Archive for the 'Neighborhoods' Category
At 6 we hit the road. It is light already but also cloudy and the rising sun is not visible. I don’t
know what makes this time of the morning so magical. The flowers look bright and fresh; the trees green and even the grass looks golden and not brown. Then we hit Highway 101 and nothing can make that freeway beautiful. Rank weeds and litter decorate the edges; numerous pylons tower within view; power lines are draped everywhere and idiot drivers abound. The state of the pavement is pretty good now, especially between Sunnyvale and San Mateo. There is always something interesting to catch the eye, like a new construction or the solar panels near Palo Alto. At Moffet Field the police stop the traffic for five minutes. When we eventually pass there was no sign of a wreck, just two vehicles pulled over and several police cars. At Millbrae there were flares laid down as they were cleaning the left shoulder.
As we approach the city, it is shrouded in fog. Parking in San Francisco is always a problem. With the bikes we could not park in a multi story and there are parking meters along all the main streets. In the end we found some street parking without parking meters at Brannan and Delancey. It is cold and there is a slight drizzle and here Tom is with his cycle shorts on. After our last cycle ride I took the precaution of wearing leggings on top of my cycle shorts. Ah well, here we go again!
Our ride starts on the The Embarcadero just to the south of the Bay Bridge. I asked Tom whether we could ride over the bridge but there is no bike lane on the section between the city and Yerba Buena Island although there will be one on the new section between the island and Oakland.
The Embarcadero sidewalk is wide and we are able to ride on it. Along the way there is much to be seen. We meander along, stopping frequently to gaze at something different – the fire boats moored at the end of a short peer; a small rowing boat tied up but barely afloat; the Bow and Arrow sculpture which is half shrouded while maintenance work is carried out and the Crouching Spider sculpture which replaced the two enormous females made out of scrap metal (we much prefered the latter).
We are both in need of a hot drink but the Java Coffee House is closed and padlocked. I hope it is because it is too early and not permanent. Two women and a boy walk towards us holding cups of coffee so we stop and ask where they’d got it from (the Ferry Building) and had an interesting chat. They were interested to know where we came from when they heard my accent.
Soon we hit the Ferry Building where it is a hive of activity with storeholders setting up for the farmers market which is held in the Ferry Plaza from 8 am to 2 pm every Saturday. Even though is it only 7.30 a lot of people are already busy buying the fresh produce. I guard the bikes while Tom goes into Peets and spent my time people watching.
We sat on a bench looking out over the bay and the ferry terminal while we drank our coffee. Then we were on our way again, exploring each pier along the way.
Not so long ago the Ferry Building and the buildings on the piers were abandoned and dilapidated but a lot of work has been done to restore them. As we cycled past, we peered into windows. In one we spotted a series of color photos hung on a wall showing views of the old buildings.
A lot of fishermen were about and it appears to be a good day for fishing. We saw a recently caught, good sized, striped bass panting on the ground. The angler told us it would make a decent meal but I’m not so sure I would want to eat anything caught in the Bay, especially so soon after the recent oil spill.
Pier 3 is where the Hornblower Cruise ships are moored -the California Hornblower, the San Francisco Belle (a paddle boat) and the Santa Rosa – all huge but very different. The Santa Rose was sporting a big advert advertising three Dinner Wine Cruises, which look exciting.
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June 05 2008 | Neighborhoods and Special Places | No Comments »
A stroll up and down California Street is a wonderful experience. It has a very relaxed feel about it and the number of opportunities to stop and take it all in are many, either on one of the benches or sitting outside one of the many cafes.
California Street is about two miles from the main shopping street in Palo Alto and the Stanford Shopping Center. It used to be a separate town altogether called Mayfield, which was here before Palo Alto even existed. The founder of Stanford University, Leland Stanford, wanted to build his university in Mayfield but it was on condition that alcohol be banned from the town. The residents were not happy with that condition as they had over a dozen saloons doing a roaring business. So Leland Stanford went two miles north to build his university. Palo Alto came into existence at the same time and eventually became larger than Mayfield. In 1925 Mayfield was annexed by Palo Alto and the town of Mayfield was no more.
There are lots of places to eat, ranging from the ubiquitous Starbucks and bagal shops to cafes like Cafe Brioche and Joanie’s to slightly pricier venues like Bistro Basia and Illusions (with belly dancer) right up to Spalti Restorante and Bistro Elan. But my favorite (apart from Joanie’s for breakfast) is Printers Cafe. Ideal for a quick snack and a drink, sitting outside and watching the world walk by. Also it has the Gallery House opening from the main room. This is owned and operated by a co-operative of artists and there are regular exhibitions there. It is open on Tuesday from 11-5 and from 11-9 on Wednesdays to Saturdays.
