The Albany Bulb

THE ALBANY BULB...

A former landfill area located at 1 Buchanan Street in Albany that overlooks the San Francisco Skyline.  If you are looking for an urban adventure, this is definitely on the top of the list!  

The Dog Beach.

THE DOG BEACH

You are first greeted with a beautiful sandy beach that is a fantastic area to let your dog run and play off-leash.  Once you have had your fill of fun in the sand, head up the trail out onto the bulb part and be prepared for tons of interesting art, animals, and a shantytown!

Shoe Tree.

THE ART

Walk up the main gravel trail and come to a fork.  Take a left and you are on a rocky path along the water overlooking the bay.  You'll see a bunch of interesting graffiti and art along the way, including a crazy-looking "shoe tree".  It gets really rough and rocky at a certain point, so I would recommend turning back. 

If you veer to the right of the fork  you'll be near the top of the bulb.  Note, this is where you'll see the shanty town.  People are camped out in tents and living among the bushes and trees off the trail.  Walk downhill on the trail through there, and to the North Side of the Bulb.  There, you'll see a number of sculptures looking out toward Point Isabel that are pretty amazing. 

The Thinker Sculpture.

THE MUDFLATS

If you pass the sculptures and go right toward the freeway, you will find yourself in the mudflats.  The Mudflats are protected as an important habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds.  There is currently some controversy over whether the off-leash status of the area should be revoked in order to protect this habitat further.  This is an area that has been used by dog owners for decades.  As a note, the Plateau area, once popular for flying model airplanes, has been partly fenced off as habitat for Burrowing Owls.  This is a tough issue, because it's great to protect the wildlife in the area, but responsible dog owners should also be able to enjoy it as well.  There is actually a public hearing on the topic on Thursday, 2/10/2011 at 7pm at the Albany City Hall, Council of Chambers (1000 San Pablo Avenue, Albany).  Hopefully there will be a good compromise for both sides... maybe a park ranger that manages the area?  Certain seasons that certain areas are closed off?  We shall see. 

There is a steep uphill trail at the end of the mudflats that puts you right in the middle of a section of the shanty town, so to prevent any surprises I would turn back and go back the way you came.    

For more information see  www.albanybulb.com