this sculpture is near the entrance to City Hall. it resembles a crown tilted on it's side. it was…read morecreated by welding a series of cut steel panels into zig zag pattern. 2 points are welded into the ground the creator has been making monumental sculpture since 1980 for private, corporate, and museums thruout the country. the meaning of Sisyphus in his words: "The shadows of the front tips graze the back tips in the summer, in the spring and fall the shadows are contained by the piece". no signs are posted at the sculpture. thus no instructions available on how to correctly view this public art. ymmv. creator: Roger Berry sponsor: Dublin. Ca. quotes from Dublin, ca. website note: -in Greek mythology, Sisyphus was punished for his bad deeds. to wit, to roll a large rock up a hill and set it there. the rock always rolled down before he could accomplished his redemption.

Our family has lived in this city for over 30 years and we couldn't be happier. We are on the west…read moreside, which doesn't have all of those skinny tall condominiums on the East Side. We would like to secede from the city, but I don't think we will be successful. The traffic on the East Side, by the boulevard, can be really bad. It's not so bad on the west side plus we're nicer people.

This is a good little city. It is close to plenty of shopping and good food in the area as well. It…read morehas a good size Walmart and of course, a mole. Not only can you go here to shop and eat, but there are things to do during the nighttime as well?

Wonderful family activity!…read more We are always looking for active things to do with the kids on weekends, and walking around downtown Livermore (our first home in the Bay Area) to check out murals had been on our list all through 2020. We finally got to it this afternoon, after the umpteenth reminder by the missus, who had sent me the website (livermoremurals.com) several months ago. After parking in the free parking garage downtown, we walked to the first of fourteen murals listed on the site - "Welcome to Downtown Livermore" - which depicts the charms of this hidden East Bay gem on each letter. We each took pictures near our favorite image, our kids choosing horses and nature, my better half posing near food and wine, and nerdy me posing near Science (we used to live a stone's throw from the Labs). The next stop was the Fire department mural, which has incredible detail, and then we continued winding our way through the narrow and strangely empty streets in a once-buzzing downtown, taking pictures as we went, posing near our favorites. Our self-guided tour took about 90 minutes, including a stop by Peet's for coffee and scones. The family favorite was the Hope Parrot. My personal fave was the man dripping paint on the side of the Bankhead Theater, which was the 14th and last stop on our tour. We will be back whenever guests visit - for this wonderful (and free!) family activity - in our favorite East Bay town.

Very cool water feature and art piece at Emerald Glen Park, located at the corner of Tassajara and…read moreCentral Parkway. A parking lot is available with not too far of a walk to this unique curved row of fountains. Water flows from the steel plates in waves, creating a lovely pattern in the middle of the lake, its interaction with wind and light intended to create an effect that can be both seen and heard. The artist, Ned Kahn, is known for utilizing wind and water in his artworks, this one definitely engaging. There's seating nearby as well, making it a lovely place to relax.

This is quite a unique structure at Kolb Park in Dublin. I loved the color pattern and design in…read morethe stone/concrete benches and pillars, and the tile floor with images reminiscent of ancient symbolic carvings meant to represent particle physics, according to the artist John King. Several of the tiles were broken and/or missing during my visit last week, but the artwork still had a lot to offer and appreciate, despite its condition and state of impairment. Street parking was easy to find as well, at the border the park, in a quiet residential neighborhood.

Our quest for living in California is to visit as many beautiful places as we could while we're…read moreliving here in this expensive state, especially in NorCal. Last weekend we visit Hayward Japanese Gardens. It's not too far from our home in Fremont. We took Mission Blvd all the way to Hayward, we got to see the city, quite nice. The parking lot is designated for the theater but there's no where else to park so we parked there. We're amazed with all the well groomed different types of trees, quite pleasant and unique. The pond with beautiful Koi fishes. It's a huge garden with so many beautiful trees and flowers. It's so well kept and every tree was trimmed to perfection. There are benches to sit to enjoy the sceneries, wedding people came here to take pictures for their albums. It's a gorgeous day in CA for a beautiful garden.

Five stars because it costs no yen…read more As far as Japanese gardens go, this one is my least favorite because it is rectangular, with a visible metal fence perimeter, with ugly trash and graffiti visible from across the creek and no opportunities to feed the koi fish. Three things, though, that make it special is that they have memorial plaques, stray cats, and blowtorched wood for an aged and weather-resistant finish. From 1913-1962, the site was a practice site for farming and raising livestock for Hayward Union High. It became a garden by the late 1970s, and when dedicated in 1980, focusing on botany (with plants donated by local Japanese-American nurseries) rather than religion. Every first Saturday at 1pm there's a free lecture/tour. It's not especially beautiful or big (3.5 acres) or exciting (the few people I saw there were on their phones), but it's a peaceful, clean area. I think informational displays could help people enjoy it more. Or phone chargers. Information like, many of the wooden connections (including the main entry gate) have notches instead of notches to fit together like puzzle pieces. This more authentic approach prevents rust. Or, the garden uses the Shakkei technique: when you can stand at the highest point, the surrounding trees are meant to look like distant mountains, with specific plants blended with the Japanese maples and native Oaks to make the garden feel ten timers larger than its actual 3.5 acres. Or, the hand-selected granite boulders from the Sierra Nevadas are buried one-third into the ground so it looks like they are growing, which is why I don't manicure myself often. .

Amazing public library, very spacious and quiet, we just want to stay and read! nice coffee tooread more

If you like to read and you like the quiet and you like to read in the quiet then reading here is…read morenice and quiet and nice

I just finished my first month of membership and so happy I found this treasure of a studio in…read moreTracy. One of the things I appreciate is the relaxed atmosphere, which allows me to work at my own pace, experiment with new ideas, and simply enjoy the creative process. The studio is well-equipped, welcoming, and provides a great environment to throw on the wheel or handbuild. Whether I'm refining techniques or trying something completely new, I always leave feeling inspired. I'm grateful to have a space where I can come and go as my schedule allows, and continue developing as an artist. I recommend it to anyone interested in ceramics - seasoned or starting out.

My kids have been members of Oam Studio in Pleasanton for several years now and still look forward…read moreto their class every week. We found the studio through a friend whose daughter graduated from this place and we feel absolutely happy to be part of this art family. I recommend this place to all my friends with kids and the main reason why I love Oam Studios is because they teach the fundamentals and explain the basics (shading, pencil pressure, anatomy, symmetry, etc) to children instead of making them replicate an art by following step by step instructions. Students get to pick their own project and the teacher works with them individually even though it's a group class. Teacher Omar created a system with gateways (drawing, painting, ceramics, digital art) that makes it fun for children to explore different means and 'advance in levels' as they learn more techniques. Our Teacher Monique is so patient, sweet and friendly. The studio is clean, very artsy and filled with student projects.

This is a commisioned scrupture at the entrance of the Dublin Library. There are many in and about…read morethe buildings here. Know Way is 2 curvy pillars bending away from the center. Atop the right one is an open book. The left one shows a spiral form with a computer mouse on top. Pillars are made from steel and fibreglass, painted in pastel colours. Creator: Robert Ellison

Totally responsive upon initial request. Came and looked at job, very quick with quote. Very fair…read moreprice. Work is quite outstanding, down to minutest detail. Very agreeable to work with, had 5-6 exchanges of ideas, with John the customer is the driver, John delivers what he says he will in the time he says it will take. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for mural work, small scale (mine 250 sq ft), or large.

Very creative, professional, easy to work with, and the work is very widely appealing.read more