Oakland: The Story of a City

If there's a "must read" for people interested in Oakland, it would have to be Oakland: The Story of a City, by Beth Bagwell. In order to fully understand Oakland in the present, it helps to know the story of the people and events that shaped it. As Living in the O blogger Rebecca Saltzman says, "it should be required reading for anyone who cares about Oakland." Unfortunately for Oakland supporters and history lovers, it's been out of print for many years, but thanks to the Oakland Heritage Alliance, not only is it back in print, but it's been updated to bring the story of Oakland up to the present.

This place we call Oakland was very different when the Ohlone lived here, with huge oak trees, towering redwoods in the hills, numerous creeks draining 1,000 acres of wetlands, and even grizzly bears roaming the area. Bagwell's book begins there and traces the formation of Oakland, from the Spanish land grants to Luis Maria Peralta to the murky dealings of Horace Carpentier, Edson Adams and Andrew Moon up through the early 1980s when the book was first published.

The new edition adds 17 new images and a 32-page afterword, written by local historian Erika Mailman. It begins with Elihu Harris defeating Lionel Wilson to become the second African American mayor of Oakland, proceeds through significant events like the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and the 1991 Oakland-Berkeley Hills Firestorm, and finishes by noting recent additions like the Art Murmur and Oaklandish. The OHA also re-scanned the original photos and re-set the text for the new edition, so it's clearer than ever.

The new text also describes the restoration of Oakland. After the 1989 quake, city hall was damaged and was in danger of being demolished. Now it's restored and sits on 112 base isolators to help protect it from future quakes. The Fox Theater was abandoned in the 1970s and falling apart. The theater and its amazing marquee sign were restored, and reopened in 2009. The 12th Street Project is working to restore some of the natural beauty and water flow between Lake Merritt and the estuary and should be done later this year.

Although the book is "the story of a city", it's not just about the place. It's about the people and events that have shaped the place we call home. Bagwell's book helps bring those stories to life so we can understand Oakland's present. If you're interested in a copy of the new edition of Oakland: The Story of a City, see the Oakland Heritage Alliance website. The book can be pre-ordered through the OHA for $22 (regularly $25), and should be available at independent Oakland bookstores soon.

Thanks to Naomi Schiff of the OHA for photos and information about the updated book.

upcoming Oakland events

SoundWaves at JLS - Thursday, May 17, 5:30-7:30pm. Live music at Jack London Square. First up: Brass Mafia - New Orleans Style Brass Band. (free)

Oakland Greek Festival - May 18,19,20. The annual Greek festival returns with food, music, dance and more. ($6).

Learn How to Be A Garden Mentor - Saturday, May 19, 10am-12. Learn about the City Slicker Farms Garden Mentor program and how to be a garden mentor. RSVP to (510) 763-4241 or byg@cityslickerfarms.org

Walk to End Poverty - Saturday, May 19, 9am-1pm. Join the Alameda County – Oakland Community Action Partnership to raise awareness of the conditions of people who live in poverty. First 500 receive t-shirt and lunch.

Malcolm X Jazz Arts Festival - Saturday, May 19, 11am-7pm. Lots of live music, dance and food in San Antonio Park. Supports the Eastside Arts Alliance. (free)

The Devotion Project - Saturday, May 19, 4-6pm. Screening of four short films celebrating LGBTQ families. A fund-raiser for the Childrens Hospital new palliative care program. ($20)

See Oakland's Affordable Housing by Bike - Sunday, May 20, 10am-2pm. Celebrate Affordable Housing Week and see Oakland's affordable housing. (free)

looking further ahead:

ACCFB Empty Bowls - Thursday, May 31, 6-8pm. Annual fundraising event for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. An evening of art, nourishment and advocacy. ($25+)

Great Oakland Public Schools End of Year Party - Friday, June 1, 5-8pm. Join Great Oakland Public Schools in celebrating teachers and others who make Oakland schools better. Next to Jack's Night Market. (free)

Jack's Night Market - Friday, June 1, 6-10pm. A fun evening market at Jack London Square, featuring good, fun, vendors and more (free)

Dancing Under the Stars - Friday, June 1, 8:30-10pm. The return of the popular event kicks off with salsa dancing. (free)

Jingletown Open Studios - June 2-3, 9-10, 11am-6pm. Lots of open studios with lots of different artits. Read about last year's holiday walk in Jingletown. (free)

Dimond Night Out - Tuesday, June 5, 6-8:30pm. Sample your way through 17 different Dimond restaurants and merchants. ($20)

ongoing events:

Bites off Broadway (Fridays)
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Temescal Photo Walk

The Temescal neighborhood is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Oakland, and is bordered roughly by highway 24, 40th Street, and Broadway. It was named for Temescal Creek which flows through it, but that's mostly underground these days. The creek was named for the Ohlone sweat lodges that were nearby when the Don Luís María Peralta was given the land by the last Spanish governor of California in 1821. His son, Vicente Peralta, built a modest home there in 1836.

