Alameda Marketplace & More

Alameda has a lot in common with Vallejo. Major naval bases were shut down in both cities in the 90s. Alameda has bounced back better than Vallejo, but many people there are barely making ends meet. And yet, both cities have their beautiful side: Victorian architecture, wonderful natural settings, and a setting on the Bay that most people would pay a premium for.

Robin wanted me to see this food hall, Alameda Marketplace, that's in a refurbished old brick building on a main street. Here's you're looking at the dry aging fridge of Baron's Meats and Seafood. 

And here's a shot of Baron's meat counter. Wild Board Bacon & Lamb Sirloin. You don't see that everywhere.

Long (if fuzzy) shot of the Marketplace. Looks ultra modern inside, nostalgically old on the outside.

Farmstead Cheeses & Wines. Astonishing wine selection.

And cheese. Stunning selection.

The Pantry. We laughed about these dog mugs, but then later we were thinking how practical. Hmmm. Great selection of cooking gear.

Feel Good Bakery. I'm usually skeptical about baked goods, but this place drew me in. Look at this stuff! They also had a toothsome array of sweet pastries including some beautiful macarons.

Alameda Natural Grocery. Sorry this one's so fuzzy, but it's a display of medicinal mushrooms used in various healthcare supplements, including products by Paul Stamets, one of the world's experts in the field. Robin knows him. The lady working in this department was so sweet.

Generally, a store with a nice selection, but with prices higher than Whole Foods. Like this one. An ugly incident transpired when I checked out with my box of Ak-Mak and bottle of ginger honey juice which was on sale. The youngish cashier tried to charge me full price, then I pointed out the sale. After she gave me the change owed, some guy (with the store, I assume) was all hostile and in my face. When I asked for a receipt, he barked out with hostility "she offered it to you but you turned it down" (actually, I turned down the offer of the bag). I chalk all this up to the fact that it must be hard to keep a high priced place like this afloat in a market that's got the lowest amount of Sales Tax Receipts Per Capita in the Bay Area--even lower than Vallejo! (Of course Vallejo until recently had a booming Medical Marijuana sector, also used car dealerships).

Probably old Navy warehouses. Beautiful buildings.

Old school Chinese.