Alameda Island (part 1)
Since I've been cooped up during the entire month of July, now I just can't wait to get away from familiar surroundings whenever I can. So last week-end, I grabbed my camera (finally!), stuck it in my bag, and drove up to the island of Alameda near Oakland, on the other side of the San Francisco Bay.
It was the end of the afternoon when I got there, and the light wasn't very good anymore, but I decided to post these pictures anyway.
The Alameda island is small and has a great deal of charm. I once entertained the thought of living there, but it didn't happen. I had fallen in love with the peaceful neighborhoods filled with Victorian houses, the green lawns in front of them, the friendliness of the residents, the cute little downtown area with the little shops, and the general peaceful / small town atmosphere throughout the island, just minutes away from SF.
The island of Alameda is also well known for its former Navy base, and the famous USS Hornet (now a museum ship), which I will gladly show you some day.
On this picture if you look carefully, you can see some of the San Francisco skyline almost completely fogged in on the left, then (I believe) the Bay Bridge, and to the right, behind the children playing, the Port of Oakland with its huge cranes necessary to unload the container ships that come in every day.
When the weather is nice, a lot of locals drive from Oakland to Alameda to go to the beach. Some just want to have fun, play with the waves or fly kites, while others are busy trying their luck...
It was the end of the afternoon when I got there, and the light wasn't very good anymore, but I decided to post these pictures anyway.
The Alameda island is small and has a great deal of charm. I once entertained the thought of living there, but it didn't happen. I had fallen in love with the peaceful neighborhoods filled with Victorian houses, the green lawns in front of them, the friendliness of the residents, the cute little downtown area with the little shops, and the general peaceful / small town atmosphere throughout the island, just minutes away from SF.
The island of Alameda is also well known for its former Navy base, and the famous USS Hornet (now a museum ship), which I will gladly show you some day.
On this picture if you look carefully, you can see some of the San Francisco skyline almost completely fogged in on the left, then (I believe) the Bay Bridge, and to the right, behind the children playing, the Port of Oakland with its huge cranes necessary to unload the container ships that come in every day.
When the weather is nice, a lot of locals drive from Oakland to Alameda to go to the beach. Some just want to have fun, play with the waves or fly kites, while others are busy trying their luck...
Labels: Alameda Island
posted by Tomate Farcie at 11:30 PM
11 Comments:
Getting to Alameda always seems to be quite an experience -- through those tubes... I used to know my way around Oakland and that part of the Bay Area better... I'll have to walk around the old part of Alameda some day...
It's not easy getting around in the East Bay. I find that many of these freeways are counter-intuitive (requiring you to be on the left lane in order to get to the right, and vice-versa) and if you're not in the correct lane, good luck *ever* getting where you're going! Not a fan of the tubes either, but the Alameda tube isn't too bad. You're on the other side pretty quickly, actually (unlike the trip through the BART tube which takes minutes).
Looks like a nice area to take a walk and also take some photos. I wonder if the person with the metal detector ever found anything worth while?
Lovely photos. I especially like the second one. It almost looks 3 dimensional with the horizon in the distance and the waves in the foreground.
I spent some time in San Francisco back in the beatnik days just before the Hippies invaded and loved it. Went back some years ago for a short visit and much had changed but still a delightful city.
J'aime visiter ce blog. Il est tellement dépaysant d'une part parce qu'il se situe à l'autre bout de la terre et d'autre part à cause de l'océan, si différent de nos montagnes.
Cela a l'air d'un charmant endroit, mais est-ce que l'eau est bonne quand le ciel est gris ???
PATTY: I asked him and he said he rarely does. Oh, well, at least he's getting out of of the house and some exercise ;)
KAREN: Thank you for your visit and comment! Wow, I wish I had known SF back then. I agree with you, though. Just looking back at the last 20 some years, SF has changed a great deal (lost part of its color, I think) but it's still a delightful city.
VILLAY: Merci! C'etait un peu le but du blog au debut, je voulais montrer en image comment est ma "vie de tous les jours" car je sais que mes paysages sont bien differents de Paris ou de la campagne Francaise ou d'ailleurs. Mais je n'ai pas toujours le temps d'aller prendre des bonnes photos et d'etre sur place quand il se passe des trucs interessants. Merci quand meme pour la visite et pour le compliment! :)
Claude: l'eau est TOUJOURS froide ici, et je crois qu'en 25 ans je ne me suis baignee qu'une ou deux fois, et encore, juste les jambes!! L'eau est souvent GLACIALE en ete, et j'admire toujours les enfants qui s'y amusent comme ci de rien n'etait, et les adultes qui font des concours de natation dans la Baie.
The water is ALWAYS cold around here! I think I've only dipped my feet in it once or twice in the last 25 years. I admire these kids when I see them, and also those who organize swimming races in the Bay. Just don't know how they survive the cold that long! In the Summer, the water is absolutely FREEZING!
Yikes, it's been years since I've been to Alameda. Thanks for the pix. Think I'll make a stop there when I visit the Oakland Museum; which has also been many years since the last visit...
@Brad : Yeah, do that. Parts of the islands are changing, though, not for the best, I'm real sorry to say.
As to the museum, I haven't been there since they had the Birth of the Cool exhibit. Thanks for the reminder.
You may find that Oakland, too, has been undergoing some changes. Maybe I should do a post about that, although I haven't had real good luck photographing anything downtown Oakland. Seems like the light is always wrong when I'm there.
C'est vrai que c'est un coin où on va peu de SF et c'est dommage. La photo avec les enfants est très belle. Les grues ont été l'élement déterminant de la domination portuaire d'Oakland sur San Francisco quand les containers sont arrivés.
Sympa tes photos ...Bon, je vais boire mon Gaspacho !
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