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The 53 Town Pledge:
Cities & Towns
Antioch - Lafayette
Last update:February 18, 2021
Antioch 4/12/19 (pop 111,674) Antioch is in Contra Costa's northeast, on the shores of the San Joaquin River. My recollection of it was driving out to pick up my supervisor, whose garage turned out to be bigger than my house. Of course, what he gained in real estate prices, he lost in commute time. I had no idea that the city is now so populous! And it must be doing well to be able to afford such a fancy entry sign! And no, this isn't a bad photo. The sign on a sunny day is stylish, artistic, and tragically illegible. Darned shadows!
Brentwood 4/12/19 (pop 60,532) This was the first stop on my expedition! As such, I was totally unprepared for what I should be looking for and simply turned off the Hwy. 4 on Sand Creek Road. Having completed walking all the streets of Kensington, this looked like an omen. Upon closer inspection, it looked more like the shopping mall it was. But it was lunchtime and I got a nice tuna salad sub that was on sale. Life is good.
Concord 2/18/21 (pop 122,068) Concord is the largest city in Contra Costa County and eighth largest in the SF Bay Area. It is also host (and owner of) the Concord Pavilion, a large, (12,500 seat) outdoor amphitheater. I saw the legend B. B. King there. Also on the bill were the Neville Brothers, Storyville (who was first on the bill and I missed due to traffic) and Dr. John who I later saw at Yoshi's in Oakland. Great show, great venue, obviously shut down during the pandemic. Dang!
Clayton 2/18/21 (pop 10,897) This is the entry to the Oakhurst Country Club, a golf course which, when I was an active golfer, sent me a constant stream of emails inviting me to play there as though I were a member. Note the "Members Only" lettering on the post at the left. The Oakhurst CC, as you've no doubt figured out, is in upscale Clayton, which is east of Concord and quite the hike for me. I never took them up on their offer, but at least now I can say I've been there.
El Cerrito 5/16/19 (pop 23,549) "Cerrito" means "little hill" but to me, it means "a short drive to a great breakfast place." Too bad I'm cutting out butter for the sake of my new vegan diet. But I've learned they have vegan stuff too. YAY!
Danville 5/17/19 (pop 42,039) I've been to this town many times. Upscale, it's a favorite meeting place for several friends of mine. But THIS Danville establishment was made for ME! Leslie, this one's for you.
Hercules 8/31/20 (pop 24060) My best bud lived here for several years and my initial thought was to take a pic of his old house. He recommended that I take a shot of Refugio Valley Park instead. Good call, Gary! Beautifully landscaped with this appealing pagoda in the midst of it all. I passed the park on the way to Gary's place many times but never stopped. Today I did. Nice!
Lafayette 5/18/20 (pop 23,839) This is the controversial Crosses of Lafayette Memorial. I'd passed by it countless times as I took Highway 24 to visit my friends on the other side of the Oakland Hills. It commemorates those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. No graves, just markers. Not official, and many see it as anti-American. 7,975 was the number dead as of within a week of the photo. Thought provoking to say the least.
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