Schmotographs - Treasure Island

The Saint That I Am Married To and I were able to sneak off to San Fransisco for a few hours last weekend. We were up north on business and found a free afternoon so we grabbed a rental car and made the trek.

One of the places we checked out was Treasure Island, which is in the middle of San Fransisco Bay. Treasure Island is a man-made island that was built for the 1939 Worlds Fair. It was also used as a Navy base for many years, many shipboard firefighters were trained there. The Navy closed the base several years ago, now it awaits environmental clean up before redevelopment can fully occur.

Today, it sits. Only partially used, it is a diamond in the rough. We, like many, have a morbid fascination with the vacant, unused and abandoned. We spent a few hours there, time well spent.

 

There are five wineries on the island, sadly no breweries. We stopped at this one, which is housed in the old brig (navy jail) that served the island. The owner started the process in 2008 and is selling his first bottling. We are not wine aficionados, but we did enjoy his samples so we bought a few bottles.

 

We found these gems, leftovers from '50s and '60s era signage. These used to be mounted on poles in front of restaurants called Doggie Diner, a chain of 24 hot dog stands that ran from 1949 until 1986. Now, most of the surviving Doggie Heads are owned privately and make apperances at art festivals and counter culture events. As wiener dog fans, we had to stop and take a picture of these signs when we spotted them on a trailer stored on Treasure Island. I'd love to have one of these, but they are over six feet all and reportedly weigh over 200 lbs.

click to enlarge

Location! Location! Location! Treasure Island's best asset it it's location. This is a pano shot of the San Fransisco skyline, taken from the West side of the island. A great view when the weather is good.

I was so impressed with the island's view of the city, we stopped back by there on the way back to Sacramento. The place was crawling with photographers, all wanting a shot of the night-scape. I'm glad I stopped.

I have been to San Fransisco many times over the years and have had a great time each trip. I have learned not to discuss politics with the locals and have learned that the best things about the city are not found at Fisherman's Wharf or at the other tourist spots. It's the out of the way spots, as it is in most places, where the treasure is located.

Have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Schmoe