Day 1: BERKELEY TO PARKFIELD

The Building and Safety Division reviews plans, approves permits and provides inspections for construction projects in conformance with the California Codes (building, electrical, plumbing and mechanical) as adopted by and amended by the City of Berkeley (Chapter 19.28 Berkeley Municipal Code.) Building and Safety also provides information and reviews plans for development projects for conformance with the Uniform Building Code as amended by the City of Berkeley, inspects projects to ensure that construction conforms to approved building plans, and manages programs to mitigate seismic risk.

(SOLD)

Created by Emeryville artist Scott Donahue, and installed in October/November 2008, the “Big People” Statues are Berkeley’s largest public art installation.

OWNER: Sponsored by Vicki Olds, Studio Reflex of San Francisco

Internationally touted as the world’s safest house, the Tsui House features an oval reinforced concrete foundation over a series of large perforated drain pipes. The house is partially buried, and the walls are made of recycled styrofoam and cement block called “Rastrablock.” It is impervious to water, fire, termites, has a 40+ R-Value rating and reduces sound by 50 decibels. It is 10% less expensive then conventional framing construction and much less labor intensive since the blocks are simply glued together, rebar placed inside and concrete poured in. A series of black flex tubing placed on the roof acts as passive solar warm air vents.

The City of Emeryville lies on the east shore of San Francisco Bay between Oakland and Berkeley, directly opposite the Golden Gate and San Francisco.  The city is small, just over one square mile, but its strategic location in the center of the Bay Area urban core at the confluence of several major freeways, one of the world’s busiest bridges, and transcontinental rail lines with service to Seattle, Los Angeles, and Chicago makes it a highly desirable place to live, work, and shop.  Even before it was called “Emeryville”, this place was recognized as an ideal location for settlement by indigenous people and the Spanish and Americans that followed them.

According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, The USS Hornet, which has been a floating museum in Alameda, CA open to the public since 1998, is wracked with ghosts! About 200 sightings have been made over the past five years, since the famous Navy vessel was saved from the scrap metal yards and restored. Experts say they are probably ghosts of deceased servicemen who once served aboard the old aircraft carrier. Museum curator, Alan McKean, a former Navy SEAL, has personally seen an officer in WWII khaki uniform descend the stairs from the admiral’s bridge. One tourist recently reported being slapped on the back of the head while using the restroom.

Juju (joo’joo) noun:

1. An object used as a fetish, charm or amulet
2. The supernatural power ascribed to such an object

Lucky Ju Ju is a place where Magic, Karma, Zeitgeist and Skill are infused into a collection of Vintage Pinball Machines for all to enjoy. If you are interested in Pinball, this is the place.

In 1918, the Cadillac dealership commissioned well known sculptor Joe Mora to create terra cotta architectural embellishments for its showroom at 1000 Van Ness Avenue. The result was a composition of two seated figures on either side of the Cadillac Coat of Arms titled “Symbols of Industry.” The only 1921 V8 Cadillac engine block made of terra cotta in existence.

Oakland, California – Port of Oakland – (one) Cargo Container Walking crane (SOLD)

The Port of Oakland is the home of the four largest container cranes in the world! These giant cranes each have the capacity to lift 65 long tons (145,600 Ibs) at one time.

OWNER: Cynthia Haynes

Children’s Fairyland is America’s first storybook theme park. Built in 1950, Children’s Fairyland was designed by William Russell Everett, and includes Fairyland’s Storybook Puppet Theater, which is the longest-running puppet show in the United States.   Day-to-day operations were turned over to the City of Oakland in 1994.

A place to create the impossible, the new, the ridiculous, the exiting and most importantly, the never seen before. It is the largest do-it-yourself industrial art space in the Bay Area with over 40 different art groups and craftsmen in the shop. NIMBY not only offers space to create, but supports its artists with resources, assistance in sourcing re-purposed material, as well as logistical and technical guidance. This supportive culture shared by all members of the NIMBY community is at the root of the amazing art that emerges from its doors. NIMBY is the hub for creativity that boggles the mind and fosters community values that encourage collaboration and innovation.

As the Zucchini capital of California, each summer the Hayward Zucchini Festival offers all things zucchini, from fried zucchini to zucchini ice-cream.

Burlingame, California – Museum Of Pez Memorabilia ($75)

The Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia is the only place in the world to see an example of every Pez dispenser ever made! Over 550 unique Pez characters have been produced since 1950.

In 2007, the museum added a new exhibit: the World’s Largest Dispenser of Pez, officially recognized as the World’s Largest Dispenser of Pez by Guinness World Records.

For those of you who are not Pez-inclined, the museum was expanded in 2004 to include the Classic Toy Museum, which features exhibits of the other great toys of the past.

The window of Michael’s Hair Design salon, located in a non-descript strip mall in Belmont, CA, features a proud display of local ingenuity and patriotism: an American flag, made of human hair. The flag is about four feet tall, and appears to ripple majestically in the wind. Michael’s occasionally adds new hair art, including a hat (of course), and a dress.

The giant artichoke of Castroville bulges into the parking lot of a fruit stand and restaurant-shopping strip. Like an immense leafy alien head, it seems to grin westward towards the Pacific Ocean and the world’s less bountiful regions.  Castroville holds an annual two-day Artichoke Festival; Marilyn Monroe was the first artichoke beauty pageant queen, crowned in 1948.

