I am not an "original" or native born Alamedan. Nor do I know everything there is to know about Alameda. But I am making an effort to get to know more about this beautiful island.
Having lived in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Texas, and having sampled living in San Francisco apartment by the marina, a virtual warehouse loft by the Oakland Estuary before it was gentrified, and in a cozy cottage in downtown Mountain View, I can say without reservation that Alameda is my favorite of all.
My quick and easy resource for what life was and is like in Alameda is our own Alameda Magazine.
I especially like it when they feature stories about the history of the city.
The January-February 2008 issue was by far the best! The cover was a picture of a lady getting ready to dive in a pool in Alameda's version of Coney Island: Neptune Beach.
- Five City Landmarks story is about five historic buildings. You can't just drive by and not wonder about the history of these beautiful structures.
- Riding the Rails when streetcars criss-crossed the city
- Alameda theater --- its rebirth. Although not as ornate as some other theaters like the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland or as exciting as the Castro Theater in San Francisco, it's a wonderful theater in the heart of downtown. Because it's just a block away from Alameda's Kofman Auditorium, are we now to see future kleig lights at our own Alameda's Theater District? It's worth noting that the Alameda Theater is one of 12, and the last one, designed by renowned San Francisco architect Timothy Pflueger. Of the twelve, only four others besides Alameda Theater remain open.
Another recent story was From Bayfront to Lagoons which tells the fight to retain Alameda's waterfront the way it was, to its eventual result of a landfill that has since developed into several residential communities, zig-zag patterns for a lagoon to give people their waterfront views, and the shopping area now known today as the Alameda Town Centre.
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