Welcome to 925 the magazine! A quick note to maximize your reading enjoyment
925 the magazine is best viewed with your screen in a horizontal position. For optimum experience, 925 should be viewed on an iPad/tablet, or any large screen or monitor. We also recommend your favorite beverage within arms’ reach.
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925 the magazine
Issue 1 • 2020
the m agazine • the code
This is a teaser issue! • Full issue available to subscribers • Subscribe online at www.925themagazine.com • It’s free!
issue 1 :magazine summer 2020 2 925 the
Issue 1 • 2020
• introductions •
Up Front
Welcome to 925 the magazine WHAT IS THIS, EXACTLY?
I
spent a couple of hours trying to write the intro to this, the first issue of 925 the magazine (and maybe the last, lol). Sometimes, however, what you want to say has best been written by someone else, as is the case here. We took
inspiration from the introductory letter Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Werner penned in that magazine’s first issue, a publication he launched out of an old ratty office in San Francisco back in 1967. So, here goes: You might be wondering what we are trying to do here. It’s hard to say: sort of a magazine and sort of a modern reading experience. The name of it is 925 the magazine, which comes from the area code it serves. We believe other local publications don’t give an honest portrayal of the wide diversity of people who live, work, play, and dream in this amazing place we all call home. And so we launched 925 the magazine, an all-digital publication that reflects what we see are the changes happening in 925-land — an incredibly diverse, innovative, thriving, inviting area code we share with over one million other great folks. We also want to bring the excitement of discovery to our readers as we reveal hidden secrets, fun facts, and new roads to explore in our backyards and neighborhoods. Today’s technology affords us ways to tell stories not seen or heard before – 925 the magazine has embraced these platforms and will be using them to bring you a reader experience we have not seen elsewhere: videos, audio clips, slide shows, and more fun stuff that immerses you in the story. We showed a pilot issue to someone and ttheir response, after clicking and swiping and
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exploring everything, was, and we quote: “This is some Harry Potter level sh*t!”
What to expect from 925, the magazine 925 the magazine will change how you look at an online publication. We go way beyond just posting a static PDF that looks exactly like a print version. For starters, there are no print editions – we are strictly digital, baby. What we are doing here is providing you with a richer, more immersive experience, using interactive components as well as audio and video to bring the story closer to you, and (hopefully) make it more meaningful and enjoyable. So strap in, get comfortable, and enjoy the ride through 925-land! Disclaimer: based on your browser, platform, technology, download speed and countless other variables, we make absolutely no guarantees that everything will work in this publication as planned. Issue 1 • 2020
18 Quality Taps & Hundreds of Meticulously Chosen and Well-Cared for Bottles 1541 Giammona Dr. Walnut Creek
oel.beer@gmail.com www.beer-shop.org 4
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Issue 1 • 2020
Tours • Private Charters • Special Events BAY AREA BREW TOURS Beer tasting at 3 Breweries. Souvenir beer glass keepsakes. Conveniently book your tour online!
www.bluebrewbus.com • contact@bluebrewbus.com 5
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Issue 1 • 2020
• 925 the list •
Know The Code
Take Me Back 9.25 THINGS MISSED ABOUT 925-LAND
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y the grace of God, hopefully when you read this the Covid fog has been lifted and we are once again free to roam this great land of ours. Following, in no particular order, are the 9.25 places and things we can’t wait to get back to in 925-land. These are our picks, but we’d love to hear what yours are. Send a note to 925themagazine@gmail.com and we’ll include them in the next issue!
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FRESHLY-POURED CRAFT BEER: From Livermore to Martinez, 925-land has seen an explosion of small breweries and tap rooms, each offering their own unique take on an IPA, stout, Belgian ale, or my favorite for a hot summer evening, an icy mug filled with just-as-chilled Kolsch.
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Issue 1 • 2020
• 925 goes modern •
Know The Code
Eichler: Breaking the Code A VISIONARY ARCHITECT CREATED HOMES FOR ALL IN 925
M
y introduction to Eichler came via the lowbrow arts magazine Juxtapoz, specifically an LA-based artist known as Shag (real name Josh Agle). His works were filled with an idealized homage to
California’s 50’s and 60’s culture, featuring girls in bouffants and white go-go boots slipping on tiki drinks, noir detectives, science fiction monsters, Eames bubble chairs, and other pulp imagery. Most of these scenes took place in sleek, postmodernist homes — homes I would later on discover were heavily influenced by the designs of a man named Joseph Eichler. Living in 925-land, If you drive down Ygnacio Boulevard, across the street from Heather Farms lies Rancho San Miguel — the first Eichler-designed subdivision in the East Bay. Concord is home to three Eichler-built subdivisions: Rancho del Diablo, sitting by Wilson, Sacramento, and Phoenix streets, being the largest. (There are also large Eichler communities in Castro Valley and Oakland Hills,
Whole article available to subscribers only. Subscribe (for free) at www.925themagazine.com
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Photo by Hunter Lewis Wimmer
but since they are both outside the 925 area code, we don’t care).
