Best of East Bay Party…

Did anyone go to the party last Friday night hosted at Jack London Square by the East Bay Express?

I did and was pretty blown away. More like a full-fledged festival, this “party” featured three stages of live music, tons of boutique vendors & demonstrations, community organization booths, an outdoor live graffiti showcase, a huge curated art show, and much much more.

I’ll be featuring a few different aspects of the event in my next few posts, including some killer footage of the Dance Battle at the DJ stage, but for now…

cheemah, mother of spirit-fire, eagle sculpture

Jack London Square is primed and almost-ready for what developers, business owners, and local residents hope will be a new era for this waterfront destination in Oakland. Decades after its initial development, and despite a slew of residential lofts added in the 90’s, the intersection of train, ferry, and bus transport, gorgeous views of the bay, and a few success stories (Yoshi’s), the area has never really “clicked” in the way folks had hoped.

But developers don’t give up easy. And though the rest of us are slogging through this sad economy, they still seem to have money to burn…

With the near completion of a $375 million dollar redevelopment project, Jack London Square has been re-envisioned as a dining and cuisine-oriented hot spot centered around the stunning six-story Jack London Market. Similar to San Francisco’s Ferry Building but larger, the ground-floor market will offer an array of fresh, wholesome, and locally sourced produce and food products, while the second floor will feature cafes, restaurants, and culinary shops.

The project began nearly a decade ago and has been slow to materialize, but we are now on the brink… The marketplace was slated to open this spring/summer but unfortunately has been postponed due to the aforementioned crappy economy, causing prospective tenants to have difficulty obtaining credit. The plan is to have 20 to 25 tenants on board before the market opens which is now slated for the end of the year (but may still be a moving target).

In the meantime, there are a number of new restaurants definitely worth checking out:

It was interesting to see how many people could be drawn to the area for a single night of East Bay fun and I have to give props to the East Bay Express.  They threw a swell party. The place was packed… old and young, hip and straight. There was something for everyone and everyone was having a blast.  Gives you an idea of what you could see more consistently…

Here are some photos of the tiled Peace Wall outside what once was the Barnes & Noble (see The Demise of Oakland’s Barnes & Noble)…

tiled peace wall oakland, hand painted tiles

Jack London Square, peace wall, hand painted tiles

This is an international art project that was created in 1983 after the end of the Cold War. The installation at Jack London Square, Oakland is just one piece. Other walls have also been completed in Moscow, Detroit, Atlanta, and Nashville, with more being added all the time.

The walls, entitled “Our Work Place, A Peace Place” and “Our Family and Friends: A Reservoir of Peace” are a collection of tiles that were hand-painted by local employees, their families and friends, and volunteers.

tiles painted by children, hand painted tiles, oakland peace mural

barnes & noble, tile peace wall, peace wall mural of tiles

As I entered the concourse where vendors and community groups were set up, one of the first to catch my eye was the East Bay SPCA. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE kitties (and really all animals… I’ll catch spiders in my house and set them free outside rather than squishing them), and I just couldn’t walk past without getting a couple shots of these cuties.

The East Bay SPCA is a great organization dear to my heart and I adopted my two current kitties from them two summers ago. Best decision, ever.

Please check their site for animals available for adoption or to make a donation to a very worthy cause.

Ok, stepping down from soapbox now…

East Bay SPCA

Then I came upon the live graffiti demonstration called “If These Walls Could Talk…” Here is a shot from early on in the evening… You’ll have to check back tomorrow to see the finished product. And much more on the music, art, and dance that occupied me for hours, such that I never made it to Art Murmur…

If These Walls Could Talk...

Diversity is the one thing we all have in common.

Filling the ground floor windows of the California Hotel, these repeating posters – featuring two of the world’s great civil rights leaders, the iconic “power salute” of the 1968 Summer Olympics, and the promotion of diversity as strength – create a powerful mural running the block of San Pablo Avenue.

mural of civil rights posters, celebrate diversity

posters ground floor hotel california, civil rights posters san pablo

california hotel, san pablo ave, diversity posters

black power, 1968 olympics, martin luther king jr.

Temescal Creek Cohousing Community

I’ve been thinking (and writing) about creeks lately, so I thought I’d share this gorgeous gate marking the entrance to the Temescal Creek Cohousing Community…

temescal creek cohousing community, metal sculpture gate

I love the little squirrels!

temescal creek community gate

For those who don’t know, a co-housing community “is a type of collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the design and operation of their own neighborhoods.” Typically consisting of single family residences clustered around a courtyard or pedestrian area, they often can include a common house as well, utilized for shared meals, childcare, etc. The concept originated in Denmark and was promoted in the United States in the 1980’s by architects Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett. (Cohousing.org)

The interesting thing about the Temescal Creek Cohousing Community is that I used to live in one of their houses, before the “conversion”.

It was my first apartment in Oakland, many years ago, and I love love loved it. It was a flat on 49th street in a large two-story 1920’s Craftsman with beautiful built-ins, a funky old stove, a spacious breakfast nook off the kitchen, a laundry room, a backyard, AND a garage!  I used to do furniture refinishing projects in the garage and was so excited to have a place to store my tools, other than crammed into my closet.

