MONTCLARION: February 7, 2014
God knows we need rain. Could February be the month we get it? The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts higher than normal rainfall for the Bay Area this month, but still short of what we need. Seems to me it’s time to take action. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: January 31, 2014
This is the stuff dreams are made of. An East Bay big band has won its first Grammy for “Best Tropical Latin Album.”
Pacific Mambo Orchestra — or PMO — beat out a field of heavy hitters Sunday night to bring home the gilded gramophone. What makes this story even sweeter is that several of the musicians are from Oakland and two even help run the Bay Area-based school music program — M.U.S.E. Continue reading
CONTRACOSTATIMES.COM: January 30, 2014
With two weeks until Valentines Day, it’s time to scout out some sea salt and chocolate. The sea salt is the fun part.
Twenty minutes south of San Francisco is the fishing village of Princeton by the Sea. You may know it as the home of the Mavericks Invitational — one of the most extreme big wave surf contests in the world. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: January 24, 2014
Ever since childhood, I have loved birds. And I think the feeling is mutual. Once a hummingbird landed on my red shirt and tried to sip nectar from my cheek. Just recently, I had a long and loud conversation with a Stellar’s Jay. So when a reader told me that one of the best birding spots in the country was just south of Oakland, I perked right up. Continue reading
MERCURYNEWS.COM: January17, 2014
The “y’all” in his drawl was as thick as Tupelo honey. “In the South, we don’t call it the Civil Wawr. We call it the Wawwwr of Nawthern aggression.” Continue reading
MONTCLARION: January 17, 2014
Have you noticed how many topics are taboo, these days? Race, religion, politics — the list goes on. But mention food, and tongues start wagging. It’s a guaranteed conversation starter. That’s why Restaurant Week is so important in Oakland. For the next 10 days you can try primo prix fixe meals at more than 50 top eateries — so you can be in the know about Oakland’s hot restaurant scene. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: January 10, 2014
A former New York fashion editor is seeing the beauty in our fair city. Melissa Davis is writing what she calls a “chic” full-color publication called “This Is Oakland: A Guide to the City’s Most Interesting Places.” The book was born from her desire to boast about the sunny side of the Bay that she and her husband have called home since 2003. Continue reading
MERCURYNEWS.COM: Jan 3, 2014
If you’re an American, you’ve somehow been touched by the Mississippi River. From the musings of Mark Twain to the birth of the blues and Dixieland jazz – the Mississippi is part of the patchwork of our nation’s history. Continue reading
MONTCLARION: January 1, 2014
Let’s start the year on an upbeat note – a musical note, at that. Readers have solved the greatest who-done-it in the history of 45 rpms. Or not. Continue reading
Happy holidays, everyone! Let’s start with a musical mystery that came via email last week.
“Sometimes we all need to stop and have a good laugh,” wrote Visit Oakland’s Kim Bardakian. Attached to her missive was an old novelty folk song someone had sent her — promoting Oakland. Continue reading
