San Francisco A2K Gathering - April 9-12, 2004

It can get a bit cool in the evenings in San Francisco so a sweater or wind breaker is a good idea.

BBB, How's the public trans from Alameda to San Francisco? If there's a close connection to public transportation, Alameda can be an interesting 'resting' place, because of the different views you can get of the bay from the beach areas.

BBB is correct, Alameda is readily accessible to the city and a much easier place to get around (and park). It is also one of the best concentrations of restored Victorians in California (I have one there - and it is finished, unlike the other ). The Park Street area is quite pleasant with a rapidly increasing number of good restaurants, cafes and shops. (I'm not aware of any particularly good hotels, but that's likely because I haven't looked. )

There is very good bus service to the city (much quicker than driving because of the HOV lanes), and a regular ferry service departing from the estuary opposite Jack London Square, at the northwest end of the island by the (now closed) Naval Air Station..

Alameda is an island connected to the East Bay at the northwest end by a tunnel and at the southeast by a bridge - the island that time forgot - one doesn't go through Alameda on the way to anywhere. (If you are playing poker dice in a bar in San Francisco and you roll a hand without even a pair, it is called an Alameda). It is but a 10 minute drive from the Oakland airport on the back road (left turn at the first main intersection leaving the airport.), and, as BBB indicated, has very easy freeway connections to the Bay Bridge and the city.

Georgeob1
Georgeob1, how do you know Alameda so well, and even own a home there?

I lived in the Bay Area all my life and the last nine years, before I retired and moved to Albuquerque in 2002, in Alameda on Bay Farm Island in the Community of Harbor Bay Isle.

Alameda has great transportation to almost everywhere in the greater SF bay area by BART, bus, ferry and car. It has very good hotels, too.

And, as I mentioned before in an earlier SF gathering site, I can arrange for a meeting room at a reasonable cost if desired. Before I retired, I was the Architectural Administrator for the Community of Harbor Bay Isle for 14 years and still have good contacts there. The lagoon system is a wild life preserve with the most beautiful walking and biking paths available---including the Bay Shore Park walking paths.

If you want a gathering to include more than just sight-seeing, and want to spend time just lazing around talking to each other, then you can't find a better place than Harbor Bay Isle. The ducks and squirrels are friendly, too.

BBB

BBB,

I agree. Harbor Bay and the older part of Alameda offer a unique combination of the modern and the old. My place is up just past Grand in the so-called gold coast of Alameda (Paru St.). I once was C.O. of a carrier based in Alameda and that began my association there . (Used to work out at the Harbor Bay Club and go drinking with Chuck Corica too.)

George
George, did you play golf with Corica at his Bay Farm Island golf course, too? Did you know that the Oakland Raiders home office and football practice field is just down the street from the golf course just after you leave the Bay Fram Island Draw Bridge across from the boat harbor

Did you also know that Bay Farm Island now has it's own ferry service for SF commuters? People can walk from their homes to catch the ferry and have morning coffee with their neighbors on the bay.

I know the big island's Gold Coast area well and have friends who live there. Beautiful homes on winding streets canopied with old trees.

BBB

Lola, it looks like all of us so far are booked into different places for our various reasons.

Can't we all just occupy some civic building?

I really want to Mau Mau the Flack-Catchers while I am there.

Jeez, that Mountie looks so respectable, but he's got some wild ideas!

Gotta share this story. When I worked for Florsheim Shoe Company as a field auditor - about ten lifetimes ago - I audited the shop at the Southland Shopping Center in Hayward. Many of the Oakland Raider players used to go there to buy their shoes, and the manager (a rather short guy) used to take the players down to the bar and treat them to drinks. That's how he got into trouble, and started 'borrowing' cash from the til. I was doing an audit in Las Vegas, when I got a call from my boss in Chicago, and they told me I had better pack up and go audit the Hayward shop. When I walked into the shop the following morning, the manager told me he was short $2,200. The audit confirmed that shortage. Needless to say, he was fired as the manager of that shop, but was able to continue working in shops as a salesman, because of his long tenure with the company. When I got promoted to audit manager, I kept hounding my boss to give this guy another chance. He refused me about six times, but after that, he agreed with me, and put him in as a manager of the Sun Valley Mall, Concord, CA, shop. The sales in that shop increased by over ten percent a year after he took over.

BBB,

Not a golfer, but I used to run on the course until they chased me off. I believe Corica started out as a barber before he became mayor. A good guy. Didn't know about the ferry from Bay farm Island. - Lots of newe stuff happening there. I have been away for about eight years, but plan to go back next year.

YAHOO! blatham is com'n to town.

Smiling happily, I am so delighted.

I keep mentioning the St. Francis' coffee shop, I swear, not a soul in there but me one sunday morning.

Civic buildings, well, hmmm. The area is a little urggghyy.
I prefer to take over the financial center, better food. An old friend was a data processor at some firm near or at the top of the building at California and Market. Or A building at California and Market. When I met her for lunch one day, it was not a business day, and she took me up to see the office, and thus I saw the company's collection of very old photographs. Clutch went my heart with near envy.

Or maybe we could infiltrate a museum. In fact, back in the mid eighties when I passed my national boards just before there was a meeting for the am society of land archs in SF... I actually went to the meeting. (usually I don't do that as I never keep up my dues... much less travel to hear lectures.) There was an opening event held, a cocktail party, such as it was, at the Aquarium....

osso, I think we can all agree to leave the "responsibility" to pick the date, time, and location of our first meet to you. Okay?

accccccccccccckkkkk? You do know I am just a blowhard (heh) and just an enthused about SF person?

Let's all keep in touch, and identify our landing and arrival at hotel times..

We don't have to do stuff en masse all the time, but should set up a few meets. I think we need one of looking at the golden gate.. and that could be from Fort Mason and Green's
or from that View Point area across the bridge with possibly a restaurant visit afterwards.

I happen to adore crossing the gg bridge, it shivers my timbers, or something... but I am usually trying to figure out how to get into the far right lane..

There is another bridge that is like a concrete line, love it, maybe it's the San Rafael. This is no fun for a bridgephobe though.

Then there's the ferry... I've never taken that... have you? I'd still like to see some galleries. I'll have to check out if the close and interesting ones are open on Sat or Monday.. I leave myself on Tuesday, schniff.

Hmmm, this has a view of the bridge..

Hmm, while looking for Green's I ran across this, and it turns out I've met this fellow, he was at my friend's wedding about a year ago..

http://www.ianberke.com/about-list.html a highlights of SF site

double post

Still haven't found a pic of Green's and the bridge, but this looks like a handy pointofview summary... on the city.
http://www.travel-library.com/north_america/usa/california/san_francisco_guide.html