Haas students have to perform a certain number of hours of community service in order to earn their MBAs. This is an excellent idea, but there's some debate about whether these hours can be earned vicariously through partners.
These were my thoughts as Dana and I met with Cycles for Change, a co-operative bike shop where velocipedes can be bought, earned through community service, done up, taken on field trips...pretty much anything you can think of if two wheels are involved. A call went out at the business school for someone to write them a website, and we (were) volunteered.
The bike shop is great, a real community place where kids and adults can develop skills and have fun. It's positioned on The Alameda - a 2,500 acre ex-naval base jutting out into the Bay, next to Oakland. The military buildings and hangars are still there, and while many stand empty a number are used as social housing, for projects such as Cycles, and for the odd business.
Our meeting there finished with the magic words "have you been to the vodka distillery at the end of our road?" Five minutes later we were in a tasting room, being offered one sample for free or ten for $10. For some reason we were sensible, but we'll be back and in greater numbers. Maybe a bicycle will be the best form of transport after that.
Across The Alameda to SF. This place is big!
So why not put a distillery here?
The hangar-now-vodka-place that used to house a squadron of A6 E Intruders known as The Firebirds.
My kind of establishment.
Yes, it really is a hangar with a distillery in it.
And they make lots of tasty treats.
Dana samples their Aqua Perfecta Pear Liqueur, which was dangerously delicious.
I went for Qi Black Tea. Mmmm, interesting nose...
