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-   -   Martinez, CA...worth a look (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182462)

stepper77 Jun 12, 2010 1:22 AM

Martinez, CA...worth a look
 
Martinez, CA (pop 35,866)

Located along the Carquinez Straight in the Bay Area, Martinez is the county seat of the East Bay's Contra Costa County, serving a million residents. I'd been wanting to check it out for a while as I'd heard good things, little did I know how architecturally rich it was. Unfortunately, the oil industry located in Martinez does not provided much of an impression of the city from the freeway or bridge approaches...

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/3156/martinez001.jpg

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http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3386/martinez003.jpg

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/2428/martinez004.jpg

Even this "vista point" trail over the the Benicia-Martinez Bridge doesn't offer much more to see...

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/608/martinez005.jpg

...a few flowers maybe...

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/9436/martinez008.jpg

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/8951/martinez009.jpg

...the HWY 80/Carquinez Bridge...

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/6940/martinez010.jpg

http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/1228/martinez011.jpg

...the HWY 680/Benicia-Martinez Bridge...

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/5231/martinez012.jpg

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4286/martinez013.jpg

...more industry and wetlands...

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/973/martinez014.jpg

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http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/1453/martinez017.jpg

But...

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/2773/martinez139.jpg

...OK, let's go see

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/3322/martinez018.jpg

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Alhambra Creek, somewhat famously residing a beaver population that caused some local controversy here

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/9482/martinez024.jpg

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http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/1043/martinez059.jpg

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Beautiful!

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1553/martinez063.jpg

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http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/7908/martinez062.jpg

Oof...what it is this ugliness...a county prison?

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/5526/martinez064.jpg

Nope, it's the Contra Costa County Administrative Building

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/5043/martinez065.jpg

No good from this angle either...

http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/476/martinez066.jpg

...this angle not so bad

http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/7011/martinez067.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/6561/martinez068.jpg

Another shot...still not sold on this one

http://img686.imageshack.us/img686/7181/martinez071.jpg

How about something to flush the eyes out with?

http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/2262/martinez070.jpg

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http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/5476/martinez073.jpg

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A closer look at the plaque...interesting...it looked liked a resident hotel now.

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/7757/martinez092.jpg

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http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/9278/martinez094.jpg

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Sign of the times?

http://img697.imageshack.us/img697/932/martinez100.jpg

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http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/8900/martinez132.jpg

You can't escape it

http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/5529/martinez133.jpg

http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/7619/martinez134.jpg

Not, in fact, the Martinez Amtrak Station

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/6103/martinez135.jpg

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Martinez has a sizable waterfront park/wetland/openspace area separating downtown from the Bay...let's take a walk

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/6922/martinez156.jpg

http://img816.imageshack.us/img816/4184/martinez158.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/7137/martinez159.jpg

An Amtrak train heading to Oakland/San Jose in the distance

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/8638/martinez160.jpg

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http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6480/martinez162.jpg

Smokestacks in the distance

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5497/martinez163.jpg

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/5627/martinez164.jpg

http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/6811/martinez165.jpg

The cities of Benicia and a bit of Vallejo across the bay

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/9756/martinez166.jpg

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http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4217/martinez171.jpg

The End. Hopefully I lived up to my promise Martinez was worth a look.
________________________________________________________________
Tour of California
1: Los Angeles, 2: Hollywood, Glendale, Pasadena, Beverly Hills, 3: Riverside, Santa Ana, Long Beach, 4: San Jose, 5: San Diego, 6: Fresno, 7: Stockton, Modesto, 8: Gold Country, 9: Eureka, Arcata, 10: Monterey, Carmel, 11: Santa Cruz, 12: Sacramento Pt One, 13: Sacramento Pt Two, 14: Roseville & Folsom, 15: Concord & Walnut Creek, 16: Tri-Valley, 17: Berkeley, Emeryville, 18: Fremont, 19: Santa Clara, Mountain View, Palo Alto, 20: Redwood City, Foster City, San Mateo, 21: Oakland, 22: Benicia, Vallejo, 23: Napa, St. Helena, 24: Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, 25: San Rafael, 26: Larkspur, Mill Valley, 27: Sausalito, Tiburon, 28: Hollister, San Juan Bautista, 29: Long Beach 2008, 30: Venice, 31: Santa Monica, 32: Sacramento Pt 3, 33: Solvang, 34: Alameda, 35: Knights Ferry, 36: California Zephyr, 37: Colfax, 38: Davis, 39: Oakdale, 40: San Francisco Pt 1, San Francisco Pt 2, 41: Chico, Redding, 42: Kings Beach, 43: Merced, 44: Gold Country pt 2, 45: Gold Country pt 3, 46: Sonora, 47: Vacaville, Fairfield, Suisun City, 48: Orange, Fullerton, 49: Anaheim, Irvine, 50: Newport Beach, Laguna Beach,51: San Francisco, Pt 3, 52: Lodi

