The campus is home to the College community, but also to cheeky denizens of the natural world.

SAINT MARY’S MAGAZINE: February 19, 2012

OAKlAND TRIBUNE: January 26, 2011

With a celebratory clink of the glass, Oakland winds down its second annual Oakland Restaurant Week on Sunday. The culinary event features 10 days of deals at 37 local restaurants as part of a statewide campaign.

From San Diego to San Francisco, restaurant weeks have been boosting local economies by enticing diners to eat out in traditionally slow months. But few cities have had the kind of gastronomic growth spurt that Oakland has seen. Continue reading →

CONTRA COSTA TIMES: January 12, 2011

Montclair is joining the ranks of several Oakland neighborhoods getting attention from “foodies” these days. Local writer Serena Bartlett has launched a new culinary walking tour peppered with historic anecdotes of what she calls “unique food offerings” in the village, known more for its quaint hillside setting and proximity to parks. Continue reading →

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 →