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The Holy Grail DrainThis spot has been on the top of the to-do list for quite some time. It took us embarrassingly long to actually find it, however. In fact, we found many other creek spots during our exhaustive hunt. Besides the obvious … Continue reading At the BeachWe had some time to kill, so we went for a lovely stroll on the beach. Lock CompanyWord has it that this used to be a famous lock company. Now the building is home to art and the occasional squatter. The building is absolutely beautiful inside, I wish I could buy it. Beach TubeThis tubular tunnel exists straight out to a beach. Oracle was there to lead the way. Mountaintop FunBelieve it or not, these buildings involved hiking to the top of a mountain. I’m surprised at the quality selection up here. Great art and great views! Misc CreeksNone of these creeks were really special enough to warrant a post of their own, but they are very close geographically. Treasure in the CutsThis yard was hard to get to – no easy parking, and the only ways to get to it are pretty treacherous. I’m surprised at how well painted this place is, since it’s somewhat remote and difficult to get to. … Continue reading Four MonstersThis was a set of four total, voluminous, long tunnels set in two parallel pairs. The first two were surprisingly empty, but then again they were annoying to get to – the mud was like super glue. The latter two … Continue reading Time Tunnel(s)We got a tip to check out the “Time Tunnel,” but when we got there we actually found two tunnels. Not too much to see inside these ones, but thought I’d post it for the sake of the legend of … Continue reading Bonus YardPersistence prevails yet again. After finishing up a spot, we decided to walk the creek to it’s end, just to see what’s there. After a long walk we came across this bonus yard we didn’t know existed. It’s pretty small, … Continue reading Mini Rail CorridorOne thing I preach is persistence. Though we had already found what we were looking for in the area, I suggested we walk the extra 500 feet to see if there was anything around the corner. Sure enough we stumbled … Continue reading Dusty YardLike many graffiti yards, this spot has found a home under a major freeway. Strangely, though, all the artwork is covered with a thick layer of dust. To make things more confusing, the nearby spots don’t seem to be affected. … Continue reading IMPY DamThis was another lake runoff, but for a lake that still exists! The artist IMP seemed to cover this spot well, so I called it the IMPY Dam. SMB3 DamThis was once a damn and a run off spillway for a lake which no longer exists. Since the lake has been filled in, this defunct infrastructure has now become home to some graffiti. When I found out about this … Continue reading PVT TunnelThis tunnel was actually attached to a creek we covered earlier but we didn’t go far enough to find it. It’s got a great line up, so luckily we found it later. The WallI’m not sure if this yard has proper name, but considering it’s essentially a giant wall, I entitled it as such. There’s a handful of burners out here. Lush WarehouseNot to be confused with the writer named Lush, this warehouse is literally Lush with overgrowth and art. It’s uncommon to see a warehouse with a dirt floor, so this makes an interesting subject. 336 RoomsWith four floors, 6 halls, 14 rooms per hall, this building had over 336 rooms. It’s shaped like a giant Asterisk, and is one hell of an urban exploration. The icing on the cake is the huge amount of classic, … Continue reading Tripple ‘RafaFor lack of a better name, I clearly titled this one after the piece that sticks out to me most. A rare, classic, Girafa. But that’s not all that’s there, you’ll also find a couple Musks, a couple Oracles, a … Continue reading Interrogation Hotel pt. 2While we were in the area, we stopped by for a quick revisit of the Interrogation Hotel. Not too much had changed, but there was a nice crispy new Oracle there, as well as a Galaxe among others. Three TunnelsOut in the middle of nowhere, a train crosses three tunnels. Of course this makes for fertile painting ground… The PitsApparently this land was once owned by a gravel company. The company excavated several giant craters in the middle of nowhere, before shutting down their operation. The locals have named this one “The Pits.” It’s now become an oasis of … Continue reading Burning Man’s StorageApparently this graffiti yard is where Burning man stores it’s sculptures the rest of the year. You can’t go in this warehouse, but that’s alright because the best work is all outside. While we were there, we also visited a … Continue reading Jurne’s House.Named after the Bay Area writer, Jurne, this warehouse was a spectacular showcase of his work. Apparently he discovered the place and kept it on the DL, continuously updating it with some of his best work. Though I had been … Continue reading East Bay CreekGot up bright and early, and hit this creek up literally at the