mural with header "East & West at Peace" is on the 151st St. side of an existing liquor store…read more The header is a reference to an old rap rivalry in which Tupac Shakur on the West Coast and Notorious B.I.G. on the East Coast died. Their pics are at the top left and right, respectively. The feud is no longer oncoming. A truce was negotiated. other themes portrayed: -break dancing -bay bridge labeled "Dreams" -Jemco sign a reference to Gemco now Target. -In Loving Memory John Gomes -"welcome to San Leandro" sign -Bal theatre sign -DJ spinning vinyl -Raider fan in gear carrying boombox -teenage female hanging around -smiling Sikh wearing turban -a convenience store -skyline of Oakland downtown skyscrapers.. Creators: Amend, TDK, MERX

this utility box looks a swirl of pink, ruby, and light blue paint with grey streaks. the theme is…read moretoo abstract to comprehend. at the bottom is the label either Ghost Ghost or @host @host it could also mean that nothing is for certain, that everything is an haze. creator: Simon Tran

Five stars because it costs no yen…read more As far as Japanese gardens go, this one is my least favorite because it is rectangular, with a visible metal fence perimeter, with ugly trash and graffiti visible from across the creek and no opportunities to feed the koi fish. Three things, though, that make it special is that they have memorial plaques, stray cats, and blowtorched wood for an aged and weather-resistant finish. From 1913-1962, the site was a practice site for farming and raising livestock for Hayward Union High. It became a garden by the late 1970s, and when dedicated in 1980, focusing on botany (with plants donated by local Japanese-American nurseries) rather than religion. Every first Saturday at 1pm there's a free lecture/tour. It's not especially beautiful or big (3.5 acres) or exciting (the few people I saw there were on their phones), but it's a peaceful, clean area. I think informational displays could help people enjoy it more. Or phone chargers. Information like, many of the wooden connections (including the main entry gate) have notches instead of notches to fit together like puzzle pieces. This more authentic approach prevents rust. Or, the garden uses the Shakkei technique: when you can stand at the highest point, the surrounding trees are meant to look like distant mountains, with specific plants blended with the Japanese maples and native Oaks to make the garden feel ten timers larger than its actual 3.5 acres. Or, the hand-selected granite boulders from the Sierra Nevadas are buried one-third into the ground so it looks like they are growing, which is why I don't manicure myself often. .

I did not know this place existed until my partner found this and brought his family here…read more It's a nice, serene and scenic short walk with plenty of nice photo spots and benches to sit and take in the greenery. I loved seeing all the koi, bansai and various plants they had in the area. It is well worth a visit to come check it out!

Great stuff, good quality, good prices -- definitely worth a visit. Few other spots nearby also…read moreworth a look.

I was in the auction and I bought a beautiful me four season marble statues .They look so beautiful…read morenext to my pool. Natalie's Auction deliver the statues and place them next to my pool . Thank you.

these utility boxes have animals which supposedly inhabit the San Leandro Creek. these include a…read moreracoon, a porcupine, fishes, butterflies, frogs, tadpoles, salmon... creator: Katie Bertsche

This is a lovely and unique art installation by the Exploratorium's Studio for Public Spaces, lead…read moreengineer and designer Colin Wang. A musical exhibit made up of oversized chimes and rocking chairs, which create sound with the drop of a hammer mechanism, located in downtown San Leandro in the Safeway plaza near Joaquin Avenue. Music quotes by Ray Charles and Sun Tzu are attached to the seats, though some words are missing due to vandalism. And the musical feature was definitely in working order this past weekend, at least for the few seats that we tried, creating a pleasant sound with each chime. The walkway where the exhibit is situated was deserted when we visited around sunset, though the plaza parking lot was full on a Sunday. Definitely a creative piece worth checking out if you're in the area.

This year the honey and I decided we would try out a couple different Christmas Tree Lanes instead…read moreof just driving around hoping to find different lit neighborhoods. This Christmas Tree Lane is perhaps the ultimate Christmas Tree Lane, considering it's an extremely dense block where every single home is lit up with different displays. On one end there was a table with kids selling cookies and hot chocolate and in the middle there was a frosty ice cream truck. We got a bit lucky as it was less busy when we drove in around 6pm or so, but it was a madhouse by the time we wrapped up our visit. We later drove over to the San Ramon Christmas Tree Lane on Woodland Drive and found it to be much less busy and a bit more enjoyable as their streets were wider. All in all, this Christmas Tree Lane is definitely something to experience once, but unless you're local to Alameda I'm not sure I'd make it a yearly trip.

This was our first time going to Christmas Tree Lane here! There are not much areas with Christmas…read moredecoration / lights in this area, so it was nice to be able to find an area with beautiful Christmas decorations and lights. Not much parking that was close by and it was a bit cold / windy during our visit, so we just drove down the street and it was beautiful still.

Hayward (is).....on the side of a building that sells motorcycle gear, supplies & parts. It's next…read moreto a self-service car wash. The mural shows 3 young teens around a bubble making machine. Nearby are circles with images of Hayward: -Hayward water tower -Ron Thompson-a local guitarist -apricots & beans-reminders of fruits crops of cherries, berries, pears, plums et al. that once grew here -Ohlone hut of Native Americans that had land here. -an house indicating many landmarked buildings. *many aspects not shown-i.e. Mexican natives who were here when Spain left land to Mexico. Mexico ceded land to America after the Mexican-American War (1846-48). **Mexicans & Native Americans were granted "rights" in treaties. U.S. Congress ignored it... !mural erased history of early inhabitants of Hayward..

This is a lovely sculpture located at the Center Walk across from Frank Ogawa Plaza. It's labeled…read more"fountain" on the Oakland City Center map/directory. The piece was inspired by Gertrude Stein's quote "There is no there there", referring to her childhood home, despite her words being interpreted in different ways. The artist, Roslyn Mazzilli, spent decades creating sculptures that reflect aspects of nature and add vibrant color to the various settings in which her public artworks are displayed. "There!" is seemingly ageless and certainly an attractive centerpiece among the surrounding shops and eateries at the City Center, and a prime representation of Mazzilli's work.

This colorful sculpture is in the middle of the city center plaza right outside the 12th street…read moreBart station. I'd been here many times before and even sat around the fountain but never paid attention to the name of the sculpture nor it's creator until my last visit. Thanks to yelp, I learned something new once again. Now I know that this sculpture is knows as There!, created by sculptor Roselyn Mazzilli. Upon closer look, I saw the nameplate for the first time including the date of installation which is 1988. The entire plaza is a nice place to hang around with lots of restaurants providing outside seating around the sculpture and the fountain. Due to severe drought in California, the fountain is currently off but the sculpture is still a beauty to behold.

a palm trees & graffiti mural illuminates the right side of this building. cars in the parking lot…read morepartially obscure it. the entirety shows palm trees spaced apart. the spaces between the trees have been painted over with block lettering. the message is clear. the graffiti deliberately painted over a message of the original poster re the images of palm trees et al depicting a possible gentrification of his/her hood. a protest of sorts. the result of keeping the palm trees and exiting the baggage is a social commentary ala an op ed.