Weekend Reflection: shiny rims

Tire Sales & Service is located on West MacArthur Blvd. and Market St.  When I drove by the other day I was dazzled by their display of wheel rims and couldn't help but think "reflections!".  Went back today to capture a few.  It was really interesting looking at all the choices and the guys that work there are really friendly.  For more reflections visit James' meme Weekend Reflections.

Skywatch Friday: BART on the go

It's a little hard to tell whether this BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) train is coming or going.  That's because the end cars on each train are identical.  In this shot the train is rushing towards the pole and is heading south to Hayward.  This entire weekend is supposed to have blue skies.  Please, please let that be true.  Check in with Skywatch Friday for more sky views.

ABC Wednesday: O is for Old Oakland

Old Oakland is a preserved block of buildings that dates from about 1860 and represents the city's original downtown.  It now is home to several popular restaurants and some retail outlets.  Despite the beautiful renovation of this area, there are still many empty storefronts and a lack of foot traffic.  Visit ABC Wednesday for more Os.

Financial Center building

This 15-story building is located in downtown Oakland on 14th Street and Franklin.  It was completed in 1929 and most websites describe it as art deco.  While the overall structure has a deco profile, much of the ornamentation looks to me to be more Beaux-Arts style.  But, then, what do I know?  Either way, you can't help but like the rams with their golden horns.

the Print Shop

When I saw this sign I thought I had fallen into a time warp.  Doesn't this shout 1960s to you?  The amazing thing is that the business is still there.  This sign is located on San Pablo Avenue and about 27th Street.  I worked very near here for years and never saw it before.  As the razor wire indicates, this an edgy neighborhood, especially at night.  Like most of the city, it is also home to families, churches, schools, and businesses that want the best for each other. 

Sunday Bridge Series: High Street Bridge

This is the High Street Bridge, one of three bridges connecting Oakland to the island community of Alameda.  (There's also the Posey Tube that goes under the Estuary to Alameda).  This drawbridge has a similar design to the Park Street Bridge, although it was built four years later (1939).  See other bridge photos, hosted weekly by San Francisco Bay DP.

Skywatch Friday: Port of Oakland

This shot was taken at Shoreline Park where the Estuary meets the Bay.  We're looking southeast, with the Oakland Hills in the far background.  The Port of Oakland is huge.  Larger and larger cranes are being brought in to handle the container traffic.  Last year they brought in the largest crane ever to help lift a piece of the new section (Oakland side) of the Bay Bridge.  This construction is finally replacing the side of the bridge deemed unsafe after the 1989 earthquake.  (Best not to rush into anything, right?).  The latest rain storm has passed and we are expecting a few days of dry, pleasant weather.

ABC Wednesday: N is for Necklace of Lights

Like a string of luminous pearls, the Necklace of Lights encircles the three mile shoreline of Lake Merritt.  Wikipedia reports that the necklace, featuring 126 lampposts and 3,400 bulbs, was first lit in 1925. The lights were turned off during WWII and finally reinstalled in 1985.  It is a pleasant stroll in the evening under the soft lights.  For other contributions to ABC Wednesday, click here.

art at the Oakland airport

 Oakland International Airport travelers arriving at or departing from Gates 26-32 in Terminal 2 will view a stunning 160-foot glass window wall entitled "Going Away, Coming Home" by Oakland artist Hung Liu.  Commissioned in 2006, this work features her signature "drip" technique.  The artist took her inspiration from an antique Chinese screen and successfully creates a feeling of serenity in a busy environment.  The 80 cranes in this installation represent blessings and safe travel.

Oakland's gondola

Hankering for a gondola ride but can't afford a trip to Venice? Hate dealing with exchange rates? Don't want to fight with the mega-crowds of tourists?  Come to Oakland!  Oakland has had an authentic gondola on Lake Merritt since 1999.  Mama mia!

the Ides of April approach

Here is an example of a sign spinner, a common sight in the Bay Area.  They stand on corners usually advertising a sale.  To relieve their boredom they spin the signs in all kinds of acrobatic and clever ways.  This fellow reminds us that our tax returns are due April 15.  Yikes, that's day after tomorrow!
I'll be away for a few days and will resume posting next week.