“The Centennial Light,” as it’s now known, still hangs 15 feet above the fire trucks in Station #6 on East Avenue. It has outlasted three previous fire stations, even though its original task – enabling the firefighters to see the equipment at night – has long since been passed to younger, more robust bulbs. It gives a faint glow, equal to about three candles, and it has almost never been turned off. The keys to its longevity: Bright bulbs burn out faster, and they almost always blow when you flick on the switch. If you used only 4-watt bulbs to light your home, and you had a dedicated power supply (as does The Centennial Light), your lamps might last a hundred years, too.  The best way to keep a light bulb burning is to never turn it off.

OWNER: Donated by Puffergas

Triangle was, until they closed, one of the better places to go if you needed mechanical or electromechanical parts or assemblies, specialized hand or power tools particular to the electronics industry, stepping or other motors, industrial motor controllers, even some test gear.

Located in South San Jose, the Metcalf Energy Center is a 600-megawatt power generation facility built by Calpine Corporation. It utilizes natural gas for fuel and is one of the cleanest, most efficient facilities of its kind in the world. Construction began in 2002, and the plant was online, delivering power to the northern California market, in June 2005.

The 20-acre site, which includes land for access and landscape buffer, is across the street from the 40-acre PG&E Metcalf Substation, the main hub for electricity in the South Bay. The site is closely-bounded by high voltage transmission lines, train tracks, a hillside, a highway, and a small farm. It is completely shielded from residential neighborhoods by a 350-foot high hill. The region includes approximately 450 acres of land that accommodates the confluence of many miles of existing transmission lines, an area already being used as the main electrical infrastructure for Silicon Valley and the South Bay. This major substation and nearby transmission towers equipped with high capacity lines have been located in this area for over 50 years.

http://www.metcalfenergycenter.com/

Owner Daniel Stern has a long history in the motorcycle industry, starting out as a motorcycle mechanic and drag racer back in 1979. Before he opened Hollister Harley-Davidson in 2000, he had already retired from a career as a major aftermarket manufacturer/distributor, having been personally involved in the development of thousands of products for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. House of Thunder is a multiple Winner of the Bronze Bar and Shield Award as determined by Harley-Davidson!

http://www.houseofthunderhd.com/

Founded as an orchard by the Bisceglia brothers, Italian immigrants, in 1908, Casa de Fruta is now a large roadside attraction, located in the Pacheco Valley of Northern California.  In 1943, three of the brothers’ teenaged grand-nephews opened a roadside cherry stand, eventually expanding to sell other fruits. In 1967 the remaining two grand-nephews opened a restaurant, Casa de Coffee, gas station, Casa de Diesel, children’s playground (including Casa de Choo-Choo, a miniature train for children to ride), and gift shop. Casa de Fruta today includes an RV resort, inn, Casa de Sweets, and Casa de Wine. Even the bathrooms in the Chevron Gas Station are called Casa de Restrooms. It is also the current home of the Northern California Renaissance Faire, which takes place in September and October each year.

http://www.casadefruta.com/

Gilroy Gardens is a beautiful California amusement park, located in Gilroy, CA, and is the only California theme park with a horticultural theme. In 1984, Bonfante Gardens theme park acquired and transplanted the late Axel Erlandson’s Circus Trees, which showcased his 40+ years of experiments in decorative tree growth. Today, 19 of the trees still thrive at Bonfante. To make this “Basket Tree,” Erlandson planted six sycamore trees in a circle and then grafted them together to form the diamond patterns.

First established in 1850 as a stage stop, Gilroy is the Garlic Capital of the World, playing host to the three-day Gilroy Garlic Festival in July (since 1979). The city has also been known as the Tobacco Capital of the United States, the Dairy and Cheese Capital of California, the Prune Capital, the Hay and Grain Capital and the Horse-Breeding Capital.

Gilroy celebrates its bulb with a 3-day event in late July each year, feeding the  107,553 participants of the 2008 event garlic enhanced appetizers, snacks, meals, desserts, and drinks.

The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum (REM), founded by the Ancient Mystical Order Rosae Crucis, is a museum about Ancient Egypt located at AMORC’s Rosicrucian Park in the Rose Garden neighborhood of San Jose. The Rosicrucian Order continues to support and expand the museum and its educational and scientific activities.

The museum, set in an Egyptian revival park, has the largest exhibition of Ancient Egyptian antiquities in the Western US. Is the only such museum in the world with buildings constructed in Ancient Egyptian architectural style. Has a purpose-built planetarium adjacent to the museum. (The Planetarium was the 5th opened in the United States, and the first with a Star Projector built in the country, constructed by H. Spencer Lewis.)

This Victorian mansion, designed and built by Sarah L. Winchester, the Winchester Rifle heiress, has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House. Begun in 1884, with work continuing until her death in 1922, this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces.

The San Andreas Fault is a continental transform fault that runs roughly 800 miles (1,300 km) through California, and forms the tectonic boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The central segment of the San Andreas fault runs in a northwestern direction from Parkfield to Hollister. While the southern section of the fault and the parts through Parkfield experience earthquakes, the rest of the central section of the fault exhibits aseismic creep, which indicates that the fault is able to move without causing earthquakes.