There are two natural food markets – Mollie Stone’s at the station end and Country Sun, which is nearer to El Camino. Other businesses include a cobblers, hair and nail saloons, a florist, several opticians, a yoga center, a massage therapy center, a second hand bookshop with a very original name – Know Knew Books, an art supplies shop, a stationers which sells a variety to goods and Keeble and Shuchat Photography has two shops almost opposite each other. Tom disappeared into one of them for about an hour which gave me the opportunity to really explore the neighborhood.
Watch out for the art as well. There is an interesting statue on the corner of Ash which is called ‘Go Mama’ by Marta Thomas. On the other side of the street is a sculpture entitled ‘Love Spoken Here’ by William Wareham which is four large chairs and a small table made of of metal. I wonder if it is OK to sit on them? Hmm, maybe I’d better not. In the median on either side of Birch there are two more sculptures, one of metal and one of wood. There are also quite a few wall murals. On a wall to the side of Starbucks are three and on the side of Country Sun there is a huge picture of a volcano with a field of California poppies in the foreground. On the corner of California and Ash there is the Hotel California with several murals, one of them very amusing.
All in all, a wonderful neighborhood. Check it out.
March 27 2008 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
If you want to be far from the maddening crowd, head for Alviso. This small town, at the south
end of San Francisco Bay, used to be a bustling port until the San Franciso to San Jose railroad opened in 1865. Now the marinas are silted up and all that remains are the entrances to the docks and lots of weeds.
Alviso itself is a sleepy little town with the railroad running through it and several good Mexican restaurants. A lot of the new houses are built on stilts because this place has flooded several times. The last major flood was in 1958. Since then the sloughs and creeks have been improved so hopefully it won’t happen again.
The Marina car park has had a face lift recently and it is much improved. More footpaths, information boards and seats. This is an important wetlenad area with several large salt ponds. There are always a lot of marsh birds to be seen – American Avocets, Black-necked Sandpipers and Plovers. (Once Tom and I saw a Black Skimmer here but that was very unusual.) They nest on the levees and in the sedges, salt grass, rushes and cordgrass. Around the salt ponds are levees which are ideal for walking and cycling. You can go for miles and miles and see very few people.
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December 07 2007 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
Today we decided to go up to the city. A drive of about 60 miles.
Our first stop was Warm Cove. Not many people in San Francisco would even know where that is I guess. I do not recommend it as a place to spend the day. We had never heard of it either until we stumbled across it. We were investigating Hunters Point, which is a not very nice location near the docks. It is full of warehouses, some dilapidate and very run down.
Warm Cove is a small and very scruffy park on the edge of the bay with a huge power plant looming over it. Am I tempting you to visit? There are a lot of signs around forbidding graffiti and saying “do not deface” which gives you some indication of the regular clientèle. (Tom interrupting: spending some time here could yield some great photos. I’d kind of like to explore this area a little more). At this time of the morning though it was abandoned, only the accumulated litter giving evidence that other people use it.
But it was not without its beauty. There were a few flowers around and some cacti and the fragrance of wild fennel. We spent some time watching the egrets looking for food as the tide came in and enjoyed the sight of the sun as it rose over Oakland.
October 28 2007 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
It is barely light when we leave San Jose just before 7 in the morning. The day is bright and the mountains surrounding us were clear and sharp.
Here in the Bay Area most of the trees do not shed their leaves in the Fall so we do not see many trees changing color. Along I280 there were a few trees showing there autumn colors. There are very few shivering Aspen trees here though.
As we approached Hiwhway 92, the sun was beginning to cast shadows on the forest to the west of Crystal Springs. Today the reservoir lives up to its name. Though the level is very low. This is the end of the journey for some of the water from the Sierras via the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct.
I just love this drive on Highway 92 into Half Moon Bay. At this time of the day we have a clear run. Come lunchtime this road will be bumper to bumper, slow moving traffic. Today though it is fun. We climb over the Santa Cruz mountains and as we crest the summit, we get our first view of the ocean.
Coasting down the hill we begin to pass the ecletic businesses along the way. We pass one place selling huge metal sculptures and other displaying carved wooden animals. Then there are the nurseries and fruit stands and even a winery.
Half Moon Bay is the ‘pumpkin capital of the world’ so naturally there are many pumpkin patches with pumpkins littering the ground and covering every surface, each patch vying with their neighbors to provide a better attraction – mazes, tractor rides and pony rides to name but a few. Every year in October they have a Pumpkin Festival here.
