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.

Skywatch Friday: Walker's Concrete

Found on Peralta near Mandela Parkway a block from Monday's mermaid mural.  This uber-industrial  form is hard to ignore.  Looks like something out of Mad Max.  Can't tell if this plant is still in operation or not.  Visit Skywatch Friday for sky shots from around the world.

comorants on display

Lake Merritt is a stop on the bird migration pathway.  Comorants love to sit on the lake perches facing the sun at the end of the day.  Yesterday I drove by and the entire lake was covered with all manner of birds.  Phenomenal.

ABC Wednesday: X is for Xmas ornaments

X is the hardest letter in the ABC Wednesday alphabet.  So following the lead of others, I'm going with Xmas.  I love Santa ornaments but waited for the post holiday sales.  Hah!  By the time I got to the store they were already packed away for next season.  Let that be a lesson to me.  Please note the new URL for ABC Wednesday when you visit the meme.

American Steel sculpture

Big Art Studios is located in the old American Steel factory on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland.  It is now home to many different artists.  You may remember a previously posted sculpture earlier in the year from the same studio.  Tash sent me her research results indicating it was made by Das Mann.  Many of his giant sculptures are now in a large yard behind the building.  Spotted this guy last week.  Must be 10-12 feet tall and an attention grabber among the several other giant sculptures on the yard.

Monday mural: mermaids and more

In West Oakland (on Poplar St., I think) is a huge metal recycling yard.  This year they had artists (Bode, Eya, Marley and Toad) paint murals on their block long security wall that faces the street.  Only when you walk to the other side of the street can you see the heavy equipment that moves the metal around.

Weekend Reflections: holiday reflections

Merry Christmas.  Sending best wishes to all of you. Enjoy the photos posted on Weekend Reflections.

holiday decorations at the water

More scenes from Jack London Square.

ABC Wednesday: W is for White Elephant Sale (WES)

It's that time of year again.  The annual WES sale to benefit the Oakland Museum is approaching.  Seventeen departments manned by 1000 volunteers in a 96,000 square foot warehouse.  We sell all manner of fabulous items (at fabulous prices) that have been donated by a generous public.  It's the biggest and best rummage sale in Northern California.  The last Sunday in January is the Preview Sale which charges a fee to shoppers to get the first peek at the offerings of the year.  The first weekend in March is THE big sale that is free to the public.  Checkout the website for all pertinent information about dates, donations and how to buy preview tickets.  If you're in the area, come by and see me in the Linen Department.  Questions?  Email me.  To see other W posts go to ABC Wednesday, a fun meme to visit and participate in.

holiday fantasy

Window display on College Avenue.

Monday mural: our artistic heritage

The 580 freeway underpass on Grand Avenue has a complicated mural dedicated to a history of Oakland artists.  It is too large to photograph in total.  Here I've featured the portion with Jack London over a night scene of Oakland.  Sorry, the mime is unknown to me.  The mural was done in 1984 by Galvez and Sklar with others.  It's situated kitty corner from the previously featured Grand Lake Theater.

Sunday Bridge Series: Glen Echo Creek resurfaces

Here's another pedestrian bridge over Glen Echo Creek on Richmond St.  This one has a pergola covered entrance that looks pretty old.  Several redwoods dot the woodland.  The creek stays above ground for about .3 of a mile in a small valley that opens to a vale before it goes under ground again.  Then out of no where are the support piers for the 580 freeway and we're back in urban civilization.  Taken a few days ago  before the current rain storms.  For more bridge views, visit «Louis'» meme, Sunday Bridges.

Weekend Reflections: shop lights

A shop on College Avenue in the Rockridge neighborhood.  For more reflections, check in with James' Weekend Reflections.

for the birds

Just in case the birds can't find a place to nest?   Spotted in a small grove of redwoods where Glen Echo Creek surfaces on Richmond St.

ABC Wednesday: V is for Vespa

There's a Vespa store on College Avenue in the Rockridge neighborhood.  Every time I drive by they seem to beckon.  They're making them in candy colors now. But I'm holding out for 1950s aqua.  For more "V" posts, check out this week's ABC Wednesday.

