Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda for April 21, 2024
Before I start on this week’s report, I have some exciting news.
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The Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda was nominated for Alameda Magazine’s Best Blog, and you can vote for us. It’s pretty simple. Log into the Alameda Magazine website and scroll down to Local Blog. I am listed at the bottom. Just click on the green VOTE button next to the Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda. Please tell your friends to VOTE FOR MOUF and the Bear’s-Eye View. Thanks for your support!
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For this week’s report, I had intended to be reporting on my walks around Crab Cove and the Encinal Avenue boat launch area. Instead, my editor and human companion pulled that report and sent me to High Street yesterday on a special assignment. When I asked him what I was to be reporting on, he muttered something about it being 420 Day. I asked him the significance of April 20th. He said he had forgotten, but he knew somehow it was important. So, with no clear direction, off I went.
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High Street is a very long street that traverses both Oakland and Alameda. The High Street Bridge marks the Alameda boundary and seemed like a good place to start. It spans the 296-foot Oakland Estuary and the first bridge was first built in 1894. Since then there have been several fires, and in 1939 it was rebuilt with the design we see today. I started my walk towards the Bay scanning and sniffing for… what? I still didn’t know.
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The corner of Santa Clara Avenue and High Street is one of two sites of economic activity along the road and is where the majestic ironwork marking the entrance to Lincoln Park is located. There are lots of things to do here. There are wide open spaces, basketball aces, pickleball places, and Bocce court spaces.
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Cycle City has something for every cyclist and is worth a stop if you are into or just thinking of getting into the sport.
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A little further down the street is the Altarena Theater. This building was once a grocery store before it was purchased and converted to a theater in 1957. The company has been performing plays and musicals in Alameda since 1939.
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I found a really cool Little Free Library painted with rainbows. The sign read that it included Banned Books-LGBTQ Library
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There is an entrance to Krusi Park on High Street. I covered all the amenities this park has to offer in my report of August 20, 2023 [10].
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The other economic hub on High Street is located at intersection of Encinal Avenue and is anchored by the Encinal Market. You can also grab a loaf of bread at Feel Good Bakery, get your caffeine fix at Café au Lait, or a Bento Box at Blue Fin Restaurant.
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I ended my journey along High Street just a little short of the Bay due to the private road restricting access to the actual Bay.
So much for reporting on April 20. Please be sure to vote for the Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda this week. Voting closes in one week on the 28th.
Mouf, Roving Reporter
Bear’s-Eye View of Alameda
Mouf and his human companion can be reached via [email protected] [13]. Their stories are collected at AlamedaPost.com/Jeff-Cambra/ [14]. All photos by Jeff Cambra.