Day 33: Oakland to San Jose

A bit warmer here today (high upper 80s?) but it was nothing compared to a few days ago further inland. I got tons of photos and there will be plenty to choose from tonight for Flickr and this posting. The van is chugging along reliably. I was surprised that most businesses were open despite today being Labor Day. I had to hop on the interstate a bit in the early evening but luckily the traffic was jammed up going the other way.

No dog parks today but I found a deserted piece of bay in Oakland that adjoined a college -- no one around so we grabbed some running and swimming time. At dusk, I found a closed down business park with a huge golf course like green area. A really nice change from the usual dry, stickery fields that these guys are used to. Both Grip and Fix got the zoomies and were running gleefully around, tucked tails, in the vast springy softness of it. Weeeee!

Most of my time was spent in Oakland yesterday. So unless indicated otherwise, that's where these photos were taken. This repair shop sign is mostly concealed behind a more billboardy type sign:



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I like the variety of shapes in this one. The "hot dogs" piece (or whatever it used to read) must have spun originally:



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I love this place. I don't know how evident it is in the photo but the "interior" is all craggy and cave-like. And the color is sensational.



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Paul's Newsstand is an Alameda landmark. Unfortunately, it was closed I guess because of the holiday. Here's a bit about it:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20060820/ai_n16672576



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A random block on San Jose St. in Alameda exemplifying the Bay Area's diversity. Personally, I love all these houses.







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Back in Oakland, a couple next-door-neighbor used car lots. This OK sign looks almost handmade -- the lettering looks like a stuck-on decal as opposed to the usual embossed plastic or neon type:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/193295652/



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I've never seen a heart-shaped car lot sign before. The bulb pattern on this was a pointing arrow.



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I saw several of these martini signs today. This one was in nice shape:



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This sign was at TNT Liquor in Hayward. I assume the neon fish is a Christian add-on from much later?



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And lastly, an incredible place in Oakland -- I have a lot more photos of it but it's time to get rolling so I'll include just this one. The Robert Howden & Sons Building from 1925 was used as their tile factory. The entire building is covered with beautiful tile and terra cotta details. Here's a photo of the side of the building:
http://flickr.com/photos/coy_mistress/2660386486/