MONTCLARION: December 23, 2011

It was an empty, blighted property in the heart of a Lake Merritt retail district, a haven for the homeless and a neighborhood eyesore. Now, the former bank site at 3265 Grand Ave. has been given new life as a coffee shop and gallery called Monkey Forest Road.

Monkey Forest Road is the main street in Ubud, the cultural center of Bali, Indonesia. It’s a favorite destination for business partners Arnel Alcordo and Chris Cooper, who travel frequently to Bali to bring artisan wares back to Oakland. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: October 28, 2011

The ratio of humans to ghosts in this world is unknown.

That’s probably a good thing, knowing how spirits can violate one’s personal space.

“Most of them are friendly,” a ghost hunter once told me, “but they do like to make mischief.”

In some cases, a gaggle of ghosts can team up like they do on the USS Hornet in Alameda. Having roamed the ship with two ghost experts, I’ve heard all the stories and seen how specters suck the heat out of that drafty old ship with their presence. Continue reading →

Photo by Karl Mondon

CONTRA COSTA TIMES: OCTOBER 28, 2011

Brother Michael Meister knows where all the bodies are buried — and at Halloween, that’s a good thing.

The Saint Mary’s College theology and religious studies professor has lived on the bucolic Moraga campus for 30 years and is known as the resident storyteller. Things that go bump in the night are his specialty at this time of year.

“I tell all the stories as though they’re God’s holy truth!” he says with a grin, adding that a little embellishment adds strength to the stories, all of which have threads of truth. The ghostly tours are for Saint Mary’s students only. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: October 7, 2011

Like the Kennedy assassination and 9/11, most of us remember where we were when the Oakland hills fire broke out.

I was in Minneapolis covering the World Series, and watched reports of the blaze on a lone TV in the pressroom. I remember Oakland A’s Manager Tony LaRussa saying he might go back early, and that’s when I realized my home and family were in danger. Continue reading →

OAKLAND TRIBUNE: September 29, 2011

Three smartly dressed women stroll through the handsome brick dining room past the warm wood bar, smiling as they say “arrivederci” to a gentleman nearby.

“Arrivederci” the dapper man answers, letting the r-r-r-r roll off his tongue in a rich, Italian accent that can only belong to a native speaker.

Umberto Gibin is the gregarious owner of one of San Francisco’s most popular restaurants, Perbacco, at 230 California St.

His home in Montclair reflects his love for his Italian roots. It’s a terra cotta villa that he and his wife fell in love with when they were first looking for a place here. Continue reading →

HILLS NEWSPAPERS: September 3, 2011

Happy hours I have known ….

Someday I’ll write a book about this spectacle we call happy hour. Did it really start in the 1920s as a way for ship-bound sailors to relieve stress? Did it explode onto the civilian scene in the decadent ’60s, as Wikipedia says?

Whatever the history, happy hour has morphed into a marketing miracle for everything from cocktails and appetizers to massages and pet products. Even the Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe has a summer Yappy Hour — where dogs (accompanied by their owners) can get liver-flavored libations for $10 in the outdoor cafe. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: September 2, 2011

It’s block-party season, and nothing brings folks together like the tangy aroma of barbecued chicken and ribs. It certainly drew us in last weekend, when we saw the party outside the little grouping of businesses on Thornhill Drive, across from the 7-Eleven.

Thornhill Salon was celebrating its one-year anniversary, and new neighbor Gruber’s Deli was bringing in local musicians for its weekly Sunday jazz event in the parking lot (owner Joshua Gruber is a jazz saxophonist).

This is what I love about Oakland. Catherine Pham and her family cooked up a feast of Korean and Vietnamese dishes that they truly enjoyed sharing with customers and friends. “We want to give back to the community,” she said as she served up a plate of savory lemon pepper wings and Korean short ribs. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: August 18, 2011

In my parents’ town of Chanhassen, Minn., the heart of the community is the library. It’s well funded and beautifully decorated and serves as a great place to gather.

Several years ago, the libraries in their county partnered with Target to offer free passes to dozens of museums in Minneapolis and St. Paul. My family and I made the rounds — touring the Twin Cities without spending a dime. It was a beautiful thing.

Finally, a similar program has kicked off this week in Alameda County. Launched by the Contra Costa County Library, Discover & Go started Monday in our Alameda County libraries (www.aclibrary.org). If you live here and have a library card, you can make reservations online for everything from the Oakland Museum to the Aquarium of the Bay. Continue reading →