Saw this little beauty on my way to get a fried chicken sandwich. It got me to wondering… if I were going to leave a message for some random stranger to find, just exactly what would I want to say? Hmmm…
What would you say?
Category Archives: temescal
Wondering What to Do this Memorial Day Weekend?
Can you believe Memorial Day is already upon us? Wondering what to do with the luxuriously long weekend ahead? Well lucky for you, I’ve compiled some interesting options to choose from… Whether you’re looking for festivals of music, dance, & food, scholarly history lessons, or engaging activities to entertain the wee ones, there’s a little something here for everyone… Enjoy!!
FRIDAY – May 23rd
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Friday Nights at OMCA (5-9pm)
The Oakland Museum of California is holding its weekly night market on Friday. Off the Grid’s gourmet food trucks will offer artisanal local cuisine, with local beer and wine served in the Blue Oak beer garden. A Makers & Tasters discussion will bring together great minds in the brewing and gardening communities. Live music, dance lessons, a DJ, and an LGBT history tour of the museum help guests digest all that stout and kraut. Plus access to all galleries including newly opened exhibits SuperAwesome: Art and Giant Robot and Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records.
Admission 1/2 price for adults; free for kids under 18.
SATURDAY – May 24th
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Oakland City Walking Tour: New Era | New Politics (Tour begins at 10am)
On this free 90-minute downtown walking tour, you’ll discover the places where Oakland’s African American leaders have made their marks. Learn how Lionel Wilson, Delilah Beasley, Robert Maynard, the Dellums family, Josephine Baker, and others changed the Bay Area and California.
Meet in front of the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO), 14th Street at Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Cost is FREE. -
Celebrating Elephants Day at the Oakland Zoo (10am-3pm)
To raise awareness about the perilous situation of African elephants, the Oakland Zoo is hosting its 18th annual Celebrating Elephants event. Funds from the tours will be donated to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. Visitors can find out how to tell the zoo’s four African elephants apart, learn about poaching and the illegal ivory trade, examine an eleven-pound elephant tooth, and tour the elephant barn, where you can see the animals up-close and watch an elephant “pedicure” (a once-a-year opportunity).
9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakland. Event is included with regular Zoo admission. Elephant Barn Tours are $10 for adults and $5 for kids under 16. -
“Eastlake” Free All-Day Lake Merritt Music Festival (12-7pm, cont. at local venues till 2am)
The First Annual Eastlake Music Festival debuts in the newly completed Lake Merritt Amphitheater and features local music, dance, indie arts and crafts, micro-brews and food trucks. The festival is a not-for-profit festival, fiscally sponsored by the Friends of Oakland Parks, and 100% volunteer planned, organized and run. The main amphitheater stage will feature live bands till 7pm. Then the party moves to various local venues to run into the week hours.
Full festival map here. Cost is FREE.
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Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Yoshi’s Oakland (two shows – 7:30pm, 9:30pm)
The two-time Grammy winning Salsa and Latin Jazz band, sets the standard for excellence for authentic, New York style, hard core salsa. Live or recorded, it doesn’t get any better. Their music is characterized by the raw, organic and vintage sound defined by the genre. They are on a mission to keep the musical legacy of salsa dura “hard salsa” alive and expand its audience to those who love great music, not just Latin music.
Yoshi’s Jazz Club, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. Cost is $34.
SUNDAY – May 25th
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Meat-Up Sausage Pop-Up in Temescal Alleys (12pm)
Monthly sausage pop-up hosted by two of the cooks at Pizzaiolo. This month’s sausage is Bratwurst with sauer kraut and beer on tap.
470-482 49th St., Oakland. $5-$15
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Spanish Harlem Orchestra at Yoshi’s Oakland (two shows – 7:00pm, 9:00pm)
The two-time Grammy winning Salsa and Latin Jazz band, sets the standard for excellence for authentic, New York style, hard core salsa. See full description above.
Yoshi’s Jazz Club, 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. Cost is $29.
MONDAY – May 26th – Memorial Day!
