signs: Altenheim

Not the usual metal or neon signs of Oakland I post, a sign for the Altenheim. It was originally built in 1896 as a retirement home for people of German descent. That building burned down in 1908, and the current building completed in 1909. Read more about the Altenheim on the Oakland Wiki.

Oakland Urban Paths: Lakeshore to Park Blvd.

Saturday we had perfect weather as about 40 people and 3 dogs joined Oakland Urban Paths for a walk exploring the pathways and stairways between Lakeshore and Park Blvd. It's a walk we've done before, but there's always more to see. And Paul changed things up a little from the last time, in part because a stairway was closed because the city is doing some repairs and upgrades on it.

Part of the area originally belonged to Peder Sather, who Sather Tower (the Campanile) and Sather Gate at UC Berkeley are named for. Jane Sather allowed some of it to be used as a park, and that was the main destination of people riding trains over the railroad trestle that gave Trestle Glen its name.

We heard from Gerry Montemorency, former head of the Lakeshore Homes Association, the second oldest homeowners association west of the Mississippi. Among other things, the LHA created and maintains Oak Grove park, a privately-owned public space. We also talked about landslides in the area, including the 1926 Lerida slide which led to the destructuion of several homes, and Lerida Avenue being renamed Balfour.

We wandered up stairways and pathways to Park Blvd. where we stopped for a coffee break near the former Glenview Library. We went back via a different route along different stairways. One of the houses we passed was designed by Julia Morgan, but everyone agreed it was not her best work. There's also a house in the area (1041 Ashmount) designed by her mentor, Bernard Maybeck.

Another great walk, and the first half of a larger walk. We'll do the second part in December, when we go from Lakeshore to Piedmont Avenue.

Lots more pictures from the walk:

signs: Marzano

Seems fitting this week somehow to post a sign for someplace that's going away. Apparently Marzano is due to be replaced with someplace called The Growler's Arms. K and I liked Marzano, and it always seemed to be busy when I went past, but I guess not busy enough.

Oakland Urban Paths: Lakeshore to Park

We had another great turnout for Saturday's Oakland Urban Paths walk from Lakeshore to Park Boulevard. The number of participants has been growing steadily over the last couple of years. When Paul led this walk in January, 2012 we had 18 people and 3 dogs; Saturday we had 50+ people and at least 4 dogs. (Though to be fair, the weather wasn't as good that day as the gorgeous weather we had Saturday.)

We started on Trestle Glen near Lakeshore Ave. near one of the ornate gateposts that date back to the early 1900s when the area was first developed. The streets were laid out by the Olmstead brothers, and some of the houses designed by noted architects Julia Morgan and Maybeck & White. You may recall that Mt. View Cemetery was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the father of the Olmstead brothers. Read more about the history of the Lakeshore area on the Lakeshore Homeowners Association (LHA) website.

Then we headed up Mandana Blvd. and up our first set up stairs into Oak Grove Park. It's a privately-owned park between lots on Mandana and Longridge. Heading back across Mandana, it was time for stairs, stairs, stairs! Some of these stairs I worked on last fall with a group Oakland Pathways Volunteers to clean them up. This is exactly the sort of neighborhood effort Oakland Urban Paths would like to see all around Oakland. While the cleanup efforts have made the steps a lot easier to navigate, there's still a lot of work to be done on some of them to repair the steps themselves.

The neighborhood is known as Trestle Glen, for the rail trestle that once crossed the canyon to Sather Park. That was built in 1893 by F.M. "Borax" Smith, the real estate magnate of the Realty Syndicate who eventually developed the Key System. Before that it was known as Indian Gulch, named by early Anglo settlers for the seasonal Ohlone village there.

We then walked into Crocker Highlands, once part of the William H. Crocker (son of Charles Crocker of the "Big Four") estate. The area is full of beautiful homes, many also dating back to the original development. That was started in 1911 by Wickham Havens, son of Frank Havens of the Realty Syndicate.

Going up and down lots more stairs and some hilly streets, we eventually reached Park Boulevard, and stopped for a coffee break and for people to catch their breath after all the climbing to get there. We returned to our starting point by a different set of stairs and streets, and many people headed off in search of lunch on Lakeshore or nearby Grand Avenue.

Another great walk! Thanks to everyone and everywoof who came out to join us. The location for the OUP walk in March hasn't been set yet, but it will be on Saturday, March 9th (the 2nd Saturday, as usual).

Lots more pictures from the walk:

Let me know if you have photos from the walk you'd like to share.

Oakland's Walkways and Streetcar Heritage

The recent Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA) walking tour, Oakland's Walkways and Streetcar Heritage, was more like an Oakland Urban Paths (OUP) walk. Not just more walking than your usual OHA tour, but a lot of stairs and pathways, too. As is frequently the case in Oakland, the stairs and pathways were designed for connecting neighborhoods to the streetcars. Despite it being described as "a long hilly walk of over 2 miles and at least 500 steps" it sold out quickly.

