Even in the sleepy enclave of Montclair Village…
Beer, bicycles, and my new favorite pub.
So tonight (correction: TOMORROW night – Thursday, thanks Veronica!) is the East Bay Express sponsored Pedal Powered Pub Crawl where hipster beer lovers can bike their way from pub to pub for bike friendly beer specials in Oaktown. First stop is Beer Revolution between 5 and 5:30 to pick up your beer passport… then on to Merchants, Somar Bar, The Uptown, and finally the Stork Club around 8pm to qualify for prizes and more.
Sounds like a whole lot of fun, but I’m feeling a bit too old for this event, especially after the hangover I received recently at the hands of a 7.5% alcohol IPA the other night. So delicious going down… so painful the next morning.
In any case, I was surprised to see that my new favorite pub isn’t on the list for tomorrow’s festivities… perhaps it’s a bit too small? CommonWealth Cafe & Pub. Introduced to me recently by a friend who proudly declared it her “favorite new place” discovered during the height of World Cup festivities, I have to admit, it’s now mine too. You can’t help but love this place, with its Euro-heritage blended with a more modern Californian sensibility.
Opened on a stretch of Telegraph I wrote about awhile back (A Transforming Stretch of Telegraph), this small Scottish styled pub with its warm decor of Victorian velvet wallpaper, vintage beer barrels, and European bottles, features a tidy and delicious selection of handcrafted brews on tap, and fantastic salads and sandwiches (toasties) for lunch and dinner, all reasonably priced too! Each day also features one or two traditional pub-fare specials like Shepard’s Pie or Bubbles & Squeak, as well as soups of the day.
I haven’t been for breakfast yet, though I did order one of their delectable scones with cream and jam for dessert one evening, and it was simply incredible. They also offer the full suite of espresso drinks pulled from their vintage Mr. Espresso machine, and other breakfasty offerings, not to mention a Sunday brunch that I can’t wait to try.
Located at 29th and Telegraph, just a hop skip and jump from my old loft, I can easily say this would be my new neighborhood joint if I still lived down the street. The owners Pete & Ross are super friendly, the vibe is chill, the beer is fine (like FINE!, not just ho-hum), and the food is simply delicious. In a neighborhood I previously referred to as a bit of a “no-man’s land,” CommonWealth is a more-than-welcome addition. Be sure to check their schedule (see link above) as they are closed some nights.
More reading here…
CommonWealth on East Bay Express
Create for Yourselves…
The true title of this 7-story tall mural is “Mitzvah, the Jewish Cultural Experience.”
Located at 14th & Franklin – we passed it on our way from the Layover to Spice Monkey for dinner – the mural was created in 1985 by artist Keith Sklar, with Brooke Fancher and Dan Fontes. Measuring nearly 100 feet wide and 150 feet tall, a large central banner reads “Create for Yourselves a New Heart a New Spirit,” surrounded by imagery representing significant historical individuals and events in Jewish history, including a portrait of a concentration camp victim.
The mural is a landmark in the recently dubbed Oaksterdam area of downtown Oakland, and as I snapped a few photos the other night, an attendant guarding the parking lot next door told my friend and I, “that mural’s been there as long as I can remember… It’s older than me!”
Despite being focused on Jewish historical figures and events, the mural also features a melting pot of characters exemplary of the multiculturalism that predominated Bay Area murals during that period. Another example we’ve seen is Street Tattoo, created by some of the same artists.
Art in Commerce.
I was downtown last night for dinner and a drink with a girlfriend… specifically we were in the Oaksterdam area of 16th and Franklin, meeting at The Layover, and I guess I haven’t been down there for a little while but it just seemed that everywhere I looked, there was something I wanted to document or photograph or check out further… tons of flyers, posters, stickers, wheatpastes… it was kind of overwhelming because, frankly, I was late… and thirsty.
So I didn’t really to take the time to slowly explore like I might under different circumstances, but these two large what-appeared-to-be-wheatpastes were so striking they made me stop and take a quick snap.
Upon closer inspection, they both turned out to be ads. Which kinda disappointed me. But then again, there are some amazing creatives working in advertising, so I didn’t feel too bad for being duped.
I’m the person who typically mutes commercials, because, for the most part, they strike me as manipulative and banal. But some… some are truly inspired. For example, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched this damn hamster car commercial! It’s hilarious. Brilliant. And interestingly enough, shot in Hamsterdam.
Anyway, the first poster is for an upcoming Dreamworks movie (Megamind), which actually looks pretty entertaining (Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, and Brad Pitt). It’s what the original artist, Shepard Fairey, would call a “bootleg.” You can see more here.
The second is for a Nintendo game, which I can’t say much about because I don’t play video games. But I went to the website to check it out, and the one thing I’ll say is, it does have a cool soundtrack… kind of like that to a Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie.
Oaktown Art | Oakland Art, Public Art, Murals, Graffiti, Culture, Oakland 