An Eichler house in Concord
Issue 1 • 2020
• 925 remembers •
Know The Code
From Darkness Came Light REMEMBERING THE PORT CHICAGO DISASTER
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t the northern end of the city of Concord, under the first exit on highway 4 headed east after 242, there sits Port Chicago Highway. If you were to take this road north, you would pass Diablo Golf Course
on the right and several industrial sites on your left. Going farther you will pass the small community of Clyde on your right and then come to a halt in front of an imposing row of grey street barriers, a locked gate decorated with several Stop signs, and a big “Restricted Area” banner. Unless you are in the military or have made provisions, you can’t (and won’t) be able to go any further: you have reached the Concord Naval Weapons Station. On this location there sits the Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, one of the only federal parks not available to the general public (you need advance permission to visit it as it is on military land.) On July 17, 1944, the site was officially known as the Port Chicago Naval Magazine, sering as a weapons loading station for ships headed out to the Pacific arena during World War 2. Rest of article available to subscribers. Subscribe, for free, at www.925themagazine.com Navy sailors (mostly Black Americans) assembling weapons
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Issue 1 • 2020
• 925 at play •
Know The Code
Axes and Ales BE THE BOSS OF THE BULLSEYE!
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t first glance, the combination of sharp throwing axes and cold beer might seem like a strange, if not downright dangerous idea. However, the trend of axe-throwing beer halls has been growing around the country and the world, and we’re excited to see
that 925-land will soon be seeing our very own destination to let out our inner lumberjack. Launched and owned by Michael Hill in what used to be an old Monument Car Parts space on Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton, Limitless Axes and Ales promises to be a unique and fun destination. While there are several franchises offering similar experiences (none local), Limitless is Hill’s own design and dream. As we await the grand opening, we asked Michael to give us the rundown on the axes and the ales. 925: Axes and beer seems like an unlikely combination — booze and sharp weapons doesn’t seem like two things that should go together.
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Rest of article available to subscribers - subscribe, for free, at www.925themagazine.com
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Limitless Axes and Ales Pleasanton www.limitlessaxes.com Issue 1 • 2020
• 925 backyard bbq party •
Live the Code
A Skewered Solution GRILLED GREEK KEBABS Make summer grilling easy and delicious by cooking your side dish and main dish together so you can spend more time outdoors and less time meal planning. These Grilled Greek Kebabs pair cubed chicken thighs with little potatoes on skewers, making for a classic cookout combo. skewers 1 tsp dried oregano
2 C small potatoes
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
Marinate your chicken and potatoes with this zesty dressing and prepare for a taste budtingling backyard barbecue.
+ Greek kebab skewers
cut into 1-inch cubes
8 wooden skewers dipped in water
pita bread (optional) directions: Add potatoes and chicken pieces to bowl with marinade. Mix well to coat and marinate for a minimum of thirty minutes, preferably overnight in refrigerator.
+ marinade and dressing
+ Greek salad
Preheat grill to medium heat. Skewer potatoes and chicken cubes alternately on wooden skewers. Grill 6-8 minutes on both sides. Grill pita bread, if desired. Finish dressing by adding mayonnaise.
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Issue 1 • 2020
• 925 home bartending •
Live the Code
There Ain’t No Cure FOR THESE SUMMERTIME MULES
W
hile the Moscow Mule has been around since 1941, it is only in
Hair of the Mule
the last couple of years that it
has gained a prominent place in the pantheon of must-make summer refreshers. One of the reasons for its popularity is its ease of readiness: a basic Mule involves pouring vodka, ginger beer (not ginger ale - two different things), and
Haitian Mule
lime juice into a copper mug filled half-way with
Pedal Tone 1-½ oz
vodka
1-½ oz
Hibiscus-infused gin
or mint sprig, and while away your summer
1 oz
lime juice
days. However, we here at ABV don’t like to do
¾ oz
Giffard Ginger of the Indies
anything nice and easy, so we asked several Bay
½ oz
Raft Hibiscus Lavender syrup
Area bartenders to give us their unique local twist
½ oz
Top Note Indian Tonic syrup
on the Moscow Mule.
2 dashes
The Bitter Housewife Lime Coriander Bitters
Club soda
ice. Mix it up all up, accent with a lime slice and/
Pedal Tone Mule
¾ oz
Lime wheel, approx., ¼ -inch thick, for garnish Directions Add all the ingredients, except the club soda, to a copper Moscow Mulada
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mug. Fill the mug about three-quarters full with crushed ice. Stir briefly to incorporate the ingredients. Add soda, then top off with more crushed ice. Garnish with lime wheel. Issue 1 • 2020
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Really Good Reasons to Advertise with 925 the magazine
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Issue 1 • 2020