ABSTRACT
Fremont is a neighborhood that serves as a three-dimensional, and somewhat twisted, metaphor for the entire region. The pole itself is painted with the words "Center of the Universe" above an arrow that points downward. "Waiting for the Interurban" is a reminder of the days when Fremont was a streetcar suburb. Tracks across the Fremont drawbridge offered a tenuous connection to the big city in the early part of the century. On the eastern edge of the neighborhood, hulking beneath a huge highway bridge that soars overhead is the Fremont Troll. The main intersection of Fremont is marked by Yak's Teriyaki, a diminutive cafe that has been there for decades. A few doors away, the relatively new Fremont News has as good a selection of newspapers and magazines as any newsstand in New York City. One test of Fremont's resilience is to be found in the recent addition of a sprawling complex of buildings for the Adobe Systems software company.