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Memorial Day Commemoration & Tour at Mountain View Cemetery (10am)
Join Mountain View Cemetery to honor all veterans at the 93rd Annual Memorial Day Commemoration when docent Dennis Evanosky will lead a guided tour of the refurbished Civil War plot and other areas of notables that are buried in the cemetery. The ceremony will be held at the second fountain on the Main Avenue of the cemetery and complimentary refreshments will follow.
5000 Piedmont Ave, Oakland. Cost is FREE. -
Oakland Carnival at Mosswood Park (10am-5pm)
Bring the family for a chilled decompression from San Francisco’s Sunday Carnaval. With a kids’ zone and Carnival cultural performances by Bay Area dance companies and bands.
Corner of Broadway & Mac Arthur. Opening blessing at 10am, entertainment starts at noon.
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All Tings Jerk Cook Off Festival & Fundraiser (1pm-5pm)
Now in it’s fifth year the My Yute Soccer annual Jamaican Jerk Cook off is ramping up for another full day of chilled music and hot jerk. Top-of-the-line chefs including James Syhabout, Chop Bar’s Chris Pastena, Michael Cook from Rumbo al Sur, and guest chef from Atlanta, award-winning jerk chef Jimmie Jackson will be turning out their own jerk-inspired recipes. Festival includes live music and raffle items. All funds raised support My Yute Soccer, providing free soccer camps to educate youth in soccer and promote awareness of socio-cultural differences for the general public.
Linden Street Brewery, 95 Linden Street, Oakland. Cost $15 general admission plus $5 drink & tasting tickets, or $25 package admission.
BEAT the HEAT: Five best swim spots in Oaktown (updated)
Given the record breaking temps today and tomorrow I’m reposting this guide to Oaktown oases, with some updates for outdated links and schedules. Enjoy!
Lyons Pool – Dimond Park
It’s hot. Too hot. This is why I left L.A. many years ago. Well… just one of the long list of reasons really.
But back to my point. It’s expected to top out near 90 today, so if you’re like me and you’re melting into a puddle of gritty discontent, here are a few sweet spots to cool you down and freshen you up!
- Lake Temescal – For some, the thought of swimming in non-chlorinated water is not appealing (I’m thinking of my boyfriend’s daughter who said, “EWW! it’s slimy!”) But for me, it’s simply the best. No burning eyes, no itching skin, and you get to swim with the ducks & fishes. What could be better than that?? See last year’s post Sum Sum Summertime! for more detail and the history of this urban oasis.
$3 for beach access; $2 for kids/seniors; parking can cost extra
Open daily 5am to 10pm; lifeguards on duty 11am to 6pm - Lyons Pool (Dimond Park) – This outdoor pool set amidst old growth oaks & buckeyes is heated year round and is delicious to step into, especially on cool evenings or foggy mornings. Serious lap-swimmers seem frustrated by its unconventional lanes and warm temperature, but I think this spot is just right, and nowhere near as crowded as Temescal.
$5 to swim; $4 with multi-pass
public recreational swim: 2:45-4:45pm Saturdays only
lap swim: 6:30-9:30am / 11am-2:30pm / 6-8pm M-F (schedule varies slightly on different days of week so check link); 11am-2:30pm Sat/Sun - Trefethen Aquatic Center (Mills College) – Another lovely outdoor pool complete with hot tub and lawn areas for lounging, I haven’t been to this one in awhile but used to go frequently when friends lived in San Leandro. I’ve heard the pool isn’t chlorinated but uses another technique (oxygenation?), but I can’t confirm this. This one’s also a tad more expensive than other options, but many folks claim this is the nicest pool in Oakland.
$7 to swim; $5.60 with multi-pass
public recreational swim: 5:30pm-7:30pm M-F; 12pm-2:45pm Sat/Sun
lap swim: 6:30-8:45am / 12-2pm / 5:30-7:30pm M-F (schedule varies slightly on different days of week so check link; NOTE: that Mills Pool will be closed the weekend of 5/17-18 for special events. ) - Temescal Pool – This one’s a north Oakland favorite for it’s year round heated waters and easy access location. Featuring salinated water which means less chlorine (yay!) and lots of props to modify your swim routine (kickboards, fins, etc) this pool is extremely popular and can be quite crowded when the weather’s nice.