Key System building

The walk was led by Jason Patton, the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager for the Oakland Public Works Agency. We started downtown across from the Key System building, which you may recall from the OUP Jane's Walk in May. It's a fitting starting point for any talk about Oakland's streetcars, and it has a large mural showing one of the Key System trains.

Then we hopped on AC Transit bus #18 over to the Glenview neighborhood. The choice of bus was fitting, too, as it follows an old Key System route. The route goes past Lakeshore and East 18th Street, which was the location of the East Oakland Car Barn, then up Park Boulevard.

We got off the bus near Elsinore Walk, the first of the many walkways and paths we covered. It's a well-marked and well-maintained pathway that connects several streets to Park Blvd. where the Key System ran. Jason told us about the rise and fall of streetcars in Oakland. As I noted on the OUP Montclair walk, there was a conspiracy by the auto and oil companies to bring an end to the streetcars. But it was more complicated than that: America was already shifting to automobiles; the Key System and other streetcar systems were in various states of disrepair. While "Borax" Smith and the Realty Syndicate had motivation to build the streetcar system (selling real estate), they didn't have motivation to necessarily maintain it once the real estate was sold.

A series of stairs and walkways (many of which would be familiar to people who took the OUP Lakeshore to Park Blvd. walk in January) took us into Crocker Highlands. Unfortunately, a few of the stairs are in very bad shape as the ground under them has shifted. We did see many lovely homes and meet some friendly neighbors, but it made for slow going overall.

Then it was down to Lakeshore, where we wrapped up the tour. People had the option of exploring Lakeshore and Grand Avenue, or hopping on a bus back to downtown.

More pictures:

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For those looking for write-ups of more recent OHA walks, they're coming. I'm behind on posts in general and OHA walks in particular.

Oakland Urban Paths: Lakeshore to Park Blvd.

up to Oak Grove park

For the first Oakland Urban Paths walk of 2012 on Saturday there was a great turnout, despite the spotty weather. Eighteen people and 3 dogs came out to explore the paths and stairs between Lakeshore and Park Blvd.

We started near Lakeshore Ave. by examining one of the ornate gateposts that date back to the early 1900s when the area was first developed. We heard a bit about the history of the area from Gerry Montmorency, president of the Lakeshore Homes Association (LHA), one of the oldest homeowner associations in the country. The streets were laid out by the Olmstead brothers, and some of the houses designed by noted architects Julia Morgan and Maybeck & White. You may recall that Mt. View Cemetery was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, the father of the Olmstead brothers. Read more about the history of the Lakeshore area on the LHA website.

From there we headed up Mandana Blvd. and into the long, narrow Oak Grove park. The park is owned and maintained by the LHA, and sits between lots on Mandana and Longridge. The neighborhood is known as Trestle Glen, for the rail trestle that once crossed the canyon to Sather Park. That was built in 1893 by F.M. "Borax" Smith, the real estate magnate of the Realty Syndicate who eventually developed the Key System. Before that it was known as Indian Gulch, named by early Anglo settlers for the seasonal Ohlone village there.

We then walked into Crocker Highlands, once part of the Charles Crocker estate. The area is full of beautiful homes, many also dating back to the original development. That was started in 1911 by Wickham Havens, son of Frank Havens of the Realty Syndicate.

Then it was over to the Glenview neighborhood and Park Blvd. We had to cross the gulch without benefit of a train or trestle, so there was a lot of going down stairs then up the other side. The gulch was formed by Trestle Glen Creek, which is mostly underground now, but still feeds into Lake Merritt. After we climbed up to Park Blvd., we took a brief coffee break, then it was back down into Trestle Glen and to our starting point.

Another great walk. The next Oakland Urban Paths walk is coming up Saturday, February 11th, and will be led by Andrew Alden of Oakland Geology. The walk features 3 old quarries and a focus on geology.

Lots more pictures:

bits and pieces 7

The big news that has everyone atwitter is that Oakland was #5 in the New York Time's "45 places to go in 2012". Even @JerryBrownGov tweeted about it. Those of us who live here already know it, but it's nice to see a mainstream publication giving some positive press, too. With restaurants like Plum, Bocanova, Boot and Shoe Service, and more opening all the time, plus great music, amazing weather, and a diverse, wonderful population, what's not to love? Check out Monteskewed's Top 10 Reasons Why He Loves Oakland. For a nuanced response to the NYT article, check out 38th Notes. Late addition: also check out the response on examiner.com

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Also in the great-to-see-its-about-time category is a report in the Tribune that West Oakland's 7th Street district is going to get a blues walk of fame. The area was once home to music locales like Esther's Orbit Room, which hosted legends like Billie Holiday, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and BB King. So it's nice to see the area getting some recognition.