At 7.30 we arrive in Main Street. We plan to have breakfast at the Main Street Grill but it doesn’t open until 8 a.m. so we look for coffee. We discover a gem called Coffee Company, just off Main Street. Their special at the moment is pumpkin pie latte but Tom stuck to his regular Fresnch Roast and I had a small latte. It came in a tall glass beaker and looked very attractive with its three layers – milk, coffee and topped with foamed milk. I was looking at the range of teas they serve and it is extensive. Over 36 varieties including Topical fire, Caramel, Rose, Maple and Orange Pekoe.
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October 22 2007 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
Fortified by our excellent breakfast at Duarte’s Tavern, Tom and I took a walk down Stage Road. Pescadero is described as a New England town on the San Mateo coast and many of the buildings were built over a hundred years ago. There are a few unique shops to browse around but, be warned, most of them are only open Friday to Monday and they don’t open until 11. So today all we could do was browse.
Behind Duarte’s is The Old Rock Guy (Here’s an Oakland Tribune article from 2006). This place is a hidden treasure. Located in a small trailer, it is also Clark Hansen’s home. Whether you are looking for a little gift or a handsome present, you will find it here.
Back to the main street, the next building is Made in Pescadero. This is a wonderful furniture shop with original designs. They also craft custom pieces. From the outside though you can’t see anything. It’s just a huge, padlocked building. We have been here when it is open though and it is well worth a walk round. Several times I have been tempted to buy something but have not succumbed yet – and it’s not going to happen today!
Set back from the road is Stage Road Shops, selling hand picked gifts old and new. Then comes Luna Sea which is a converted house set in a garden. Outside in the garden is a variety of unusual stone sculptures of pelicans, sea horses and dolphins and large decorated paving stones. Inside they have a wide range of unique crafted items but on the expensive side.
Next door is a vacant lot which is up for sale. Along the fence there are some wonderful blackberries which I couldn’t resist sampling.
Before the next shop there are a few dwellings but none of them have interesting gardens and they are a bit ramshackle.
In a converted blacksmiths shop is Country Roads, selling antiques and collectibles. I’ve visited this shop several times and it is fascinating. In the window today, amongst other things, was an old Underwood typewriter, a Grieg shorthand book and a collection of lettering stencils.
If you continue to the end of the road, past the turn off for North Street, you come to the cemetery on a hill. It’s worth a visit.
Walking back on the other side of the road, the first building is the Pescadero Community Church which has stood on the same site without major renovation since 1867.
Along this side of the streets the houses are a little better kept and there are some very nice gardens.
The only two stores on this side are food markets. The first one is Arcangeli Grocery or Norms Market. They bake over 20 varieties of bread and just walking past the door and smelling the aroma of fresh baked bread makes your mouth water (and I’ve just eaten breakfast!). It’s been open since 1934. Almost next door is Pescadero Country Store, formerly Muzzis Market. There is a large garden at the side with tables and chairs where they have a BBQ every Saturday and Sunday from May to October (weather permitting). I must mention here that along the fence is a wonderful smelling syringa or mock orange bush.
The only bank in town is the First National Bank of Northern California and it is right opposite Duarte’s Tavern.
And that’s it. Not a lot of shops but a wonderful collection in a unique little town and well worth a visit. After all the walking, don’t forget to visit Duarte’s Tavern for a drink at the original 1894 bar and to sample their artichoke soup and olallieberry pie.
August 26 2007 | Neighborhoods | 2 Comments »
We were on our way to UC Berkeley Botanical Garden and stopped for breakfast at Bette’s at 1807A 4th Street – see Breakfast Log.
After breakfast we ambled round the three blocks which make up this neighborhood. None of the shops were open so we came back at 11 a.m. when they opened. The first thing that struck me this morning was the many and varied seats and benches all the way along this section of 4th Street. On the corner of 4th and Hearst is a bronze statue of a seated man and someone had put a cigarette between his lips!
We visited Gallery 4th Street - (formerly 4th Street Gym). When we peeped through the windows early this morning, we were impressed with the sheer size and number of original paintings hanging on the walls, so this was our first stop.
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July 22 2007 | Neighborhoods | No Comments »
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know what makes this time of the morning so magical. The flowers look bright and fresh; the trees green and even the grass looks golden and not brown. Then we hit Highway 101 and nothing can make that freeway beautiful. Rank weeds and litter decorate the edges; numerous pylons tower within view; power lines are draped everywhere and idiot drivers abound. The state of the pavement is pretty good now, especially between Sunnyvale and San Mateo. There is always something interesting to catch the eye, like a new construction or the solar panels near Palo Alto. At Moffet Field the police stop the traffic for five minutes. When we eventually pass there was no sign of a wreck, just two vehicles pulled over and several police cars. At Millbrae there were flares laid down as they were cleaning the left shoulder.
We sat on a bench looking out over the bay and the ferry terminal while we drank our coffee. Then we were on our way again, exploring each pier along the way.
