Pacific Ring Sports

If you drive by this gym you'll see all kinds of martial arts being practiced across the day and well into the evening.  I'm especially fond of the building and the old timey style of the sign.

Monday Mural: Dimond District

 The Dimond District is on Fruitvale Avenue above the 580 freeway.  On the side of Farmer Joe's Market is a vast mural that highlights the history of this area.  Composed by local artists and elementary school children, it focuses on the creeks, wildlife, and farmlands of the 19th century.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.  I'm out of town for several days but will do my best to leave comments.

Monday Mural: Temescal mural

Last year I showed you this large mural project under construction.  Here are a couple of details from the mural.  The project covers a freeway overpass and most of its support pillars in the Temescal-Telegraph neighborhood.

The dominant motif represents Temescal Creek which now flows underground in this neighborhood.  The mural has been so successfully received by the community, that the colored lines representing the flowing water of the creek have now been adopted for the neighborhood banners on Telegraph Avenue.

If you like murals or have a mural you'd like to post, this meme's for you.  Just follow the Linky steps below.  You get to decide what constitutes a mural.  Be sure to link back to this blog and visit your fellow posters.  Looking forward to the mural finds posted this week.

Monday Mural: civilizations crossroad

This mural is under the 580 freeway near the MacArthur BART station.  It was done in 2004 by Ernesto Olmos and José Rodriguez.  Find more murals here, here, here, here and here.

Spanish baroque

What could this be?  A California mission?  A college campus?  An hotel?  Nope.  This is Highland Hospital, the county hospital and trauma center.  This building dates from 1927 when the original hospital opened.  The hospital sits on a 16-acre hilly lot just off the 580 freeway.  Although many of the original structures remain, a vast, modern complex was opened on site in 2004.

Monday Mural: Calvin Simmons

This mural decorates the north support structure of the 580 freeway on Grand Avenue.  Parts of this massive mural have been featured previously.  The focus here is  Calvin Simmons, conductor of the Oakland Symphony until his premature death in 1982.  This mural is located kitty korner to the Grand Lake Theater.

Monday Mural: mural update

They are making progress on this mural previously posted back in March.  The water theme is related to Temescal Creek which now runs under ground.  They still have lots of pillars to go, but Alan (in the reflective vest) is hoping it will be completed by the end of June.  The local merchants association commissioned the work.  This neighborhood is being revitalized at an amazing pace.  I counted 11 restaurants in a block and a half stretch, all of which are popular and crowded.  Nice to witness the comeback.

Lakeshore apartments

Typical of 1920s and 30s California architecture are white stucco, the terra cotta tile roofs, wooden balconies, and arched windows.  Definitely has a Mediterranean feel.  These graceful apartment buildings are on Haddon Hill just across from Lake Merritt.  Too bad the balconies now face a freeway on-ramp.

Monday Mural: words to contemplate

This mural is under the 580 freeway at the start of the Lakeshore District.

Grand Lake Theater

A grab shot through the window of my car.  Kids, don't try this at home.

ABC Wednesday: G is for goat season

It's that time of year when goats appear on hillsides and munch on dry grass to reduce the fire hazard.  There were at least 100 goats in this herd grazing on zoo property above the 580 freeway.  They seem to be taking an afternoon break in the shade due to a brief heat wave.  For other "G" photos from around the globe, visit ABC Wednesday.

This is an automatic post.  I'm traveling and will likely have restricted access to computers to comment on your blogs.  Back in town on October 1.

ABC Wednesday: Z is for zebra

Oakland has a multitude of public murals, only some of which have been shown on ODP.  For this particular ABC Wednesday, what could be more fitting than the zebra mural under highway 580 on Broadway?  Actually, several zebras graze on this freeway support pier, with this as an exemplar.  This mural was done many years ago by muralist Dan Fontes, who also did this giraffe posted last fall.   For more "Z" photos from around the world, visit ABC Wednesday.  Next week we start the alphabet all over again.  Yippee!  Why not join us?

freeway mural

Oakland has tons of public murals. This 32-foot tall giraffe by Dan Fontes is on a support pier of the 580 freeway at the Harrison Street on-ramp. The city contracted with Dan in 1983 to create seven (!) giraffe designs for spaces under the freeway. In 1994, after piers were wrapped in steel sheeting for earthquake safety retrofitting, the highway department contracted with Dan to repaint the now hidden original. Who says vast State bureaucracies don't have an aesthetic heart? Anyway, this knock-kneed giant always makes me smile. And an attitude adjustment prior to entering the traffic crawl is always a good thing.