Vulcan Studios mural

This mural is located inside the property of the Vulcan Studios in East Oakland.  It's pretty amusing if you ask me.  The Vulcan is home to several artists studios, a bicycle repair shop, and a fire dance collective. It is one of the earliest work/live spaces in Oakland.  There's also a Thai restaurant on site.  You can find the Vulcan on San Leandro Blvd. near High Street.  Although this area is highly industrial, and is the corridor for our elevated metro tracks, it still contains a residential neighborhood.  The local elementary school is nearby, as is a Buddhist ashram.

Weekend Reflection: Lake Merritt at night

This is another night shot of Lake Merritt.  This was taken on Lakeside Drive near Grand Avenue.  The brick building on the left is St. Paul's Episcopal Church.  This photo gives one a greater idea of what the lovely Necklace of Lights, which encircles the lake, looks like.  The Fairyland sign indicates the entrance is just over that hillock.  Generations of Oakland children have loved this special park on the shores of the lake.  This photo is submitted to James' Weekend Reflections.  Visit his meme for more reflections taken world wide.

Skywatch Friday: the sentinels of the court

For some reason there are palm trees dotting much of Oakland.  These palms mark the entrance to Pleasant Valley Court near Piedmont Avenue and the Mt. View Cemetery.  There is only one way in, so car traffic is only from residents and their visitors.  It's a sweet, quiet enclave with Arts and Crafts houses and 1920s and 1930s stucco faced bungalows.  They're lucky to live there, just a quick walk to the lively Piedmont Avenue shopping district.  You can see we're still enjoying fair weather.  For other Skywatch views from around the world, click here.

another Victorian era home

Another well preserved Italianate home in the San Antonio district of East Oakland on East 17th Street.  As I drive around the neighborhood, I'm astonished at the number of Victorian era structures still in use.  Although once a large family home, this one is now divided up into seven apartments.  I think the wrought iron fence is original to the property circa 1880, as is the giant magnolia tree that shades the south side of the house.  Isn't it graceful looking?

the other Oakland lake

This is Lake Temescal, located at the junction of Highway 13 and Broadway Terrace.  It is 10 acres in size and stocked with trout and other species for fishing with a permit.  The fish were biting too.  There is a beach for sun bathing and swimming is allowed in summer.  Yesterday lots of people were there fishing, walking, running, and generally enjoying the fair weather.  There was a surprisingly large gathering of nannies and their small charges near the play structure.  The homes in the surrounding area were devastated by the 1991 Firestorm but the lake seems to have been spared.  Until 1957 a train ran from here to downtown San Francisco across the Bay Bridge.  We'd give anything to have that train back.

Mills College allee

This allee is tucked away in a corner of the Mills College campus behind their art department.  The trees are getting ready to leaf out.  I imagine they will provide pleasant shade as the weather warms.  It's nice to have little places of solitude to escape to.

West Oakland sculpture

Oakland has a vibrant arts scene.  This giant sculpture can be found at 20th St. and Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.  It is probably 10 feet long and 7 feet high made of found industrial parts.  The studio is housed in an old warehouse with no identifying name.  Across the street are two 15 foot high standingfigures in the same style.

Theme Day: Red

At the end of Shoreline Park is a short pier jutting out into the bay. It seems to have been designed specifically for fishing.  This photo was taken from that spot yesterday.  This is the Oakland Bay Bridge, built in less that 4 years and inaugurated in 1936.  It is a double deck bridge with SF bound traffic on the top level.  The better known Golden Gate Bridge was completed seven months later.  Both are engineering marvels.  A fascinating account of the construction of both bridges can be found in High Steel published in 1979.  For more theme day photos Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Grand Lake Theater

The sign mounted on top of the Grand Lake Theater is the largest rotary contact sign west of the Mississippi River. It measures 52 feet high by 72 feet wide and consists of 2,800 colored bulbs and was designed by Theodore Wetteland. The firing sequence is controlled by a device much like a music box. The sign is typically lit Friday and Saturday, from dusk until the start of the last show of the night.  The display goes through two sequences, one with red lettering, and includes a simulation of fireworks.  It's an eye catching display, to be sure.

Oakland totem pole

This totem pole is located at Lake Merritt. It is one of many interesting sights and activities that are housed along the three miles of shoreline.

the Park Street bridge

The Park Street bridge which links Oakland to Alameda.  View other Sunday bridge photos at San Francisco Daily Photo.

