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August 3, 2014 by tomdalzell

The Signs of San Pablo Avenue

BerkeleySPAddison1940s

San Pablo looking south at University

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

3012 San Pablo

2871 San Pablo

2871 San Pablo

2821 San Pablo

2821 San Pablo

2819 San Pablo

2819 San Pablo

28100 San Pablo

2810 San Pablo

2725 San Pablo

2725 San Pablo

2720 San Pablo

2720 San Pablo

2705 San Pablo

2705 San Pablo

2634 San Pablo

2634 San Pablo

2613 San Pablo

2613 San Pablo

2613 San Pablo

2613 San Pablo

2611 San Pablo

2611 San Pablo

2601 San Pablo

2601 San Pablo

2600 San Pablo

2600 San Pablo

2527 San Pablo

2527 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2512 San Pablo

2472 San Pablo

2472 San Pablo

2418 San Pablo

2418 San Pablo

2418 San Pablo

2418 San Pablo

2403 San Pablo

2403 San Pablo

2395 San Pablo

2395 San Pablo

2391 San Pablo

2391 San Pablo

2365 San Pablo

2365 San Pablo

2362 San Pablo

2362 San Pablo

2323 San Pablo

2323 San Pablo

2301 San Pablo

2301 San Pablo

2228 San Pablo

2228 San Pablo

2228 San Pablo

2228 San Pablo

2226 San Pablo

2226 San Pablo

2221 San Pablo

2221 San Pablo

2101 San Pablo

2101 San Pablo

2053 San Pablo

2053 San Pablo

2049 San Pablo

2049 San Pablo

2033 San Pablo

2033 San Pablo

2009 San Pablo

2009 San Pablo

1960 San Pablo

1960 San Pablo

1955 San Pablo

1955 San Pablo

1931 San Pablo

1931 San Pablo

1830 San Pablo

1830 San Pablo

1824 San Pablo

1824 San Pablo

1822 San Pablo

1822 San Pablo

1809 San Pablo

1809 San Pablo

1724 San Pablo

1724 San Pablo

1720 San Pablo

1720 San Pablo

1640 San Pablo

1640 San Pablo

1627 San Pablo

1605 San Pablo

1605 San Pablo

1601 San Pablo

1601 San Pablo

1499 San PBLO

1499 San PBLO

1418 San Pablo

1418 San Pablo

1404 San Pablo

1404 San Pablo

1402 San Pablo

1402 San Pablo

1346 San Pablo

1346 San Pablo

1331 San Pablo

1331 San Pablo

1317 San Pablo

1317 San Pablo

1296 San Pablo

1296 San Pablo

1281 San Pablo

1281 San Pablo

1275 San Pablo

1275 San Pablo

1235 San Pablo

1235 San Pablo

1197 San Pablo

1197 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:

timessquare

“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?

IMG_3677

 

 

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2 Responses to The Signs of San Pablo Avenue

  1. John Lowry says:
    April 22, 2016 at 8:53 pm

    Any shots of Ruthie’s Inn?

    Reply
    • tomdalzell says:
      April 24, 2016 at 1:27 pm

      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?

      Reply

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