photo by Nora
This look like a scene from South Dakota? Iowa? Kansas? Nope. It’s near downtown Alameda. So many surprises in this city.
bridge up
I don’t particularly enjoy getting caught in my car with one of Alameda’s drawbridges up. Different story when I’m walking. Love it. This view of the Park Street Bridge was taken from the Oak/Clement area.
keeping me entertained
Sometimes I walk around Alameda with my iPod mini. This is the album I’ve been listening to almost exclusively. “The Delivery Man” is a fine offering from Elvis C., who I’ve been listening to since 1980. The man can SING.
in the alameda sun
Julia Park wrote a nice little article about my walking quest in the Alameda Sun. The cutline below the photo is hilarious. It reads: “Jon Gordon: two ski poles and one big dream.” I took a little razzing for that one. Check it out.
If you see him, fear not; he’s not trying to ski his way around town. The man with the determined stride and a pair of hiking poles is Jon Gordon, a man with a plan.
“ While taking a stroll in the East End on Jan. 1, 2006, I had an idea: I’m going to walk the length of every street in Alameda this year,” he wrote on his blog (online Web journal). “Why? To get in shape and to really see all of Alameda in a way you can’t do in a car,” he wrote. He walks at a good pace with rubber- tipped red ski poles. The poles help him keep the pace as well as offering an upper body workout.
bay-eagle garden
This is a lovely community garden for residents of City of Alameda Housing Auhority homes around Eagle and Bay. When I aimed my camera at the garden, a concerned resident asked me what I was doing. She was afraid I was part of some plan to get rid of the garden. I certainly understand her concern. We really need to get behind community gardens and open space, and should fight any threats to it.
water tower?
I see things walking in Alameda that I’d never notice behind the wheel of my car. This structure — a water tower? — is deep inside the block bordered by Calhoun, Regent, Broadway and Washington Way. The photo makes it look like it’s easy to spot, but that’s just the 10X optical zoom talkin’…
eagle avenue building
I ran across this abandoned building on Eagle Avenue at Chapin on a recent walk. I like it. I wish I knew something about it. Anyone? (click the photo for an expanded view)
jan 28 update
I’ve now walked Park Street and below on the main island. This quest to walk every street in Alameda in 2006 is starting to look quite doable. I’m starting to wonder about “Government Island” aka “Coast Guard Island” though. I’m not certain it’s technically part of Alameda. If it is, I may have trouble. I’m pretty sure the Coast Guard restricts access there.
fruitvale bridge
Three bridges, two tunnels and a couple of ferries link Alameda to the outside world. This is the Fruitvale Ave. bridge structure, from the vantage of Marina and Cambridge.
estuary smokestacks
Mixed-use residential and industrial scenes have always fit my eye. This photo is taken from Alameda’s Marina Blvd. In the background (actually, across the estuary in Oakland) is some factory thingy. Not sure what goes on there.
