#2—Claremont Hotel Heights
Walk #2—Claremont Hotel Heights
Saturday, 21 July 2012
We did this walk over the course of two days. The first day, 14 July, we covered the standard walk. The amusing side trip discussed on page 23 of the book was done on Saturday 21 July.
On the 14th, it was 59F when we started out, with just a few puffy clouds in the sky. Anyway, we started in Berkeley at Ashby and Claremont, and walked over to the Claremont Hotel, which is in Oakland. The gray line in the map is the boundary of the two cities.
Here is a map of the walk (salmon color). You can enlarge it to see the staircases and paths, and switch to other views (eg, satellite) to see the area differently. Street view is also available. The blue pin is the start of the walk.
It is amazing that we have driven past the Claremont Hotel for many years and never, ever, saw the staircase in the parking lot. You can see it right over the roof of the red car in the back of the lot. If you have good eyes.
Up we go on the Short Cut.
At the top of the Short Cut, after crossing the street, there’s Eucalyptus Path. It’s been improved, in part, recently.
This is the street where there are no garages or cars. Here’s the entrance to the house at number 36. The residents must all be in great shape. Note that Eucalyptus Path is not the same road as the Eucalyptus Road in Walk #1.
The view back down the hill is quite good. That’s San Francisco in the distance.
More on the Path. Someone was having a romantic party, and the pointers to the party were hearts on the pathway.
Here’s the funicular railway mentioned on page 22.
Here’s the map again. We’re at the top of Eucalyptus Path, at the flag.
Right after landing on Alvarado, there’s the fun chicken porch, with an Attack Rooster Security Company sign.
There was a terrible fire in this area in 1991. The book states more than 3,500 homes burned down; almost all of the affected lots have new houses on them. The architecture has not held up well, compared with older homes. The three story house with the balconies below is in Oakland. After it, 600 Alvarado Road, the house number in Berkeley changes to 290. The lower house (#284) is in Berkeley.
We crossed over into Berkeley and came to Willow Walk. The middle didn’t photograph well in the light and shadow. Here’s what the top of the Walk and the bottom of the Walk look like.
This is where the walk is split in terms of dates. On the first day we walked this route, we did not do the extra bit. Below is what we saw on the next walk, which in the book is called “the amusing side trip.” Older houses, and more firestorm houses. It was also hot, 82F.
Here’s the staircase up to the Vicente Canyon Hillside, page 23. This staircase is either in Oakland or Berkeley, or the city boundary goes down the middle. Since it is wood, probably Oakland.
Near the staircase, we met a local resident who was walking her dog. She was not happy to learn the “secret” park is in the book.
After 132 steps up, we found this nice little picnic area with benches and a bird house.
Here’s the view: downtown Oakland and more firestorm replacements in Oakland across the canyon.
Back to the walk, without the amusing side trip. We turned around and went back up Willow Walk to Sunset Trail. About half way along, there is this nice deck and bench overlooking the bay; it must be the redwood viewing platform mentioned on page 23. The map has a yellow pin marking its spot. NB: Author Fleming mixed up right and left when he describes the Sunset Trail.
There are many nicely landscaped yards on this walk. Here’s one.
The Claremont Hotel can be seen here, near the Evergreen Trail.
Half way along the Evergreen Trail, we deviated from the book’s directions (red triangle on the map). Instead of going back down to the Short Cut and then back up the hilly parking lot to the hotel—as did the first time we did this walk—we turned right and went down a well trodden trail through a Eucalyptus forest to the upper level parking lot.
Inside the hotel (recommended on page 21) we found out that the original paint of the enormous hotel was black and white stripes! On the way back to the starting point there is a wooden real estate office at the intersection of Domingo Avenue and Tunnel Road. Once it housed Jay Ward Realtors. Mr Ward was the creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
This walk is in an area above the Claremont Hotel, and is about evenly split between Berkeley and Oakland.
The book reports 544 steps and 1.6 miles. The step count looks right; the distance is 2.5 miles with the amusing side trip and its extra 132 steps. (calculated by Google maps).
Next—nearby Elmwood Park.