The house was a duplex, my friend Susie & I lived in the downstairs (a two bedroom), and a couple lived upstairs.  At the back of the property was another duplex split left and right rather than up and down – a brother and sister occupied each of those.  We all knew each other and were friendly and shared the back yard space for gardening and general hanging.  It was swell.

Sadly, in 1999 we were forced to move when the landlord decided to sell.  Apparently the lot behind ours contained another duplex, also for sale, and a group of creative and enterprising individuals decided to buy the whole tract and create a 6 unit co-housing community.

We were mad and referred to them as “the hippies.” But the truth is, we were just mad because we couldn’t afford to do it ourselves.  We had to give them credit – it was a great idea.

By that time I was so in love with Oakland and the Temescal area (keep in mind this was before Bakesale Betty, Doña Tomás, and the like) that I moved just down 49th Street.  It was interesting to keep an eye on what the folks were doing with our home… they tore down the fence at the back of the property, which I thought was cool, and painted our mustard colored house lavender – not so cool in my opinion.

In any case, many months later I noticed they had planted a community garden.  I’m an avid gardener myself and had worked a deal with my new landlord to get a discount on rent by tending the yard.  I had just pulled up some overgrown iris bulbs (dividing them) and had far to many to put back into the tiny yard.  I walked the few blocks down 49th street to my old home and introduced myself, offering the flower bulbs as a housewarming gift.

I haven’t been back there in a long time, but I wonder if those iris bulbs still flower each year.  They would have matched the house perfectly. They were purple and lavender.

There’s a great write-up on the origins and later developments of the Temescal Creek Cohousing Community in Retrofit cohousing: A different kind of fixer-upper by Karen Hester.

Sausal Creek ~ Canyon Trail

This is a good story.  It’s got it all.  Adventure. Discovery. Danger. Sex (well… kissing). And more.  It’s the story of my Sausal Creek exploration last week.  I had hoped to share it last Friday but couldn’t pull it off and still do it justice. I hope you’ll join me now.

First, some background…

I went to my neighbors’ BBQ about a week ago and was speaking with some of their friends about the local area (Upper Dimond/Lincoln Heights)… I had recently discovered a small creek trail and gorgeous greenbelt just a few blocks from our houses on an old closed road that was shut down over a decade ago, thanks to a landslide during the El Niño winter of ’98.

Having lived in the neighborhood for years, and also being outdoorsy hiker-types, one of them asked, “Well do you know Dimond Park?” Sure I know Dimond Park.  I’ve played tennis there, picnicked there, checked out the pool, etc.  “Yeah, but did you know there’s a creek that runs into that park and there are trails you can follow all the way up the canyon that eventually connect to Joaquin Miller?”  No, I did not know this.

So a few days later I set out on my mission of discovery…

I followed my normal route to Dimond Park at the end of the workday – it’s about a 10 minute walk from my house.  But first, I popped down Fruitvale a couple blocks to get a delicious ice cream cone from Flavor Brigade (I was going to need sustenance afterall)…

All kinds of folks were out – playing tennis, walking dogs, strolling with strollers… kids were playing basketball, toddlers were climbing and swinging in the playground, and adult swim lessons were going on in the pool. It was a beautiful slice of community.

I kept walking and spotted the mural featured last week, and then seemed to come upon the end of the park. At least it was what I had always thought of as the end of the park…

Just past a patch of grass beyond the playground area there seemed to be an opening into the woods. As I walked towards it, casting a quick glance over my shoulder, I felt like the parents in the playground were watching me… “now where does she think she’s going?”

I stepped into the forest, and immediately felt like I was in a different world… all woodsy and canopied and dark. From the bustle of an urban park on Fruitvale Avenue to the quiet realm of bugs and newts and trolls, I seriously felt like I had walked through the closet door in the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

dimond park, sausal creek trail

The creek ran along the left side of the trail, water gently trickling over exposed rocks. Old growth oak trees loomed overhead and yellow and brown laurel bay leaves dotted the ground and swirled in the water. Birds chirped and flies buzzed, and there literally was not another human in sight. I followed the path a short while before crossing a small road where the signs (above left and below) were stationed. The trail ducked back into the growth on the other side, and so I followed…

sausal creek hiking, dimond park recreation area

The creek, though low which is normal for summer, was lovely… delicate bright openings in the canopy reflected in slow moving waves. Blackberries and wildflowers grew trailside. Someone had scrawled a message in chalk along the wooden fence marking the edge of the trail… “Where is the LOVE?”
chalk art, graffiti art in nature
Followed by this…
graffiti art in sausal creek

I walked for what seemed ages… I came across no one, except for a young couple making out while standing under a tree about 50 feet to the right of the trail. They didn’t seem to register my presence at all, as their lips were fully locked.

