Icons of Oakland’s Grand Avenue

So yesterday’s test was a little too easy, eh? It seems the Pet Hospital sign was the real giveaway… and if that sign clued you in to this awesome stretch of Oakland, these signs should really ring a bell.

I start with The Alley, because it’s a real gem. A one of a kind. An Oaktown original.

I have to admit I’ve only mustered the courage to sing here a couple of times (with a little help from whiskey-on-the-rocks) because Rod Dibble’s regulars are really really good. These folks take their song stylings very seriously. It’s awesome. If you haven’t been, you simply must go.

More reading: Piano man Rod Dibble’s got ’em feeling all right by Peter Hartlaub (sfgate)
piano bar oakland, rod dibble's alley

Next up is The Grand Bakery. As yelper Russ E. said, “If you are a Jew and you don’t know about this place, shame on you.” Always with the guilt! But seriously, this place has incredible chocolate covered macaroons (my personal favorites), and is known for its other delectable Jewish treats like Challah & rugelach. Keep in mind they’re closed on Saturdays. It seems a source of frustration for many, but duh…

kosher bakery oakland, grand avenue bakery

Next up, Kingman’s Lucky Lounge. I don’t do the bar scene too much anymore, but when I did, I loved this spot.  Great ambiance. Cool clientele. DJ’s spinnin’ fresh tunes. And, of course, tasty drinks.

lucky lounge, grand avenue bars, oakland bars

Now the Coffee Mill I’m not quite as familiar with, but as I was heading across the street to shoot their sign, which I love, the woman next to me was telling her little girl that they have the best Chai Latte in the world. That’s quite a claim. They seem to be known for their delicious breakfasts more than their coffee. Any of you fans? Give me the scoop…
grand avenue cafes, oakland coffee shops, oakland cafes
Ah, Boot & Shoe Service. Can I just say that I have a big crush on Charlie Hallowell and his incredible pizzas? Yes, he’s married with child, and yes, I’m in a relationship too, but those fantastically thin crusts! To die for. Everything is amazing. A much smaller menu than his original Pizzaiolo, but that’s part of the charm.

Charlie Hallowell restaurants
Smitty’s. A dive bar. Pool table. Shuffleboard. Juke Box. Cheap beer. What more do you need to know?

oakland bars, grand avenue bars, dive bars oakland
Walden Pond Books – a great independent bookstore. See my post from last year: Walden Pond Books – Oakland’s Oldest Bookstore including their Declaration of Independents, and my interview with Paul Curatolo, now manager for over 35 years!

independent bookstores, oakland independent bookstores

Bicycle Coffee Co. These guys set up at the Saturday Farmers Market. I haven’t had their coffee yet (organic, fair trade, shade grown, hand-picked, and locally roasted in small batches), but I dig their carts, and was captivated by their groovy logo.

More Reading: Q&A with Bicycle Coffee Co.’s Brad Butler and Brandon McKee by Alex Hochman (sfweekly)

pedal power, coffee cart, oakland coffee carts

And last, but certainly not least, the wonderful Grand Lake Theater. It’s one of my favorite things about our city and I wrote all about it awhile back in Grand Lake Movie Magic… Post includes the top 7 reasons this is, hands down, the best movie theater in the East Bay, the history of the theater, and a cool video about the mechanics behind their amazing lighted sign. Check it out!

independent movie theaters, oakland grand lake, old movie houses

Mystery Neighborhood in Signs

This is a test. Don’t panic. It’s all in good fun. And I don’t have any prizes anyway, so there’s really no pressure. Just the sheer satisfaction of being right. It does feel good, doesn’t it?

In any case, I was wandering about a small stretch of Oaktown on Saturday afternoon… I wasn’t feeling well, thought I was coming down with something, had a horrible headache, and had been pounding echinacea all morning. Needless to say, I was feeling a little sensitive.

Everything and everyone seemed to be in my face. People were too loud. Smells were too intense. Signs seemed to be screaming at me. I was stressed.  It got me to thinking about how our environment shapes, not only our immediate experience, but our actual ongoing selves. How we internalize our surroundings…

They say “You are what you eat,” and that may be true. But I think perhaps more importantly, you are what you experience. And the surroundings you move through on a day-to-day basis definitely color this experience.

This is one of the reasons I’m such a fan of public art, but more on this in another post…

For now, we come to the test… it’s just one question.  Pretty easy (I hope not too easy).  But NO Googling.  See if you know it on your own. There are bonus questions at the end…

1) Do you know what neighborhood these signs are from?

(clue: they were all taken in about a 3 block stretch)

art deco signage
hand written menu
northern california coin exchange
bold text signs
menu specials

chalkboard menus

Sign left has to be one of the most interesting combos I came across!