Today, Temescal is largely a residential area, with a mix of single family homes and small to medium apartment buildings. But what it's received a lot of attention for in recent years are the quirky shops and burgeoning restaurant scene in its commercial districts along Telegraph Avenue and 40th Street.

You can walk, ride a bike, take BART to MacArthur, or an AC Transit bus to begin your walk on Telegraph Avenue near 40th Street. Or click through the photos to take a virtual tour of Temescal.

signs: Greyhound Bus

Greyhound Bus

The Greyhound station on San Pablo Avenue has been there forever.

But there is something new in the world of Greyhound. Seems they've started a new service called Greyhound Express, featuring shiny new buses with more legroom, wireless, power outlets, and fares starting at $1. Looks like it's just between larger hubs like Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles, etc.

Oakland Food News

News about food and drink in Oakland for your gustatory reading pleasure.

A great combo of food from Tina Tamale, beer from Linden Street Brewery, and lively company from Eat Drink Oakland and other Oakland folks made for a fine Friday evening at the informal Cuatro de Mayo celebration. And I got to see the Tamale Transporter sporting its beautiful new paint job.

The popular Bites off Broadway returns for the 2012 season. The opening lineup includes Tina Tamale, Doc's of the Bay, and Nick's Breakfast Truck. Read more at the East Bay Express.

Phat Beets Produce, the Oakland-based CSA is introducing a fruit box in addition to its regular 'beet box'. I can't find details on their website, but an email said it will begin June 21st and cost $15 per week.

On Saturday is the annual Passport to the East Bay Wine Trail with tastings, food and more at wineries in and around Oakland. K and I went last year and it was a lot of fun. tip: Start early, as it gets crowded later.

I saw on Twitter that a new food truck pod based on Clay at what would be 15th Street has started, beating Bites off Broadway as the first pod under the new city regulations. Read the lineup at Oakland Local.

I've heard good things about FuseBOX, a new affordable lunch spot in West Oakland. Read more at Oakland Local.

Still just the one trip and no chance yet to write up a review, but I really liked the new vegan restaurant downtown, Banana Soy. I was there on the first full day—so new they didn't have their credit card machine yet or their desserts.

At some point Kitchen 388 closed down because of a family emergency, but I saw on Twitter that they're open again and serving dinner. Their website says they have Sunday brunch and serve dinner Wednesday through Sunday. I liked it on my lunch visit last summer.

Across the street at the Room 389 bar, they're serving Cameroonian food on Tuesday nights. Read more at the East Bay Express.

Despite a lukewarm review on SFGate, I saw a full house at Haven enjoying their dinners last Friday during the inaugural Jack's Night Market. The latest issue of Oakland Magazine has a nice review.

Something else I'm looking forward to trying, and considerably less expensive than Haven is Organic Soul Live in Chinatown. Yep, more vegan soul food in Oakland, this one sharing space in the Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt shop on 9th Street. Read more at the East Bay Express.

Another recent addition is Nick's Pizza on Shattuck near Alcatraz. Sourdough crust? Local ingredients? Sounds good to me. Read more in the SFoodie column.

In the mystery column, I saw a store front with papered-over windows on Lakeshore near El Embarcadero and a "coming soon" sign. I didn't have a chance to stop and take a closer look—anyone know what's planned for that spot? It used to be a hair place.

Fans of Actual Cafe will be happy to hear that owner Sal Bednarz is planning to open a burger place next door. It will be called Victory Burger, and Sal has started a Kickstarter campaign to help with the launch. The restaurant name draws on the WWII campaign of 'victory gardens', and will serve burgers and other sandwiches made from sustainably-raised meats, artisan breads, and organic produce, served street-food style, i.e., casual. Check out the video of Sal talking about the plans, and see if you don't get excited about it, too.

Finally, I saw on Twitter that Cocina Poblana in Jack London Square has closed down. I haven't confirmed it yet myself, but the phone was no longer in service.