A Photographic Tour Through the Piedmont Area of Oakland, CA

Taking a stroll with a camera without any sort of agenda, especially in an unfamiliar but very cool area, is great fun, at least for me. You never know what you might find, and somehow having a camera makes discovery that much more intriguing.

Somehow you notice more that way where otherwise you simply might have walked on without a second thought.

This tour is a random collection of architecture, street scenes, signage, store fronts and interiors and a bunch of other stuff I simply found interesting. You gain a perspective on how the locals live, what they enjoy doing, and the places they shop and eat.

And the camera allows you to preserve the memories and the experience after you have moved on. And to share with others.

Piedmont is a very cool area of Oakland, with loads of interesting shops, eateries and services.

Adesso is a terrific Oakland wine bar - well worth a stop for a drink and perhaps a bite to eat.

There are some very popular and excellent restaurants on the street - Bay Wolf and Dopo (older companion restaurant to Adesso, both Italian), to name just a couple - a marvelous French bakery (and interestingly a French Cleaners nearby - that was a new one), antique shops, gift shops, and so much more.

The architecture in this area of California is so different from Southern California where I live, and always reminds me of favorite areas of Boston - Cambridge and Somerville, for example. So a few pics are of interesting architecture and embellishments I noticed along the way.

Today we head off to China Town, and who knows where else. More on that later.

Enjoy the tour. And if you ever get to Oakland, check out Piedmont. Similar to Berkeley, but smaller and more of a neighborhood IMO.