BTinSF Jun 12, 2010 2:19 AM

I have to confess disappointment at the absence of a "beaver shot", but otherwise very nice. I think the ugliness of that county building can be attributed to an early attempt at being green--the louvers appear to be an effort to bring in sun in winter and probably screen it out in summer. This part of Contra Costa can be as much as 25 or 30 degrees warmer than San Francisco in summer--quite hot in other words. I worked in Concord for a few years and recall often it was 96 degrees F or so late on a summer afternoon there and in the 60s when I climbed out of the BART station in SF.

BigKidD Jun 12, 2010 2:55 AM

Thank you for the memories, stepper77. The place has experienced quite a bit of development in past years. The following building is a great addition:
http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/8900/martinez132.jpg

ScottInTheRain Jun 12, 2010 5:57 AM

Very Nice!!!! Looks like a nice town!

plinko Jun 12, 2010 7:10 AM

I totally forgot that Martinez was the county seat. I'm like most people, I've driven through it countless times on the 680 but never stopped. And the only reason I've ever thought of going there are the beavers.

Cosperus Jun 12, 2010 1:20 PM

great set of pictures.....looks like a diverse, interesting town....thanks for sharing!

jetsetter Jun 12, 2010 2:21 PM

Love this one.

jerrywcca Jun 12, 2010 4:56 PM

Thanks for posting these, Martinez has some nice gems if you can get past the refineries and that county building. The bike path across the 680 bridge is a fun ride, too.

Thundertubs Jun 12, 2010 9:55 PM

The Bay Area seems to have quite a bit more of interest than just the usual suspects. I like the bay/bridges/industry shots at the beginning.

dktshb Jun 13, 2010 3:08 PM

I like the small town feel. Very nice!

kcexpress69 Jun 14, 2010 12:26 AM

Nice quiet town!! Thanks for the shots!! :tup:

stepper77 Jun 15, 2010 5:09 PM

I realized I posted this in the wrong section...that's what I get for staying after work and trying to rush.

@BTinSF, I looked for the beavers and sadly, didn't see any. So, I too was disappointed. It was quite hot, so, perhaps they had the smarter idea of staying indoors ;)

Thanks for the all the comments! Martinez is definitely an hidden gem.

xzmattzx Jun 16, 2010 2:47 AM

Looks like a nice town.

SLO Jun 16, 2010 3:36 AM

Nice work as always......I did enjoy it.

BTinSF Jun 16, 2010 8:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thundertubs (Post 4875650)
The Bay Area seems to have quite a bit more of interest than just the usual suspects. I like the bay/bridges/industry shots at the beginning.

The geography makes for places like Martinez--the water and the hills create some separation and isolation, letting places that would otherwise just be part of suburban sprawl feel much more like distinct small towns. There are quite a few such places, many of which stepper77 has documented. Without checking ones he has done, Hercules, Sausalito, Tiburon, Orinda, Moraga, Lafayette, Stinson Beach, Pacifica, Vallejo and Castro Valley come immediately to mind.

By the way, did everyone notice the mothball fleet in the background of this one:

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/8880/martinez015.jpg

Chicago3rd Jun 16, 2010 5:18 PM

What a handsome city! I remember back in 67 our class took a trip from Pacheco Elem School in Novato to Martinez so we could ride the train from there to Richmond. Back then they thought passenger trains would become a thing of the past so they wanted us to experience one. It was fun....seeing the station in your great photos.

peanut gallery Jul 13, 2010 6:49 PM

Great tour, as always. I've been meaning to check out Martinez ever since Doug McConnell did a Bay Area backroads episode on it. Your tour is much more comprehensive though!

Good eye, BT. I didn't notice the mothball fleet the first time through. It's a shell of its former self and soon will be gone for good.


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