On the way to Berkeley and street shots...

Heading east on the Oakland Bay Bridge. Back in 2003, we were heading back to the city after having gone to the Jelly Belly Factory. The bridge was backed up! We were planning to meet up with my cousin (the same one) and she told me there was a suicidal jumper on the bridge. To make a long story short, we were on that fkg bridge for nearly four hours! We ended up meeting my cousin much later than expected and found out later that the suicidal jumper had been there from noon til 11 pm. He was eventually talked down by firefighters or the cops and taken to a mental health facility! All I remember was, OMFG, I hope our daughter (or us for that matter) don't need to use the bathroom!!!!!!!!!! Four hours!!!!! FUCKKKKK!!!!!!!

On the I-80 near Emeryville...home of Pixar!

I like taking pix in the car and randomly took this one.

Look closely.

Do you see it?

By a sheer stroke of luck, I happened to get a shot of the Berkeley Big People sculpture! It's featured on the Roadside America website and in the book, "Weird California" (thanks KD!). I was actually on the lookout for it but didn't find it under I looked back at my photos later that day. The photo below is kinda blurry because I cropped it from the one above.

"Berkeley Big People" by Scott Donahue is a 30 foot tall fiberglass sculpture which was installed in October 2008 near the pedestrian and bicycle bridge over I-80. The installation commemorates Berkeley's greatest protests.  From People's Park to disability rights to the tree-sitters' standoff at Memorial Stadium with angry arm flailing protestors. (What, no Naked Guy?)

Here are a few more photos of the sculpture from different angles (photos not mine):

You can see the Campanile (tower) and the "blank" picket signs...

Info below taken from the artist bio on a Berkeley website:

"Two monumental sculptures containing oversize fiberglass figures representing a range of the community and some of the cultural interests of the City of Berkeley are visible to motorists. On the city side there are oversize figures (12 feet) of a violin player, a scientist holding a DNA model, a thinker, two activists, the University of California Campanile. On the Marina side there are a bird watcher, kite flier, jogger, boater, a dog catching a Frisbee. In addition twenty-four small relief figures on the lower parts of each of the sculptures are visible to bicyclists and pedestrians who use the bridge."

(photo source: SF GATE, Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle)

Exiting off of University, we drove by the Temple Bar. That place, along with Spats was where we used to hang out with Thane during our Presidents' Weekend trips back in the mid 90's.

Lots of Indian stores here, like this sari place! Oops, I mean "palace"! I bought a sari once but have never worn it! I'm afraid the fabric will slide off while I'm walking!

Random cheese steak shop...

Stickers on the back of newspaper dispensers. I was mainly attracted by the image of Pikachu with a guitar!!!

Even after Jollibee's, we were yet again hungry for a light snack...