San Pablo looking south at University
San Pablo Avenue is our funkiest boulevard. South to North – it is the street, the avenue, the underbelly. For those of us inclined to romanticize urban life, San Pablo is as good as it gets. It is hard to imagine it being gentrified, but – possible. There are a couple stretches that have been discovered by hipsters, and today’s hipster is tomorrow’s gentrification.
San Pablo teems with life – and with material culture. I present below photographs made in the spring of 2014, cataloging the signs of San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, California. They inform. They are elements of our fabric. They are alive –
3012 San Pablo
2871 San Pablo
2821 San Pablo
2819 San Pablo
2810 San Pablo
2725 San Pablo
2720 San Pablo
2705 San Pablo
2634 San Pablo
2613 San Pablo
2613 San Pablo
2611 San Pablo
2601 San Pablo
2600 San Pablo
2527 San Pablo
2512 San Pablo
2512 San Pablo
2512 San Pablo
2512 San Pablo
2472 San Pablo
2418 San Pablo
2418 San Pablo
2403 San Pablo
2395 San Pablo
2391 San Pablo
2365 San Pablo
2362 San Pablo
2323 San Pablo
2301 San Pablo
2228 San Pablo
2228 San Pablo
2226 San Pablo
2221 San Pablo
2101 San Pablo
2053 San Pablo
2049 San Pablo
2033 San Pablo
2009 San Pablo
1960 San Pablo
1955 San Pablo
1931 San Pablo
1830 San Pablo
1824 San Pablo
1822 San Pablo
1809 San Pablo
1724 San Pablo
1720 San Pablo
1640 San Pablo
1627 San Pablo
1605 San Pablo
1601 San Pablo
1499 San PBLO
1418 San Pablo
1404 San Pablo
1402 San Pablo
1346 San Pablo
1331 San Pablo
1317 San Pablo
1296 San Pablo
1281 San Pablo
1275 San Pablo
1235 San Pablo
1197 San Pablo
1197 San Pablo
My friend “digs” San Pablo Avenue, and not just Berkeley. His idea of a great day is to drive San Pablo Avenue from south in Oakland to north in Rodeo. He pulled out this photo:
“It ain’t Times Square in 1950 but it ain’t bad.” Point taken, but what does he think about the photos of the signs?
Any shots of Ruthie’s Inn?
I am working on a post on rock clubs that are gone, including Ruthie’s. Sometime this summer. Do you have any photos of it?