like a criminal. Which is to say that despite knowing otherwise, I imagine I’m going to experience a taser-like jolt and ear-shattering alarm leaving through the door because unbeknownst to me, I’ve stuffed a Red Bull in my cargo pocket. This is how they treat me there. I can’t imagine it’s any better if you’re say, black, or a college student, or well, dude, if you’re both, just go to Safeway.

FURTHER REVIEWS (that are really unnecessary):

• “smells like pee”
• “You can’t beat Seven Eleven for nachos and Big Gulps and candy.”
• “FIX THE DIET PEPSI”

NEED GROCERIES? DON’T LEAVE THE HOUSE! (I TRY NOT TO):