Post #398005 by Coco Loco on Thu, Jul 31, 2008 3:00 PM

Okay, have to chime in. I strolled through SouthShore, err, Town Center shopping center the other day and was REALLY surprised. It's gone totally high end, well higher, end. I was completely shocked. They have a higher end Mexican restaurant in the center of it, a Nine-West Store, Chipotle is going in, The Childrens Store, (they kicked Mervyns out claiming it was too low end)...in addition to everything Jen Tiki mentioned.

Wow the nickle dime stay classy Alameda locale is gaining in stature. I remember as a SouthShore as a kid (Mai Tai dragged me back to Alameda after being gone for 15 years) as being kind of run down with second hand stores...and as a really little kid, they used to have rickety but fun kids rides there. So the changes are amazing to me.

BTW, the old high school is still there. It's gorgeous. They built a new box style high school a block away, in the early '80's...because the old one wasn't earthquake proof. The old Alameda high now houses the adult school classes. The old library (built and funded by Rockerfeller funds) is still there too, but it's empty now -- earthquake retrofitting and hopefully will be repurposed. The theatre restoration was really well done. It's the best example of an art deco restoration in the Bay Area. They're restoring the Art Deco Fox Theatre in Oakland as well -- so that will be interesting to see. Yes, Alameda -- and East Bay has it's charms.