$3 for rec swim/ $6 for lap swim; discounts with multi-pass
public swim: 2:45-4:45pm Sat only
lap swim: 6:30-8:45am / 12:30-2:30pm 5-7pm M-F; 11am-2:30pm Sat/Sun - Roberts Pool (Roberts Regional Recreation Area) – Another glorious heated outdoor pool, right in the middle of a redwood grove. I only put this one last because, sad to say, I haven’t been here yet. But from the descriptions I’ve read, it sounds like best spot for a lazy summer day of play. Fewer lap swim hours and far more public/recreational swim hours.
$3 for public swim ($2 for kids/seniors); lap swim is $3.50 or $2.50 with multi-pass
public recreational swim: 11am – 6pm Sat/Sun
lap swim: 7:15-8:15pm M-Th
Art Murmur Tonight!
It’s the first friday of March, so you know what that means… Art Murmur and First Friday are happening! Whether you’re looking to actually enjoy some art away from the crowds or get your groove on in crazy-town, there are lots of options available…
PARTY CENTRAL
Though the “murmuring” has grown over the last few years to encompass quite a few more neighborhoods than the Uptown area where it first began back in 2006, Uptown is still the heart of it all, and certainly the epicenter of First Fridays (the street festival that has developed in conjunction with Art Murmur). The festival takes place along Telegraph Avenue all the way from Grand Avenue to 27th Street and along side streets 23rd, 24th, 25th, and 26th. Best access is from Broadway.
In addition to all the regular fanfare (DJs, bands, food trucks, gallery exhibitions, street artists, etc.) The Great Wall of Oakland (at Grand/Broadway) has a special event tonight… “For the 3rd year in a row, a curated screening of the personal works of Pixar Animation Studio employees will be presented on the 100’x100’ urban canvas. This very unique glimpse into the creative minds of our talented Emeryville neighbors is the only public screening of it’s kind, giving Bay Area residents a rare opportunity to view the short films that Pixar employees create in their spare time when they are not working on major blockbusters.”
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
For those looking for a bit of a mellower experience, fret not… you can bypass the whole crazy of Uptown and seek out adventure along a less trampled path. Here are several options highlighted on Art Murmur’s site:
Downtown & Jack London: Along Oakland’s Broadway corridor, four Oakland Art Murmur galleries are featuring new exhibitions.
- Betti Ono kicks off International Women’s History Month with the west coast premiere of Stop Telling Women To Smile
- ProArts opens Not of This World, a group show curated by Renny Pritikin that looks at the subtle ways in which art can change how we see the world around us
- Joyce Gordon Gallery opens the show Exit from Anonymous, a group exhibition of seven women artists in celebration of International Women’s Month
- Affiliated retailer Field Day presents the whimsical paintings & illustrations of Jenny Jo Kristan along with textiles from featured designer Harriette Ray and a Venetian plaster photo booth by Eddy Lilly Bouquet
- In Jack London, lOAKal presents Double Vision, an exhibition of two distinct bodies of work (photography & paintings) by Bay Area artist Sam W. Grant
North & West Oakland:
- In West Oakland, at the intersection of West Street and Grand Avenue, Aggregate Space Gallery presents Broadcast Standards, a solo video show by filmaker and video artist Doug Garth Williams
- Transmission Gallery, also at West Grand & West (kitty-corner from Aggregate), presents Just Look, abstract paintings by Eva Bovenzi
- In North Oakland, Temescal Alley’s Interface Gallery premiers Endograph, an installation by the art and architecture team smith | allen
Broadcast Standards at Aggregate Space Gallery
Have Fun. Be Safe. And here’s a map for you intrepid adventurers. Hope to see you out there!
Oaktown Art | Oakland Art, Public Art, Murals, Graffiti, Culture, Oakland 