Weekend Reflection: Lake Merritt at night

An evening shot of the Lake Merritt pergola.  Same location as last week's Reflection.  For more Weekend Reflections, click here.

Skywatch Friday: fine weather for bowling

On Beacon Street just south of the Lake. This area is full of lovely, old apartment buildings from the 20s and 30s.  This apartment sign meant something special to the landlord, but the meaning is now lost.  I love old cast iron figures.  You can see behind the bowler that the sun is shining.  The fair weather has returned just in time for the Oakland Marathon on Sunday. To check out other Skywatch offerings, click here.

Grand Avenue church

This Seventh-day Adventist church is located on Grand Avenue very near the Lake.  I could find no information about when the church was built.  I liked the shadows cast by the afternoon sun.

when buildings were billboards

Spotted on Broadway near 20th Street.  This building has a minimum of three different advertisements on it. In January Sydney Eye did a cool series on these kinds of ads.  They are like portals to the past.  These will be completely obscured when the trees leaf out.

Fairfax Avenue church

In the 30s and 40s many Oakland neighborhoods had their own small movie theater.  Over time, the movie distribution business changed and big multiplexes became the way to go.  There are only a couple of small movie houses left in Oakland.  So what happens to good, unused buildings?  They turn into grocery stores, other retail shops, and churches.  This one is located in East Oakland on Foothill Blvd. and Fairfax Avenue.  You can see where the light bulbs used to be in this marquee.  East Oakland has many storefront churches.  In fact, this block alone has three.

Weekend Reflection: Lake Merritt's pergola

It was such a fine day yesterday that like hundreds of other Oaklanders, I was drawn to the Lake.  This portal and pergola are at its eastern edge near the Grand Lake Theater.  I think boats used to dock here, hence the nearby street's name of El Embarcadero.  The landscaping around the lake is being upgraded so they've recently laid new sod in this area.  Lots of people were sitting outside catching the rays.  For other Weekend Reflections, please click here.

Skywatch Friday: touring Lake Merritt

Spring is in the air. With no rain and shirt sleeve weather, we are definitely happy campers.  While walking around the lake today, I spied a Segway tour.  Who knew?  You can also see that there isn't a cloud in the sky.  For other Skywatch Friday photos, click here.

Sage Motel

I've always liked this old sign.  It's on MacArthur Blvd. just on the other side of the freeway from Mills College.  Back in the day, MacArthur was a main thoroughfare through town and there are still lots of old motels along it.  Most seem to be residence motels now.  I imagine some even rent rooms by the hour, if you get my drift.  It's a modern miracle that signs like this have survived and are still in working order.

Mills College campanile

 This bell tower was designed by Julia Morgan in 1904.  It is the first reinforced concrete structure built west of the Mississippi.  It sits on the 135 acre campus of Mills College, the oldest women's college west of the Rockies, and a true oasis in its urban setting.  This campus is located in the middle of Oakland, bordered on the east by the 580 freeway.  It is a verdant setting full of redwoods, eucalyptus, pine, and laurel trees.  Lion creek runs through the campus on its way to the bay.  Many of the buildings are in the Spanish style with stucco walls, terra cotta tiled roofs, and wrought iron accents.  The art museum is open free to the public.

St. James the Apostle

St. James the Apostle is an Episcopal church founded in 1858 by the first Episcopal bishop of California.  The building may be the original on the site here in the San Antonio district and is old by Bay Area standards.  It's one of two churches in the neighborhood with tall steeples.  Masses are still offered three times on Sunday, one in Spanish. 

another Oakland Victorian

This large Victorian Italianate building still holds court on International Blvd. and 13th Avenue.  This style was popular between the 1860s through the 1890s.  It's hard to tell whether or not this was originally a single family dwelling.  It now functions as a retail store with apartments above.  If you look carefully, you can see a little boy looking out the corner window.  This is one of hundreds of Victorian era structures still in use in Oakland.

Weekend Reflection: grain elevators in Oakland?

Almost, but not quite.  This is the ConAgra flour making plant situated on the Estuary near the Park Street Bridge.  One of several industries still located on the Estuary.  The area is slowly being transformed by the condos that are being built along the water.  This view is looking northwest towards Jack London Square and a more formal marina.  For other Weekend Reflections, click here.

