Golden Bay Era (Area)

[Jack Scorpion]

Good afternoon, FL.

Do you remember me?

I haven't been around as of late, aside from using old threads as the valuable sources of Golden Era research that they are. Mostly, I've been busy, with trips and moving... which brings me to my point...

I am moving to San Francisco this summer, and I feel out of touch with the Vintage lifestyle up there. (The last time I was living in the bay, so was Art Fawcett). My FL-esque experiences since then have come in the form of a couple trips to Bourbon and Branch, and not much else.

I hope to take advantage of the scene once I'm there. Any chance some of y'all can give me a little push?

P.S. This place is really lively! I am elated to see The Fedora Lounge continue to flourish.

 

[Lincsong]

Oh you're back up here huh? Got a car?

 

[Katzenjammer]

A little obvious, maybe, but the Alameda Flea Market (now renamed the "Alameda Point Antiques & Collectibles Faire"!) remains a big draw for a lot of people.

 

[jamespowers]

A little obvious, maybe, but the Alameda Flea Market (now renamed the "Alameda Point Antiques & Collectibles Faire"!) remains a big draw for a lot of people.

It sure did last Suday! This occurs out here on the first Sunday of every month. It is worth a look. I only walked away with an old toy car but you never know what you are going to find. I forgot to go back and get a Dobbs milan ($15) for my son. 7 1/8---it wouldn't fit my head sideways.
In Alameda, you can also stop off not far away from that afterward at The Forbidden Island tiki bar. Park Street also has a few antique shops if you want to check them out. There are a lot of different places ont hsi side of the bay. I have no experience in San Franso someone else might have some ideas for you there.

 

[Katzenjammer]

Okay, I'll chime in with some more stuff. Hope it's useful.

As mentioned, Forbidden Island is a great destination...nice atmosphere, authentic "exotic" decor, and an attention to detail make it a winner (their "polynesian" cocktails are made with fresh ingredients and juices, a vast improvement over the usual canned Dole pineapple juice). You gotta get to Alameda and back, through, and they raise the drawbridge pretty early.

SF Watering holes: the usual dives in the Tenderloin, Lower Nob Hill, and Downtown remain, though they're slowly going through generational changes as old bartenders die off and are replaced by untrained newbies. For instance, the Ha-Ra lost the rudest bartender in SF, Carl, when he retired last month...and the place hasn't been the same since. The spirit of from-the-heart rudeness has been exorcised.

Lastly, Thrillville stages events and movie nights around the Bay Area, though they don't seem to have a steady venue since the demise of the Parkway Theater in Oakland.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

Hey guys. Thanks for the replies.

After never once stepping onto Alameda when I lived in East Bay, I've actually been there many times since on weekend visits, because a friend of mine lives there - truth is, the non-car commute isn't even that bad with the O bus to the Transbay Terminal.

That said, I have a car. (Speaking of which, Alameda has some great cars.)

I have not been to these recommended Alameda destinations though, and I can promise you that I will be checking them out, because they both sound up my alley.

(I'm still fond of the Emeryville Trader Vic's.)

 

[jamespowers]

(I'm still fond of the Emeryville Trader Vic's.)

It has been a while since I have been there. I thought it closed or something. Good to know it is still there.

 

[Bustercat]

Forbidden Island is great. Great grog. They need to change those orange patio lights though.

Check out paulines on park st., great antique store. You could get lost.

 

[Bustercat]

I'll add, swing by july 4th. We have one of the best parades in the country. It's been going on a long time.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

It has been a while since I have been there. I thought it closed or something. Good to know it is still there.

Was there a few months ago. The corner of Emeryville where they are has so far avoided the changes that the rest of the area has endured. The staff hasn't changed in 30 years, and the view is still amazing - definitely worth a return visit.

After paying 15 bucks for a Trader Vics Pina Colada at the Beverly Hilton in LA, I found the 8 bucks in Emeryville to be quite reasonable. Funny how that works...

 

[jamespowers]

Was there a few months ago. The corner of Emeryville where they are has so far avoided the changes that the rest of the area has endured. The staff hasn't changed in 30 years, and the view is still amazing - definitely worth a return visit.

After paying 15 bucks for a Trader Vics Pina Colada at the Beverly Hilton in LA, I found the 8 bucks in Emeryville to be quite reasonable. Funny how that works...

I'll have to try that out again. My father was still alive the last time I went there. I wonder if they still have Bongo Bongo soup.
$15?! Did it have gold nuggets at the bottom of the glass? :eusa_doh:

 

[Jack Scorpion]

I'll have to try that out again. My father was still alive the last time I went there. I wonder if they still have Bongo Bongo soup.
$15?! Did it have gold nuggets at the bottom of the glass? :eusa_doh:

Yes, there is still Bongo Bongo, but I do not know of these golden nuggets of which you speak.

 

[jamespowers]

Yes, there is still Bongo Bongo, but I do not know of these golden nuggets of which you speak.

lol lol lol lol

 

[Bustercat]

I'm curious too about other spots.

Alameda is just about perfect, It was a sleepy and older community for years after the base closed. Recently it's being revitalized and has alot of new spots, and new young couples with children move here.

I've taken to telling people I don't really like that it sucks to keep them from moving here and making it too trendy.

I hope it lasts, it really feels like being in a different era. There's enough of an older/elderly generation to ground the place, enough diversity (both ethnic and political) to keep it open minded, and people are just plain nice. Nobody is too in your face about their ideology here, and it's one of the most honestly comfortably integrated places I've ever been. People of all major ethnicities intermingle, chat, spend time together (young and old). There's not the same tension between rich and poor as in other places. Even the big money that is here is unpretentious and not exclusive.
The guy a few blocks away has a gorgeous, massive copper-roofed victorian mansion (with an observatory). You see him mowing his own lawn, polishing his old chevy, and he'll wave, chat about his house if you ask him. Every halloween he makes it into an EPIC haunted house for the kids of the town.
In general, we take our holidays seriously. Halloween, xmas and 4th of july invite some serious decoration. One guy turned the entire front of his house into a pirate ship last october!

There's fairly strict preservation ordinances here, so old signage gets left up and is frequently repainted and restored. Great classic car show, too. Our modern stores (borders, safeway, kohls, etc.) are nicely segregated into an attractive mall on the site of the old neptune beach.

It really feels like a small town from a bygone age, comfortably adapted to the modern world.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

It really feels like a small town from a bygone age, comfortably adapted to the modern world.

But no Mackinac Island!

 

[Bustercat]

ha, no it's no mackinac. And that's probably for the best. lol

 

[Lincsong]

The Original Joe's in San Jose is a cool place. Nice bar and restaurant.

 

[Miss 1929]

And Westlake Joe's!

 

[Jack Scorpion]

And Westlake Joe's!

Oh, my favorite kind of architecture.