Colorful street signage, chalkboard signage

odd mix of building tenants

Sign right: I love the interesting mix of building tenants


bright yellow sign

Bonus questions: Do you have any kind of emotional reactions to these signs? Do certain colors or designs appeal to you while others grate? Do any make you laugh? Or cringe? I’m curious…

Exploring Fruitvale one mural at a time ~ St. Elizabeth High School

Oakland’s Fruitvale District, home to a large portion of the city’s Latino residents, is famous for its awesome annual cultural events – the Cinco de Mayo parade and Dios de los Muertos Festival – as well as its incredible profusion of colorful public murals, among other things.

These artworks portray the very fabric of the community in all its cultural history and diversity. Here is one…

Created by the 2005 Senior Art Class taught by David Burke at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School, the mural depicts St. Elizabeth of Hungary – a symbol of Christian charity, and a pelican – a symbol Christian compassion.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, pelican mural, fruitvale murals

symbol of Christian compassion, pelican symbolism

fruitvale mural, east oakland murals, st. elizabeth high school mural

PS – This is the third assignment from my June blogging e-course… “Write a bite-sized blog post. See if you can say everything you want to say in 100 words.“ Actually, I couldn’t! (My post is 100 words short, but there was much more I wanted to say.)

Strawberry “Ice Cream” Pie ~ a taste of summer

sunset magazine ice cream pies

Despite the promise of June’s Summer Solstice, we seem to be firmly entrenched in drab and dreary wintry weather (or at least we were when I started writing this), so I decided to create our own Summer Sunshiny-ness.

And it looks like it’s paid off, because no sooner did I pop this baby in the freezer, than the sun broke free of its cloudy shackles.  Here comes a taste of summer!

gingersnap cookie crust, cookie pie crust, anna's gingersnaps

Normally I would tackle this project with the incredible bounty available from my lovely Meyer lemon tree. All winter long this little orchard-unto-itself cranks out an amazing volume of dense little packets of sunshine… all that sweet/tart lemony goodness that brings to mind relaxing on your swing porch in the late hours of a long summer day, the scent of night-blooming jasmine in the air, a glass of homemade lemonade on ice… cool and refreshing.

But sadly my lemons have worn out their welcome. After a few too many lemon bars, lemon scones, lemon cheesecakes, and yes, pitchers of lemonade, I’ve been told, “NO MORE LEMONS!”

Ok.  I hear you.

Gingersnap cookie crust, cookie pie crust, pie crust recipe
pie crust recipe, gingersnaps

So today we’ll kickstart our summer enthusiasm with organic strawberries (just now coming in at the farmers markets), and a little frozen-treat-magic. Not only will this dessert leave you with a rosy glow of contentment as though you’d just spent an afternoon at the beach with the sun warming your skin and the sand massaging your toes, but it’s literally as easy as pie!

Strawberry “Ice Cream” Pie

Adapted, significantly, from Sunset Magazine

First I should tell you that this treat is actually made with frozen yogurt, but “ice cream pie” sounds so much more delicious than “frozen yogurt pie,” that I’ve taken the liberty of fibbing a bit with my title.  I know you won’t mind.

Second, my adaptations revolve around the crust and the toppings.  The original recipe calls for a buttery pie pastry crust baked into a tart pan, but the first time I made this recipe, my tart pan was unavailable (left at a friend’s house after the last lemon tart!) so I decided to change up the crust a bit.

I’ve always loved the combination of ginger snaps with strawberry ice cream, and I’ve always loved graham cracker crusts, so voila! I decided to create a gingersnap cookie crust. I’m sure I’m not the first to concoct this creation, but at the time it seemed like a real stroke of genius.

cookie pie crust recipe

Gingersnap Cookie Crust

10 oz crunchy/crisp gingersnaps
5 Tbsp melted butter (unsalted)

Preheat oven to 325°F. Crumble cookies into food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Drizzle in melted butter and continue to process until crumbs start to come together. Press crumb mixture into bottom and sides of pie pan and bake in oven until crust is set, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

strawberry ice cream pie, recipe, frozen yogurt pie recipe, strawberry pie

Strawberry “Ice Cream” Filling

3 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, softened
3/4 cup best quality strawberry preserves (whole berries if possible)

Stir frozen yogurt until smooth, then stir in preserves. When mixed well, spoon into cooled pie crust and place in freezer.  It’s just that easy. Freeze at least 5 hours.

The only other piece of the pie is the topping, which I also simplified from the original recipe.  Sunset’s version called for a Balsamic syrup, which actually sounds quite fabulous, but I felt it wouldn’t go with my ginger crust, so I scrapped it in favor of plain ol’ strawberries…

Strawberry Ice cream pie, strawberry frozen yogurt pie, recipe

Fresh Strawberry Topping

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries
1 tsp sugar

Slice strawberries, sprinkle with sugar, stir gently, and cover. Let stand at room temperature.

When ready to serve, slice pie with a knife warmed in hot water, then wiped dry. Spoon fresh strawberries & syrup over each piece. Enjoy your slice of Summer!

strawberries and sugar, strawberry topping

PS – This is the second assignment from my June blogging e-course… “ Write a guest post for one of your favorite blogs .” I chose SmittenKitchen.com