As I continued along the trail taking photos and noting plants and critters, I wondered how far I would have to go in order to get up to Joaquin Miller. I was in an adventurous mood and was willing to press on without knowing for sure how long it might take… it was still early and our July days still long, and I hoped to make a large loop out of my hike, rather than having to backtrack the same way I had come. I pressed on…

Sausal Creek, sausal creek hiking trails

I noticed that parts of the creek had been built up with concrete, stamped “W.P.A. 1939”, yet another project resulting from heavy government stimulus funding post-Depression…
WPA 1939, works progress administration

I know now that the W.P.A. did a number of projects in the canyon including the stabilization and channelization of the creek thanks to A Short History of Dimond Canyon and Sausal Creek by Eleanor Dunn, provided by the Friends of Sausal Creek, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the creek and promoting watershed awareness.

I continued following the trail and came across the only other individuals I would see for the rest of my journey… two goth teenagers running down the trail towards me, chasing each other and laughing.  I asked if they knew where I’d end up if I kept going, and they said they weren’t really sure.  Where did I want to go? I told them I was hoping to make it up to Mountain Blvd or Lincoln or somewhere near the Mormon Temple.  They stammered a bit and said I’d better go back the way I came.  It wasn’t the answer I was looking for, and I decided to dismiss their youthful inexperience…

A few minutes after passing them I spotted something enormous overhead… some kind of landmark.  A bridge.  A big bridge. I was trying to get my bearings and figure out where the hell I was when I spotted the colorful markings of graffiti taggers on the concrete and steel above.  I decided to get a closer look…

Leimert Bridge, Sausal Creek, leimert bridge graffiti

It reminded me of my trip to Amsterdam with friends when we were out bicycling in nature and came across the most amazing batch of graffiti under a highway bridge (Under the Bridge in Amsterdam). I climbed up the steep and dry gravelly banks of the canyon to see if there was anything equally interesting here… Most of it was simple letter writing, which was somewhat disappointing, especially since I was scaling steep and treacherous terrain…

graffiti writing, leimert bridge

But there was one piece that looked amazing. You can see it small in the images above, and a little bigger below as I climbed up under the bridge, rather impressed with my climbing skills, and seriously impressed with this painter’s skills…
Graffiti Face under bridge
I managed to make it safely down from what I know now was the Leimert Bridge.

The bridge, conceived by developer Walter H. Leimert, was completed in 1926 and was the largest single span bridge of its time. “From its intersection at Park Boulevard , the bridge spanned over Sausal Creek and the 325 ft Dimond Canyon. After completion it brought commuter streetcars (the Park Boulevard #18 Car Line spur off the Key System) as well as automobiles into the heart of the new business center and the residential development [at Oakmore Highlands].” (The Leimert Bridge: Historical Background)  Cool, eh?

So back on the trail again, it seemed that hours had passed… the sky was growing dimmer, and I had no idea (despite my bridge landmark) how far I had come or how far I had to go.  I pressed on, but wasn’t entirely convinced of the shall-we-say “smartness” of my plan… the words of the goth kids were echoing in my brain… “you should probably go back.”

I kept going but the trail seemed to be getting smaller and the thicket of growth surrounding it, denser. I was torn.  It seemed like it must be shorter to go forward, rather than all the way back that I had come. But I just wasn’t sure. I came to a point where trees had fallen across the trail and I had to crawl under them to keep going.  My sense of doom was growing.  And as I walked on I realized that either the trail had ended, or it was following the creek bed, which was not exactly my idea of casual hiking.

sausal creek hiking, sausal creek culvert

I decided that instead of pushing on through the creek, I would find a shortcut! Yes, intrepid traveler that I am, I would find a way to bypass the whole retracing-my-footsteps-back by cutting up the side of the canyon to the road above. I could see the open sky off to the right and even a house up above a concrete culvert designed to divert water into the creek (see photo, right). I would simply climb up it and pop on out to the road where it would be obvious which way was the shortest way home. Right? Ahem.

Thank god there was no one else hiking that trail that evening because I would have died from sheer embarrassment. I hiked up the culvert to the right and got stuck. I jumped across it (thinking WTF am I doing?!) and tried climbing up the left and got stuck. I was being a complete idiot. I couldn’t help but think that if I lost my footing and crashed my head on the concrete below, despite being free from embarrassment, no one would be there to save me. And my iPhone would be of no use thanks to AT&T’s wonderful reception, despite the exorbitant fees I pay them every month. No… I would die a slow and painful death, immobilized by concussion and broken bones, as possums gnawed my face off in the dark of night.

I carefully made my way down, incredibly grateful for flat ground, and decided to follow the goth kids advice. The kids are our future afterall…

The crazy thing is, I had entered some kind of time warp from Inception where each minute of time in the real world was transformed into 20 minutes of real time in this “canyon world,” because what seemed to have taken me hours on the way in, took about 6 minutes on the way out! I’m not kidding. All of a sudden, in about two blinks of an eye, I was back before the signs at the road crossing, just a short stretch from the playground. Phew, I thought.

A minute later I popped back out of the woods and walked across the grass, pass the playground & towards the pool, and I swear those parents were saying “Now, where did she come from???“