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

Kennedy Grove

Kennedy Grove Turf Meadow pictured above.
website: http://www.ebparks.org/parks/kennedy 

KENNEDY GROVE...

Is a beautiful place consisting of 100 year-old eucalyptus trees that were planted in 1910. The park was dedicated to the late President John F. Kennedy in 1967.

Run by the East Bay Regional Park District, the park is located at the North end of the San Pablo Reservoir and just East of Wildcat Canyon Regional Park/Tilden Park, off San Pablo Dam Road near El Sobrante.  The park entrance is about 0.25 miles south of the intersection with Castro Ranch Road.  This month up until February the park is open 8:30am to 4:30pm. Dogs are admitted (on a leash) for a $2 fee.


One of the many picnic areas.



Playground

Kennedy Grove is a prime location for family picnics.  In 1886 there were scheduled railroad stops of the California Nevada Railroad at Frenchman's Curve and Laurel Grove Station. There are many picnic areas (with tables and grills) in the Grove named for some of the historic railroad stops that existed in the area when there was a railroad running from Oakland to Orinda.  While picnicking, you can also enjoy many other amenities like the childrens' playground, the turf meadow open space in the middle for running, frisbee, or ball, and the horseshoe courts and volleyball nets set up with rental equipment available for a fee. 

Fern Cottage

The open air Amphitheater is a great option for hosting outdoor events with an audience, and Fern Cottage is available for indoor corporate events or weddings and accommodates about 100 people, with a nicely landscaped back yard and catering available. 

There are many hiking/running, biking, and horseback riding trails surrounding the park, with outlook benches when you are ready to take a rest.  There is a map on the website with details on the trails: Black Oak, Sea Foam, Kennedy Creek, and Laurel Loop trails are the main trails of the park. 

I highly recommend this beautiful park - enjoy!



The Dunsmuir-Hellman Historic Estate



http://www.dunsmuir-hellman.com/home.html 

 The Dunsmuir Estate is a beautiful venue for many events as well as just for a walk through the grounds.  

The Mansion...

The mansion has been designated a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the Interior and both the mansion and the Carriage House have been designated Historic Landmarks by the City of Oakland.   The estate has also been used as a location or background for several movies and television shows including the James Bond movie, "A View To a Kill".

As I walked through the huge, over 16,000 square foot home, I was amazed at the attention to detail throughout (last remodelled in 1913) and the number of amenities included then that are impressive even today!  It has 37 rooms, 20 bedrooms, 9 1/2 bathrooms, and 10 fireplaces. 


The Mansion

It has a neoclassical-revival architectural style and was built 110 years ago in 1899 on 50 acres of land, as a wedding gift for the wife of Alexander Dunsmuir.  The mansion was amazingly built in only 9 months with the use of some pre-fabricated materials.  Dunsmuir was the son of a coal barron and was to oversee the family business in San Francisco.  Unfortunately he died on his honeymoon and his wife Josephine lived in the home alone until her death two years later.  The estate was then sold to I.W. Hellman Jr, who worked for Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco, as a summer home.  The estate was purchased by the city of Oakland in the 1960s and then taken over by a non-profit organization in 1971. 
The Grounds...


Teas are hosted at the Dinkelspiel House


 In addition to the mansion, there are many other sights to see including a pond and gazebo, beautiful landscaping, a swimming pool with Mission-style bathhouse, a carriage house, and the Dinkelspiel House, which was built for Florence Hellman and her husband, Lloyd Dinkelspiel.  During the Holiday festivities, there are formal teas held at the Dinkelspiel House.  I attended one last weekend and it was very good!  Plenty of finger foods and refills on the tea kept coming.

During the Holidays, there is an annual event that offers tons of festivities including a Childrens' Play Zone, Petting Zoo, Ice Skating, Carriage Rides, Holiday Teas, Mansion Tours, Shopping, Movies, and more!  This year the festivities end December 19th.



Carriage rides are available during the Annual Holiday Festivities



Hiking Strawberry Canyon

Looking toward the lot after
walking under the oak tree

The Strawberry Canyon trail is one of my favorites so far.  It has amazing views at the top, and on the way up some interesting plants and animals.  It's about 7 miles round trip, and it's dog-friendly.

The journey starts at a small gravel parking lot on the right side of Centennial Drive, heading up just past the Strawberry Canyon/Haas Pool at Berkeley and before the Botanical Gardens.  Parking is free but your stay needs to be at or under 2 hours and the lot is fairly small.

Once you are parked, walk under the oak tree at the bottom of the lot and you will see the start of the trail.  Joggers take part of this trail as well so you'll cross paths with quite a few of them on your way up.

Banana Slug

Looking down at the creek

You pass over a small creek that gurgles through the area.  Keep an eye out for Banana Slugs on the path as well.  They are neat little creatures that are about the size of your pointer finger.

Incline to the top

Soon you'll reach the incline that will give you a good cardio workout as you make your way up.  There is a fork in this trail at which you need to keep left for the complete hike.  If you keep right it's a shorter way up.

Once you reach the top, enjoy the amazing view!  There are quite a few places you can sit to have lunch if you brought some.  Save a bit of your energy for the hike down as the incline part is pretty steep.

View from the top!

Welcome to my blog!

My name is Natalie Hughbanks, and I am a REALTOR in the East Bay of California with J. Rockcliff Realtors.

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Thanks, Natalie!