break of dawn. Though it was mostly whack, there were some nice gems to be found. Uter’s HouseThis warehouse was mostly bare, unlike the Liquidators Jungle. However, it had a small office complex with a large Uter featured out front. I find it hard to believe this place isn’t completely coated. Liquidators JungleWhat happens when a large furniture retailer goes belly up? You end up with a gigantic warehouse still completely stocked. This place was a jungle inside, with a maze of furniture, broken glass, and of course, black mold. Good thing … Continue reading West Oakland SignThis mini yard has become somewhat infamous due to it’s West Oakland sign painted by the popular artist GATS. Thought there’s not much to see, I had to make the pilgrimage and capture this mini yard. Chandelier TunnelTo distinguish this arched tunnel, I call it the “Chandelier Tunnel.” About half way through this looonng tunnel, is a Chandelier someone has mounted on the ceiling. There was a lot of well done graffiti here, but without a proper … Continue reading Parallel CreeksThis is a set of various tunnels and bridges along an east bay creek. It features a set of two parallel tunnels that were rather long. Unfortunately it was too dark to properly photograph and many of our shots came … Continue reading Roar ArchMy exploring buddy and I refer to this beautifully arched tunnel as the “Roar Arch,” for obvious reasons. Though it’s not super long, this tunnel is a nice adventure. Sound WallWe pinpointed a tunnel that goes under a major freeway and decided to check it out. Little did we know, upon arrival we would discover a huge freeway sound wall completely painted. Bonus Musk TunnelWe weren’t planing on finding this place, but it was a nice bonus surprise to stumble on. DIY Skatepark RevisitLast time we visited this homemade skatepark, it was winter and the park was flooded. We revisited this summer after learning that Girafa had put up some new work there. Two TunnelsOne tunnel seems to be a naturally formed cave, which is followed by a gap of open skies and a second, man made concrete tunnel. The latter tunnel is coated with decent graffiti, though the piece that we were looking … Continue reading Spongebob GirafaNot to be confused with the Spongebob Yard, this is an entirely different location also tucked away in the coastal hills. It’s prominent piece features a new-style Girafa that merges into a Spongebob. Fremont Train YardTrains come and go, and train yards aren’t exactly secrete spots, so I used the real name for this place. Chances are if you show up, all the art will be somewhere else on earth. East Bay TunnelWe found the point-of-entry for this dark damp tunnel on a previous adventure and decided we needed to do it one day. After psyching ourselves up for what doom may lay in this underground tunnel, we proceeded in. This was … Continue reading Spongebob Yard RedoWe had to pass through this area to get to another spot, so we snapped the things that had changed since last time, including a few interesting pieces we missed. We had been looking exhaustively for this brick Girafa, and … Continue reading Cookie YardThey say if you visit this graffiti yard at the right time of day, it smells like oven fresh cookies from one of the nearby buildings. It didn’t smell that good when we visited, but it did have a delicious … Continue reading Long Creek is LongThis drain water creek spans about 3 to 4 miles. Since it requires rain boots, it’s a tedious walk round trip, but worth it for some of the amazing graffiti down there including Charles crew and Maska. Dust TanksThese rusting, graffiti coated tanks are now sitting empty on a hill side. Well, not completely empty – they do have a lot of dusty, rusty air inside. Though we snapped some shots of the inside from the exterior piping, … Continue reading GATS Warehouse RedoThe first time we found this location, it was boarded up too tightly. We were able to snap some pics of the inside from a hole in the exterior, but that’s not good enough! This trip was from a revisit, … Continue reading Adventure Time!This is one of my favorite graffiti creeks of all time. There are some really nice pieces and the atmosphere was pleasant. But the Adventure Time piece sticks out to me, as I am a fan of the show. The WaterwayThe Waterway is a huge concrete water channel tucked away in the hills. Though it was completely dry, I’d love to see it in action, perhaps a revisit during the winter is in order. I can’t imagine why this big … Continue reading Maska Train TunnelFor lack of a better name, I called this graffiti yard the Maska Train Tunnel after one of my favorite artists featured there. East Bay Mini CreekWe spotted this graffiti coated concrete creek from satellite view, and decided to check it out. Stairs BridgeWhether intentional or not, this train had some sort of stair case which gave the place a very cozy, picturesque feeling. If I lived in the area, I’d spend more time down there. While we were there, a couple fish … Continue reading