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There are a variety of restaurant openings and and one closing. Oakland North reports the Silver Dragon in Chinatown is going to close, and it will become an Asian health services clinic.

I still haven't been, but apparently Arbor Cafe in the Temescal is now open. Always glad to see another bike-friendly place.

According to Diablo Magazine, Faz has opened in downtown Oakland. It features Mediterranean food, and sounds good. Anyone been yet?

Haven opened in Jack London Square. Another restaurant by Daniel Patterson (of Plum fame), it sounds quite promising.

Rumbo al Sur opened in the long-vacant spot on Park Blvd. in the Glenview. It was Compadres for a number of years, but sat empty for the last several. Rumbo al Sur features Mexican and pan-Latin American food, from the folks who brought us À Côté.

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The lack of rain (and snow in the mountains) has been bad for air quality and terrible for skiing and our water supply, but it's made for some beautiful sunsets.

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And last but not least, some photos that didn't get used elsewhere.

seeing

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. And another day I wished I'd had a camera attached to my bike helmet or something, to capture some of the scenes as I rode to work via Fruitvale BART and back: younger siblings coming back with mom after dropping off a child at school; a line of people at a bus stop facing away from the street to shade their cellphones; a group of older men on the balcony of a house or apartment just watching the world go by.

For a little variety I meandered my way back from Fruitvale BART, and rode back past the Central Reservoir and various neighborhoods I hadn't seen before. No new signs as they were primarily residential, but I enjoyed seeing them nonetheless.

too many fun things!

Lake Merritt

There's always a lot going on in and around Oakland, so much that sometimes it piles up and you have to choose. I want it all! Well, or at least some. Doubtless there's something in this list you'll enjoy.

• Rowing Races - the Lake Merritt Rowing Club hosts the SW Master Regional on Sunday. Take a picnic and enjoy the day, or simply join the many people who walk around the lake any given day.
• Children's Fairyland - Looking for something younger kids will enjoy? Take them to Children's Fairyland at Lake Merritt. Or relive your childhood visits with these great 1960's videos of Fairyland that were posted on BoingBoing.
• Lake Temescal - Need to cool off? Head over to Temescal Park. OaktownArt has some lovely pictures from around the lake and the scoop on things.
• Walkway and Streetcar Heritage - To get some exercise and maybe learn a thing or three, join the Oakland Heritage Alliance for a long walk that highlights the old streetcar routes and the pathways designed to connect to them.
• Jack London Square - Meet your new four-legged family member at an animal adopt-a-thon at JLS. Or pick up some new artwork at the Oakland Artisan Marketplace at JLS. Then get your fruits and veggies at the JLS Farmers' Market.
• Butterflies! - Take your budding naturalists over to Tilden Park in Berkeley to learn more about butterflies. I haven't been over there in a month or so, but we've had plenty flitting about here in the Oakland hills on sunny days.

Or just check out one of the many great restaurants in Oakland. There are even more events on Friday and Saturday, like Dancing Under the Stars at JLS. This Friday is free dance lessons for Merengue. No, it's not a fluffy egg white dessert, but a Latin American dance to a two-step beat.

butterfly

Me? Sunday is the finals of the 2010 World Cup. Whether I'm at the Heart and Dagger to watch with a crowd, or at home, that's what I'll be doing Sunday morning. It's the first trip to the finals for Spain, and the third for the Netherlands but they've never won, so there's going to be a first-time champ regardless of who wins. It should be a great match.

If there's nothing in the list above for you, what do you plan to do Sunday?

signs: Glenview Shoe Repair

Glenview Shoe Repair

too many choices

My wife and I planned to go to the Paramount for their movie classics night (including the mighty Wurlitzer) last night, proceeded by dinner at one of the numerous places in uptown we've been wanting to try, like Flora, or Mua. Or maybe someplace on the way, like Camino. But because of the rain, we decided to skip the movie and stay a little closer to home.

image from The Oakland Berkeley Journal

There aren't any new restaurants for us to try in Montclair (though several we love, like Italian Colors and Montclair Bistro), so we headed over to Glenview. We considered Bellanico, but passed because of the very limited vegetarian options. We settled on Marzano and were fortunate enough to get seats at the bar near the pizza oven, reminiscent of our trip to Sidebar.

Marzano has a very different feel than Sidebar. It's small, and crowded to the point where wait staff must have to take dancing lessons to get around. The food is very good, and there were plenty of non-meat options for me. It's nicely decorated, with big glass bottles serving as lamps, and what I suspect are manufactured beams decorated to look like normal solid wood beams.

We had a nice bottle of wine, the oven-roasted asparagus, and a margherhita pizza. Dessert was especially good, something chocolate. Watching the food be prepped and the pizza oven be tended was fun, and it's a joy to eat surrounded by people who are happy and enjoying themselves. We'll definitely eat there again, but there are too many new restaurants (or in some cases, new to us) for us to try first.