Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach — Attraction in Alameda

San Francisco Bay is a shipping and industrial hub, so I don't expect the water to be exactly clean. Water at low tide is so low you can walk out on the mud flats for nearly 1/2 mile. After my kid got swimmer's itch (it's a parasite whose life cycle I find utterly horrifying) I don't go in the water anymore. And the bay mud is incredibly sticky - it will suck the shoes right off your feet.

That's the bad stuff.

The good stuff: the beaches at Crown Beach and Crab Cove have the most amazing views of San Francisco Bay, and even the City itself, especially at sunset. Crown Beach is near Southshore Mall, where one can pick up a last-minute swimsuit at Big 5 or Kohl's, and on weekends rent a bike from the little shop next to McDonald's. At the west end of Crown Beach, there are lessons in kayaking and kiteboarding. And there's a sand castle contest the first or second Saturday in June. The sand isn't the soft, fluffy white stuff, is rather more gritty but not painful to walk on. It's not native to this area, is rather trucked in and distributed over the landfill that comprises this area of the island. At the main bathhouse on Crown Beach, there are changing stalls and outdoor rinsing stations to remove much of the sand. And there are a few picnic tables, some shaded by windswept pines.

The aquarium at Crab Cove has local native fish/critters, and is a fascinating place for small kids. Crab Cove's little beach has boulders enclosing it. It is a lovely place for parents and caregivers to take little children on a weekday, because it has a self-contained shape that makes it easier to keep an eye on them, and the waves are never any more than 1' high. I pity the sand crabs a little. It must be tough being dug after by toddlers all day long.

There's a pond, large trees, and large swaths of green grass where folks play soccer and volleyball. The restrooms have flush toilets and running water. (This is not a given at the East Bay Regional Parks).

In June, July, and August, Alameda Rotary and East Bay RPD host a free "Concerts at the Cove" series playing the second Friday of the month. There is beer, wine, food, face painting (usually by Yours Truly) and the bands are almost...

I do love the beach. I own a dog. No dogs allowed at beach, because I'm here, I would imagine. No parking in city streets for same reason. I'm not allowed to go on the beach on the ISLAND I was born on, because I own a pet dog, and these people here don't know how to share. No dogs really? Not even after 6 pm? No fires either? Hmmm...the things that make you go hmmm...I wish i was a fly on the wall during that town meeting! Lordy be! I can only imagine. Block her from any shred of joy that she may be able to find. Let's brain storm...keep her off beach...oh that's easy no dogs allowed. She's dumb, she'll follow that stupid rule. No one else has to though. A memo will be sent out to all except her. Ewe her ewe. Let's be really mean and maybe she'll leave. Is that basically the jist? And we can all terrorize her dog with ours before going right out on the beach with our dogs...in front of her. Won't that be entertaining? Yes Karen, thanks for the great ideas. 👍 Oh, and remember, ALL old vehicles welcome to fill up spots on public streets before she arrives. She gets run out of her house May 15th of this year, so she'll be homeless finally by then. Then the games will begin. Everyone have their assignments? Great. Operation discrimination against the disabled, penniless, friendless, unarmed, old lady who dares to breathe the same air as us rent-payers / mortgage-payers. Yeah they shouldn't be allowed to enjoy the good stuff like we get to do. It doesn't matter if they were born here...they are DISABLED, so we can bully them till they leave or die. Hahaha I can hear it now. 😆 Boy is she dumb. Is that about how the conversations go,? The good ones I mean? I don't want to entertain the bad conversations too, thank you very much; it makes me visualize monsters in human clothing that look like y'all saying things about me that only monsters would say. Don't get me started on the food pantry antics....

We had an hour to kill in Alameda and, it being a nice sunny day, decided to check out this State Beach. The parking here is somewhat odd (at least over by the dog run in Washington Park where we left our vehicle) - some spaces are free while others are pay, so if you get here fairly early or during a quiet time of the day or week (like we did), you can park for nothing.We walked for about an hour along the trail that runs along the waterfront. It is a great place to see the water, look at the San Francisco skyline, and, of course, do some people watching.While walking around, we came across a small obelisk memorial along with a flagpole sitting out in a field setback from the beachfront. The memorial bore a cryptic inscription honoring some "students" who'd lost their lives during the 1941-45 war. We did some digging and found that these students belonged to the U.S. Maritime Service Officer Training School that operated on this site from 1943 to 1954. Curiously, the memorial also honors "Blackie" - a dog that served as the school's mascot. The school was itself built on the site of an amusement park that operated here from 1917 to 1939. Nothing of the amusement park remains, and all that is left of the school is this little memorial which we still find very curious.Near this monument is the Crab Cove Visitor Center. Apparently this offers some displays, including a small aquarium, that describe the local marine and seashore life. We didn't even know this was here, so can't report if this is worth visiting, but it certainly sounds interesting and we'll have to stop on our next visit...