Weekend Reflection: vintage car

From July's vintage car show at Giant 1/4 lb. Burger on Telegraph Avenue. For more reflections, visit James's entertaining meme Weekend Reflections.

I'll be out of town for a week, so the next few posts are brought to you via autopost.

El Taco Bike

El Taco Bike is the street eats version of La Calle restaurant.  He's cleverly figured out how to get a steam tray kitchen, a drinks cooler, a condiments rack, and a trash can on a bike he can actually pedal.  The Lucha Libre mask is an added bonus.  The food always smells wonderful and the lines are steady wherever he shows up.

ABC Wednesday: B is for Bites on Broadway

Every Friday evening food trucks gathered at Broadway and 45th St. to offer their goodies for sale.  The organizer wanted to do something to foster a greater sense of community and bring traffic up to this end of Broadway.  She provided picnic blankets, hula hoops and bean bag toss games, and plenty of trash and recycle cans.  The turnout has been good and the vibe mellow.  Until someone complained.  The police came and shut down the operation.  The promoter stayed positive, negotiated with the city, found a new location further down 45th, and renamed the event Bites Off Broadway.  The first Friday at the new location they had 300+ people show up.  Fingers crossed it continues to prosper.  For more "B" pictures, visit ABC Wednesday.

Monday mural: hidden from view

Artist Lisa Pisa let me know about this most recent addition to the Oakland Wall of Fame that she did with Paolo Salazar, Brian Swimme, and Dennis Osborne.  Truth be told, I didn't know about the Wall of Fame until she educated me.  Located on the walls of a storage unit company, the works cannot be seen from the street.  The amount and variety of art is stunning and some date back to the mid-80s.  Lisa says she does not usually work with spray cans and enjoyed the opportunity to work with the other artists in this medium.  I appreciated learning about this fantastic plein air exhibit and seeing the works for myself.  Over time I'll post more of the photos I took.

Weekend Reflection: shop window

This shop on College Avenue was new to me.  I was sure the shabby chic look would die out in a few years.  Boy, was I wrong.  I like the window display much better than the reflection, but sometimes it's like that.  At least you can see the blue sky in the window(s).  For more reflections, visit James's Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: Oakland hills

After the 1991 Firestorm that destroyed 3000 homes in the Oakland-Berkeley hills, most people elected to rebuild.  Many built McMansions on lots that had previously held more modest size homes.  These neighborhoods were typically obscured by stands of tall trees that are only now returning to maturity.  A drive through this area was accompanied by clear blue skies perfect for Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday: A is for amphitheater

It is said that Morcom Rose Garden is on the site of an old quarry.  There is a small amphitheater in the rose garden that is popular for weddings.  During the week nearby office workers come here to eat lunch.  There's a stepped brook that falls from the top to a pool below.  Community volunteers come weekly to prune the roses and maintain the garden.  For more takes on "A", visit ABC Wednesday.

fire circus

Saturday we went to the Fire Circus at the Crucible in West Oakland.  The Lucent Dossier Experience was performing.  Think Cirque du Soleil meets pyromania.  It was odd, bizarre, and exciting to watch, especially with explosions of fire coming at you from every direction.  Ringling Bros. would not know what to make of it.

Monday mural: Infinite potential

Here's an older mural located just off Telegraph Avenue in Uptown.  This is a work from the Community Rejuvenation Project which sponsors murals around town and involves local youth in creating them.

Weekend Reflection: Federal building

Here we see one tower of the Federal Building reflected in an office building downtown.  The sunny sky is courtesy of last week's weather.  Submitted to James' Weekend Reflections and Jan's SOOC Sunday.

past and present

Can you guess what business was in this building?  Yep, a bar.  The porthole windows and diamond glass in the door guarantee it.  The colored tiles are icing on the cake.  Probably dating from the 30s, this design can be found all around the Bay Area.  The bar is gone and in its place is a pottery studio.  This neighborhood is working hard to recreate itself into an arts district.  Young hipsters have moved in for the cheap rents, coffee shops have opened, and artist studios are now popping up.  It's a good thing.

ABC Wednesday: Z is for zany

I read on Streetcolor's blog that she had yarnbombed an Oakland Library.  Naturally I ran down to get a picture of it before it was taken down.  Check out her blog for other efforts.  Yarnbombing is such a whimsical and zany activity, that it's hard to imagine that folks would take exception to it.  But it happens.  Last year another group yarnbombed the T in the There sculpture on the Oakland-Berkeley line.  City officials initially protested and then backed off, probably realizing they came across as stiff-necked, humorless, bean counters.  I don't know where or when yarnbombing started, but I do remember a post by Steffe last year, which raises the possibility this activity started in Sweden!  Visit ABC Wednesday for more takes on Z.  Next week we start again with A.

yarn and fiber festival

There was a small fiber arts festival near the Lake on Sunday.  The yarn offerings were beautiful.  I was surprised to see so many vendors offering alpaca yarn from alpacas they were raising.  But these yarns are so much more colorful.  The suitcases makes packing out a simple proposition.

Monday mural: El ojo de agua

Taco trucks abound in Oakland and everyone has their favorite.  Not only are they rolling kitchens, they sometimes are rolling murals.  A moveable (visual) feast.

Weekend Reflection: varied building styles

At least a half block is reflected in these windows downtown at 14th Street and Broadway.  Submitted to both Weekend Reflections and SOOC Sunday.

Skywatch Friday: oculus

This oculus in the Lionel Wilson Building shows the blue skies we still enjoy, even though the weather has gotten cooler.  For more sky scenes, visit Skywatch Friday.

Lionel Wilson building

This graceful building anchors the City Hall plaza downtown and is part of the City Center complex.  It is named after former mayor, Lionel Wilson, the first African-American mayor of Oakland.

ABC Wednesday: Y is for yellow

At the Lake Merritt pergola late afternoon on July 4.  The yellowish tone on the columns and ground reflect the warm sun starting to set in the west.  We're having warmer than normal weather which we're all loving after a rainy spring.  For more "Y" photos, visit Mrs. Nesbitt's meme ABC Wednesday.

City Hall

Our City Hall on Independence Day.  Downtown is pretty empty on a holiday.  There were no parades or fireworks this year due to severe budget constraints.  And in your town?

Monday mural: Temescal Creek

This large mural project is expected to be completed by mid-July in time for the Temescal Street Fair.  The mural celebrates Temescal Creek that now flows under the city streets.  It's size and colorful graphics perk up the immediate area and tone down the massive "concreteness" of the freeway.  It's progress has been noted here and here.

Theme Day: Green

This month's theme for City Daily Photo is "green."  I found this wonderful deco tiled facade when I accidentally looked up.  Nothing else about the building indicates it's era.  Our skies are cloudless today after an inch of rain on Tuesday.  We're now in for a heat wave.  Go figure.  For more Theme Day photos Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.  To view the skies around the world, check out Skywatch Friday.