Skywatch Friday: tree silhouette

 It's been raining all day and this evening the weather is finally breaking up.  Click here for Skywatch photos from around the world.

Theme Day: The Tenin Technique

We don't have the Eiffel Tower but we do have the Tribune Tower.  It is shown here in homage to Eric Tenin of Paris Daily Photo.  He is known for shooting objects on the diagonal and for placing his camera on the ground.  As others have noted, it was 5 years ago today that Eric started posting daily photos of his beautiful city.  The concept captured people's imagination and the City Daily Photo community began.  Today more than 1100 bloggers post daily photos of their city.  Why not join us?   Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Corinthians Baptist Church

This Baptist church occupies the former original Greek Orthodox church that was on the site from 1921 to 1960.  This graceful structure located on Castro Street on the edge of downtown Oakland now faces the 980 freeway.

Buddha in West Oakland

This and an accompanying mural are found on Mandala Parkway and 20th Street.  It was designed by Desi, an Oakland street artist, as part of a summer program with West Oakland youth.  It is not readily apparent, but the "canvas" is an old railroad car placed on railroad ties.  I understand this is not everyone's cup of tea but it is something to consider.  You may argue whether or not it's art, but I don't think of it as a blight like tagging.

Grand Lake Theater

The Grand Lake Theater has been located on Grand Avenue since 1926.  Over time it has developed into a small multiplex and also houses a display of antique projection equipment.  Two days a week they turn on the big rooftop sign made of hundreds of light bulbs, the largest west of the Mississippi.  (A photo of this sign will be featured in a later post).  Mondays through Thursdays they offer discounted tickets and free popcorn!

Weekend Reflection: two Oakland bridges

A view of the Fruitvale Bridge from the Park Street Bridge.  As you can see, the Estuary still has some industry along its shore.  But the water is always beautiful to look at.  For more Weekend Reflections, click here.

Skywatch Friday: flying Desotos

This photo is brought to you courtesy of those wacky guys at Automania.  I'm pretty sure they're all Desotos parked in a row eight feet above the sidewalk.  This partially blue sky was around earlier in the day; but it's now gray and threatening rain.  So it seems to go recently.  We still need the rain, so I'm not complaining.  For more (and better) Skywatch photos, click here.

Smitty's

Smitty's is an old time watering hole on Grand Avenue just east of Lake Merritt.  It has always drawn a wide age range of clients.  This is the place if you like a good game of bar shuffleboard.

 Hope to post other old neon signs over the next several weeks.

March Theme Day: Passageways

 Passage under the freeway in Jingletown.  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Weekend Reflection: Park Street Bridge to Oakland

It had been pouring rain for a few hours and then suddenly it stopped.  This puddle on the bridge's pedestrian path reflects the still cloudy sky and the iron structure of this drawbridge.  Built in 1935, it is one of the four bridges that crosses the Estuary and connects Alameda to Oakland.  For more worldwide Weekend Reflections, click here.

Skywatch Friday: Oakland's Greyhound Bus Station

The Greyhound Station is located at 22nd St. and San Pablo Avenue.  This is an edgy neighborhood that is on the cusp of being transformed by the new condos in the area.  Still, a security guard meets everyone at the entrance to the waiting room (under the blue dome).  I think this station was built in the 30s, but there is no vestige of the deco era either inside or out.  For more Skywatch Friday photos, click here.

Esther's Orbit Room

Esther's was one of the West Coast equivalents to New York's Lenox Lounge (see Ken Mac's post).   However, Esther's story has a sadder ending.  The Orbit Room was part of a thriving West Oakland 7th St. music scene in the 50s and 60s.  Like the Lenox,  Esther's hosted big blues and R and B acts including Aretha, BB King, and Etta James.  But the forces of urban renewal had a huge negative impact on Esther's business.  The building of the vast complex of the Post Office distribution center across the street and then the West Oakland BART station made the noise level too high for performers to compete with.  The 18-wheelers and BART trains literally shook the building.  The Orbit Room stayed open for years as a local bar and restaurant with a great jukebox selection, but finally closed its doors last fall after 51 years.  The Oakland live blues scene has pretty much evaporated except for some acts at Yoshi's jazz club.

coffee and billiards

Spotted on International near 13th Avenue.  An amusing combination, to say the least.  What's next?  Perhaps "Donuts and Tattoos."  Your suggestions?