Status Updates From Secret Stairs: East Bay: A ...

"It starts as 29 redwood railroad tie risers" (219) redwood railroad is a great tongue twister

"... turn uphill to hit Arlington—where you will find yourself back at the starting point, and at the conclusion of the final walk in this collection." (215) imagine my surprise when I turned the page to find another walk

"Then walk up Washington, going west, heading for the hill. Cross many presidential-themed streets—Adams, Madison, Jackson, and Cerrito, one of the lesser-known presidents—" (207)

"These are wide and rose-colored again, and drop, without benefit of handrails, 76 steps into Margarido-ville once more." (182) this is me glaring at you (in respect), Charles Fleming

"A helpful plaque here explains that the sloping ground before you was once the site of the Piedmont Springs Hotel, which served guests of the Sulphur Springs attraction deep in the canyon below. The hotel was built in 1872 by a man named Walter Blair, and was very hot stuff for 20 years, until it got too hot and was destroyed in a fire." (173) badumchhhh

"Walk across Palm, and climb Wallace up a sharp bit of hill. At the top, you will find yourself at the complex crossing of Wallace, Winsor, Wildwood, and Warfield. (Why do developers and urban planners do this?)" (171) great question

"...home of the Oakland Lawn Bowling Association, a venerable institution ... whose finely textured bowling pitches are to your right and left. Admire the delicate mosaic tile portraits of bowlers in action, dating from 1912, then turn left and walk around behind the building. Here you will find more lawns, sometimes in use as croquet fields by people who take their croquet very, very seriously." (126) a dire warning

"Cross the street, taking note of the funicular trashcan railway just to your left, then find the next stretch of Easter Way dead ahead." (90-91) FUNICULAR. TRASHCAN. RAILWAY.

"You might have spied a staircase earlier. You might see another one now. Ignore them, and keep walking. They will come into play later." (72)

"Above you, the steps continue in wood up the hillside. This is part of a path that rises to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory high above. They are not for you. Instead, cross the street and find another set of stairs," (59)

"As you descend, notice another Ratcliff at 2583, a Maybeck at 2577, and another Garren at 2573. This last one is ornamented by a curious image of a three-legged woman, a symbol similar to the one you will find on the menus at the College Avenue Italian restaurant Trattoria La Siciliana. Hmm." (50) why...why the hmm? Am I missing something?

"As you visit, consider this odd fact: several floors of the Campanile house dinosaur bones and fossils, excavated in the early 1900s by a Cal professor from the famous La Brea Tar Pits of Los Angeles. These are not open to the public, but it's nice to know they're there, isn't it?" (42) it is

"Here you will find wood-shingled homes, clinging to the hillsides, and big oak trees interrupting marvelous views of the San Francisco Bay." (33-34) so rude