Yup; An SJ BridgeI actually liked this SJ bridge. The bridge had just a mild creek under it, with stepping stones set up by homeless across it. It was very zen like, the air was cool, and the homeless had a fire going … Continue reading Yet Another SJ BridgeTired of San Jose bridges yet? Here’s another. SJ SkateparkWe weren’t planning on this spot, but happened to walk by it. This is a graffiti covered skatepark located somewhere in SJ. Too Many PolesI wonder why the engineers of this bridge chose such an unusual design. The bridge didn’t seem too much bigger than anything I’ve seen before, but the poles were just too many! Not too much graffiti to see here… Southern TracksWe walked along a stretch of southern bay area commuter tracks. Another Freeway BridgeOnce again we find ourselves under a major freeway, though this San Jose bridge was much less impressive. Southern Train BridgesThese were two bridges right in a row, so close they could almost be the same bridge. Mostly whack stuff, but it is what it is. Car Carrier YardThis train yard seemed to specialize in car carrying cargo trains. We explored the yard itself and the nearby surrounding tracks. We found a couple of Girafas, including one we didn’t even know existed! SJ RandomsRandom shots from around San Jose that don’t fit anywhere else. Freeway BridgeThis was a large bridge accommodating a rather busy multilane freeway in the bay area. There was a large homeless camp set up here as well. Musk SJ BridgeThis SJ Bridge surprised us with a Musk! Random SJ BridgeNothing too notable about this random bridge in SJ. Spacious BridgeThis bridge in the SJ set of bridges was very open and spacious underneath. Bonus Train BridgeWe were taking a shortcut through an open field with tall grass, when we discovered this train bridge we had no idea existed. It doesn’t really go over an active creek, but maybe it once did. This was a delightful … Continue reading Lowes BridgeJust a bridge near a Lowes. Toon House BridgeA cartoon house painted under this SJ bridge really stood out to me. Mini Lightrail BridgeNot much to see under this bridge under the lightrail. Compartment BridgeAnother SJ bridge, this one was divided into compartments underneath that individuals seemed to have set up as their homes. There was some kinda chill-out party going on down there when we arrived, but they didn’t mind us photographing the … Continue reading Southbay TunnelThis is the first in a series of San Jose tunnels and bridges. This dark tunnel was actually one of a pair of parallel tunnels. Unfortunately, the other side was full of water and we were unable to explore it. … Continue reading Fences Fences FencesThough you would typically find backyard fences painted along side train tracks, these fences were in a proper community suburb. Some outstanding work here, a must see album! Mission Alley #3 RedoDue to the diminishing light during our first trip to this epic alleyway, we had planned on visiting again to take more thorough photos. This was the second trip since we were in the area. Mission Alley #4This alley in the mission had a nice Plantrees set. Mission Alley #3Yet another astonishing alley coated in graffiti in the Mission. Free SpaceFreespace is/was an experimental community project in San Francisco. The idea was to rent a previously industrial / commercial building in SF and turn it into “free space” for the community to come and relax, create, study, cook, or generally … Continue reading Spooked BridgeWe spooked a couple of graffiti writers as we approached this destination. Sorry guys. They must have been keeping an eye on us from a distance, because after we left we saw them return to their craft. Industrial WaterfrontThis forgotten industrial area shores up against a beautiful waterfront view. Even the graffiti want’s to swimming! Freeway CliffThis was an interesting yard. It as a multistory section of retaining walls holding up a cliff next to a major Bay Area freeway. Each story was made of several concave divisions that became shelters to homeless as well as … Continue reading Under the Royal RoadThis was a cozy little yard under a major Bay Area road, featuring CCTV, Jist, among others. CCTV under the FreewayAfter months of searching, we finally nailed down this location on the map. We had seen pics of the awesome Girafa, Musk, CCTV, and Phase rollers down here. This spot seems to remain elusive for many writers, as the quality … Continue reading Caltrain WalkWe decided to walk a several mile stretch of Caltrain tracks, in the hunt for Girafa. Many bay area folks became Girafa fans from riding Caltain, even if they previously weren’t into graffiti. This set has our journey down this … Continue reading Walls of FameSomeone told me the name of this place is called the Walls of Fame. I’d hardly call them walls, but whatever works. We discovered this place by accident when we were checking out the near by area. It was a … Continue reading Mission Alley #2We found this alley towards the end of our day. Light was low, so many photos came out grainy and we couldn’t fully finish shooting. We will cover this area fully, later on. Storage YardThe back of this public storage center has unofficial become a place to paint. One of the best Girafa’s out there is hidden, fading, in this yard. Dog Patch MiniGirafa peaks over the roof tops, in this mini yard in the dog patch. Caltrain YardThis yard is visible from the Caltrain tracks, lurking in the shade from the streets passing above. 