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October 25, 2023. This neighborhood doesn’t have as many Russian businesses as it used to, but it’s still going strong. My first stop was Globus Books. It’s small and there were several people there browsing. I saw a handful of books in English and enjoyed looking at a book of street photos taken in Russia […]

October 11, 2023. There’s something so satisfying about using a vending machine. You select your item after perusing all the offerings, put in your coins (well, now it’s usually a credit card), push that button and watch your purchase be pushed forward to drop into the tray, soon to be in your hands. I remember

September 27, 2023. Just west of Sacramento, there is a section of route 80 that is elevated; it’s a causeway for excess water to run underneath. Inside the expansion joints on the underside of the causeway live 250,000 bats! They fly out around sunset to eat bugs. I didn’t see 250,000 bats. The girl whose

September 20, 2023. The AQI in Berkeley was just under 150, about to verge into the red zone, due to wild fires. I decided to go north where it was still about 90, but better. I looked for places to go where I could stay in the car with the air recirculating (online sources disagree

Friends have asked how I find my expedition locations. Many ways; reading, radio, conversation, stuff I see from my car and browsing the map are the main ones. Often I pick one spot and then look on the map for stuff nearby, which I did for this one.  I went to the Dunsmuir House for

September 6. For this expedition, I visited the oldest _______ (fill in the blank). Some are just old; I couldn’t verify if they are actually the oldest. My first stop was 301 Broadway, the oldest building in Oakland, probably oldest in the East Bay, built in 1857! It was originally a wine shop, serving this

August 30, 2023. I took a variety of transit for this expedition. I went by bus to Jack London Square to get the ferry to San Francisco. Walked up to Powell and got the Powell Hyde cable car to Francisco Park. The cable car is so fun! I was directed to sit inside at first

August 23, 2023. I went to the Bay Model in Sausalito, which I haven’t been to in decades. It seems a bit run down. Lots of rusty/dirty spots and basic wear and tear, I guess. In addition to water, it contains bridges and piers and that’s about it. I remembered it more featured, more diorama-like. 

August 16, 2023. First stop was the Western Pacific Depot, near Jack London Square, used as a railway station from 1910 to 1970. It has the distinction of being named the first official Oakland landmark. Since the 70’s it’s been occupied by different businesses. I was pleased to see that the fenced in seating area

August 9, 2023. Julia Morgan was a prominent local architect who designed many buildings around here in the first half of the 20th century. Non-locals may know her as the designer of the Hearst Castle. My sister and I visited the Chapel of the Chimes on Saturday, a spectacular building designed by Morgan (so I