Camron-Stanford House

This fine Italianate house is the only remaining private home of many that once dotted the shores of Lake Merritt. The lake is behind the house.  It was built in 1876 by Samuel Merritt and was subsequently owned by a number of other families.  In the early 20th century it became a museum, the first such public museum west of the Mississippi.  By the 1970s it was falling into disrepair and in danger of demolition until a citizens group rallied to save it.  It is now a museum of the victorian home.  It is also available to rent for weddings and other events.

Monday mural: your freedom is in books

Spotted in East Oakland in the San Antonio District.  This mural is on the side of an adult education school on International Blvd.

Sunday Bridge Series: link to the estuary

Lake Merritt is a tidal basin fed by the tides in the estuary.  This water way is the link between the lake and the estuary.  It runs through the community college campus, under the Nimitz freeway, and on to the estuary.  Not exactly a picturesque connection, but a vital one.  Submitted to «Louis'» meme where you will find more bridge photos.

Weekend Reflections: yacht parade

Last Saturday was the 34th annual yacht parade.  This decorated boat at Jack London Square was getting ready to motor out to the Estuary to join about 35 others from various towns around the bay.  Enjoy reflections captured by cameras around the world by visiting James' meme Weekend Reflections.

Storybook style

Picardy Drive is near Mills College and is known for two things---its over the top holiday lights display every Christmas and its architecture. Most of the homes on this street are built in what is called Storybook Style, developed in the early 1920s.  Houses in this style typically have towers, pitched roofs, half timbers in stucco, rounded doorways, and stylized use of brick.  Storybook can be found in two or three small developments and many individual homes around town.  This picture was taken before today's rain storm arrived.

ABC Wednesday: U is for urban scene

The view from Lake Merritt looking east to the hills.  For more "U" shots at ABC Wednesday, click here.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...

Nothing says Christmas quite like a visit from the Empire stormtroopers.  The Children's Parade included a contingent from the 501st Legion and Darth Vader himself.  What's the 501st Legion, you ask?  Check out their website and all will be explained.  Who knew?

holiday events

Saturday was the 11th annual Children's Christmas Parade downtown.  The stars of the show, besides Santa himself, are the Tap Dancing Christmas Trees.  They tap the entire route of the parade from 11th to 20th Street.   Even though they must have been chilled to the bone, they looked like they were having fun.  The gray and cold of the day kind of vanished as they performed.  Hmm, I think I want to be a tapping tree when I grow up.

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.

Skywatch Friday: uh, do not enter?

Don't ask.  I have no idea what this is about except maybe as an exclamation point on a Keep Out warning.  Found on 28th Street in West Oakland.  Submitted to Skywatch Friday where you'll find many other sky shots.

unique living

The old warehouse district next to Jack London Square has been going through gentrification with old factories converting to loft/condos.  New condo buildings also fill the area.  The trend started with Jerry Brown, our former governor, former mayor, and now governor-elect.  Years before he ran for mayor, he converted a warehouse near here into a work-live loft and office for his Presidential campaigns.  He deserves credit for changing the face of Oakland's downtown housing.

Theme Day & ABC Wednesday: time

Time usually marches on but sometimes it stands still.  This relic milk depot is on Foothill Blvd. near 55th Avenue.  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in this month's CDP Theme Day.   At ABC Wednesday T is for time.  You can visit ABC Wednesday to view other T posts.

East Bay Rats

Don't know what would possess a motorcycle club to call itself rats; but there you have it.  Their website doesn't clear up the genesis of the name but indicates they've been around since at least 1997.  Their manifesto says they are dedicated to "riding really (bleeping) fast, drinking beer, eating red meat, and doing extraordinarily stupid things when drunk."  Despite all that testosterone, sounds like they have a sense of humor about themselves.  Spotted on San Pablo Avenue at about 30th Street.

cabin in the woods

While following yesterday's "trail," I came upon this tiny house.  It can't be more than 10 feet wide and maybe 15 feet high.  it looks like it is single wall construction and probably has been here since 1905-1910.   More contemporary houses muscle up to each side of this house.  Oakland used to be a summer rural retreat for San Franciscans due to it's better weather and plentiful redwood and oak forests.  It doesn't take much imagination to believe that this little structure was a getaway cabin back at the turn of the previous century.  Nestled in a little valley, it would have faced the quiet waters of Glen Echo Creek.  Somehow it persisted even as the street changed.  Whoever lives here now values a simple life on a peaceful street, away from the urban roar.