1928 TunnelThis underpass tunnel built in 1928 has become a decent yard. RoundhouseThis dilapidated structure was once a busy round house for Bay Area trains. It now has become an art gallery of sorts. Bayshore MiscRandom graffiti in an open space in the Bayshore area. Stinky TunnelBeing next to a waste processing facility meant this tunnel had bad breath. Never the less, we held our noses and snapped the work out here. Cliff YardFor lack of a better name, I named this yard based of the fact that it runs a long a cliff. It made getting good shots of the work difficult, because there wasn’t a lot of room to move backwards. … Continue reading Oakland Hall of Fame (Dream Tribute)This public storage company commissioned the Bay Area’s finest to grace their walls with the “Oakland Hall of Fame.” The overall theme was a tribute to the legendary Bay Area writer, Dream, who passed away. RIP. Some stunning work here. East Bay Tracks #2Another stretch of train tracks tucked away in the East Bay. Spongebob YardFor lack of a better name, I called this amazing yard after an epic Spongebog Squarepants parody mural located there. Truly an in-person must-see. San Francisco RandomsThis gallery isn’t from any particular day or yard, but rather a collection of random photos that don’t really fit elsewhere. Off MarketOn our way home, we spotted this nice wall off Market st. It was dark, but we had to snap a few pics. Random StorefrontThis storefront had some colorful artwork on it! Mission Parking LotAll parking lots should look like this one we found in the Mission. The artwork is from some of the most prominent writers in the area, and executed with style and grace. Mission Alley #1This was the first of several alleys in the Mission we visited. This alley was mostly commissioned work. Epic Alley + NearbyEpic is the only word to describe the magnitude of this graffiti alley. This set also includes some smaller walls in the nearby area. Valencia Alley + NearbyRunning parallel to Valencia St in San Francisco is an alley of well done graffiti. This set also includes a couple near by perpendicular walls. Burger YardFor lack of a better name, I called this yard and near-by alley the Burger Yard, after the multi-story burger painted here. Lots of delicious graff here. Pizza ZoneThis local business embraced the graffiti community, by commissioning some interesting artwork for their storefront and side wall. They’re called Pizza Zone, but do they sell Pizzones? Haight GraffitiThis collection covers many spots along Haight st, from the Fillmore to Ashbury there were some nice pieces all along the way. Misc MuralThis is a mural with various artists in SF. Tenderloins FinestThough commissioned, these pieces in the heart of the Tenderloin are breathtaking. Plantrees AlleyFor lack of a better name, I named this graffiti alley after one of it’s featured artists: Plantrees. Defenestration BuildingIf the furniture is trying to escape this building… I’d hate to see what’s going on inside. The furniture was part of an art installation in 1997, via 1am: This multi-disciplinary sculptural mural involves seemingly animated furniture; tables, chairs, lamps, … Continue reading Vaughn Bode TributeThe late comic artist, Vaughn Bode has had a tremendous impact on the graffiti scene for several years. Many graffiti artists mimic his characters in their street art. I’m sure this wall will be a familiar site for many San … Continue reading Sports WallBay Area Sports was the theme for this commissioned wall. Unfortunately we weren’t able to document it too well, as the business owners shoo’d us away quickly. I wonder if that Plantrees was part of the commission, or if Plantrees … Continue reading Apex AlleyFor lack of a better name, I call this San Francisco alley, Apex Alley after one of the featured artists there. Whack Mini YardI shouldn’t even bother to upload this one… but I did. This mini yard is under a busy street in the East Bay. It’s pretty much all whack down there though. East Bay Tracks #1This stretch of East Bay train tracks started out pretty whack. Luckily towards the end, the graffiti ramped up and included several epic pieces, including 3 separate pieces from one of my favorite writers: Maska. Mini Drain YardI spotted a Girafa from a freeway exit near my work. Later, we planned a trip down to this drainage ditch that has become a mini graffiti yard. Not too much to see, but go sharks! Classic Train BridgeThis classic style train bridge was homed to a Swampy, a Gats, a Musk, a few Girafa Sigs as well as many other interesting writers. |