Monday mural: ladies smoking room

This is the ladies smoking room at the deco Paramount Theater.  Pretty dramatic, no?

Weekend Reflection: powder room at the Paramount

This powder room at the Paramount Theater was restored to its exact, original appearance.  The guy who did the upholstery enlarged photos of the period to count the number of nail heads the chairs had!  The draperies reflected in the mirror were replicated from a reflection in an old photo.  The restorers attention to detail is beyond remarkable.  Can't you imagine Ginger Rogers here dabbing on her lipstick?  For even more reflections, visit James' meme Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: church sign

The neon tubes on this sign look in tact, but I've never seen this sign lit.  Located on Telegraph Avenue in North Oakland.  You can see the sky remains blue and clear.  In the afternoon, people are walking around in shirt sleeves.  When the sun sets, the cold sets in.  This fair weather is predicted to last another week.  I'll take it.  For more sky shots from around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: B is for bay view

One of the many pleasures of living around the Bay is our fabulous bay views.  This one is from Mt. View Cemetery.  The weather has been practically balmy this past week.  It feels like spring.  But we know better.  Rain and frost are just around the corner.  Who cares.  Sitting out in the sun for lunch in January is its own reward.  For more "B" photos, visit ABC Wednesday and see the many offerings for this week.

roof decoration

A roof detail on Ivy Hill.

Monday mural: happiness and suffering

While exploring Ivy Hill, I spied a mural on a garage door.  It seems to express a personal story of memory and loss.

Weekend Reflection: Walker's Cement

The Walker's Concrete plant was posted earlier.  Here is another shot of the grounds.  I think the water is from a recent rain.  For more reflections, visit Weekend Reflections, a meme that always yields interesting photos.

antique projectors at the Paramount

Another shot from a walking tour of the Paramount Theater, an unparalleled deco building.  These projectors still work and are used in other old theaters in California.

ABC Wednesday: A is for Amtrak

The Oakland Amtrak station is located at one end of Jack London Square.  From here you can catch a train to Sacramento and LA.  This side of the Amtrak train station faces the tracks.  The reflection includes the pedestrian bridge across the tracks.  California is now piloting a TGV to LA via the Central Valley.  Given the questionable financial projections for both funding and ridership, file this notion under wishful thinking.  For more "A" photos, visit ABC Wednesday.

seeing the past, present, and future

It's amazing how many "psychic readers" have storefronts in Oakland.  Who goes to these folks?  This advisor is on Park Blvd.  But I see them all over Oakland along with the ubiquitous nail shops.

Monday mural: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Park Blvd. entrance to Oakland High (not to be confused with Oakland Tech) is faced with murals of Nobel Peace Prize winners.  This section is posted in memory of Dr. King in honor of his birthday.

Weekend Reflection: tiled entry

A wonderful old apartment building in East Oakland.  The entry of this building is decorated with vintage California tiles, many of which were manufactured in the Bay Area,  This building is located at about 7th Ave., E. 24th St. and Ivy.  The reflection was an added bonus.  For other reflective photos, visit Weekend Reflections, a creative meme with many participants.

artists live here

Driving around East Oakland I came upon this nifty building which had been retrofitted and then adorned with glass mosaics.  You could just tell that this is/was an artist studio.  No signs identified the tenants, but I heard bongos being played inside.  Below is a detail of one of the mosaics.  Found at 24th Street and 8th Avenue near Park Blvd.

Cool, no?

ABC Wednesday: Z is for zoot suit

With a reet pleat?  Siegel's is a tuxedo rental store on Grand Avenue.  Turns out they make custom zoot suits too.  Probably for those who are into swing dancing, which is big on the west coast.  Pretty snappy, wouldn't you say?  For more Z photos, check out ABC Wednesday.  The alphabet starts all over again next week.  Woohoo.

Montclair fire station

This Storybook style fire station was designed by Julia Morgan, who is most famously known as the architect of Hearst Castle.  It is situated in Montclair Village, a small neighborhood above Highway 13 in the Oakland Hills.  Subsequent to the 1989 earthquake, the firehouse was closed due to needed retrofitting and remains closed today.  Belongs in Hansel and Gretel, don't you think?

Monday mural: Ganesha in West Oakland

This mural by Desi, is the companion piece to Buddha posted last year.  They are found on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.

Skywatch Friday: Lonestar Industries

Cold but sunny for several days.  Lonestar Industries in West Oakland is (or is it was?) a cement factory next to Walker's Concrete, which was posted last week.  Just off Mandela Parkway, this imposing structure seems to be an icon of our industrial past.  Not something I'd want in my immediate neighborhood, but the lost jobs it represents is sad to see.  For other skywatch photos from around the globe, visit Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: Y is for Yoshi's

Yoshi's has a long East Bay history.  It is a jazz and blues club now located at Jack London Square.  There is also a venue now in San Francisco.  Visit ABC Wednesday for more Y photos around the world.  One more week and the alphabet starts again.  Won't you join us next time around?

George & Walt's

An old time bar at the top of College Avenue.

Monday mural: life in space

Here is another mural at the metal recycling yard in West Oakland featured in the post of the mermaid mural.  Also by Bode, Eya, Marley and Toad.  Note the recycling symbol on her helmet and her sad face as she contemplates the earth in her hand.  Oakland has a comprehensive residential recycling program that significantly reduces the amount of refuse that goes into the landfill.  But the dangerous runoff that ends up in the bay is an ongoing worry.  Metal recyclers have been cited for violations of excess runoff of aluminum, lead, zinc, copper, nickel, iron, oil and grease.  All of this also affects the health of those who live in the area.  Maybe that's why she looks so sad.  Even best intentions can have unhealthy consequences.

Theme Day: photo of the year 2010

I don't know if this photo is my best of the year, but it is the one that received the most comments.  Taken in March and published in May, it is a night photo at Lake Merritt, considered the Jewel of Oakland.  The white building is the Veteran's Memorial Building.  The Necklace of Lights circles the lake.  It was installed in the 1920s and was restored in the 1980s.

Submitted to CDP's Theme Day (Click here to view thumbnails for all participants), Weekend Reflections, and Black and White Weekend.  Visit these memes and enjoy all these photos from around the world.  Happy New Year to you all.