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.

more details from the Paramount Theater

Here's another detail from that deco palace, the Paramount Theater.  I like these shots in black and white.  Somehow, they seem to fit the era better.  The nymph on the ram is in silver foil.  The ceiling light is frosted glass that gives it that Lalique look.  For more black and white photos, visit The Weekend in Black and White.

deco detail

Stair banister in Oakland's art deco Paramount Theater.  All the original metal details in this restored theater are made of aluminum.  Submitted to Weekend Reflections and Black and White Weekend.

muffler art

Now that the election season is over, time for a little comic relief.  This is one of several figures in front of a local muffler shop at 65th St. and Shattuck Ave. in North Oakland near the Berkeley border.  I especially like the dog.

laundry day

Here's one way to get all your stuff to the neighborhood laundromat.  Spotted at International and 45th Ave.

Weekend Reflection: Veterans Memorial Building

I'm still traveling so this is from the archives.  Once more around the lake, my friends.  The white building is the Veterans Memorial Building, built in the 1930s, at the NE end of the Lake Merritt in the Adams Point neighborhood.  To the building's left is the narrow, little park I showed you where Glen Echo Creek runs above ground for a couple of blocks.  Hard to believe, right?  Especially since traffic zooms around this area like crazy.  The VM is now primarily a meeting place for various community groups, including the American Legion, a dance studio, and a senior center.  It also has an auditorium that is occasionally used for performances.  The most recent has been Battle of the Salsa Bands 2.  Rumor has it that the Grateful Dead had a concert here early in its career.  Visit Weekend Reflections for interesting photos from around the world.  I'm also linking to Monochrome Weekend for the first time.