MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – July 3, 2009

THIS WEEKEND WE PAY homage to Old Glory. We gorge ourselves with burgers and dogs, chips and dips and red, white and blue desserts.

But America’s birthday, for many, means small town parades and band-shell concerts.

Here are some of my local favorites: Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – June 19, 2009

MY FOLKS LIVE IN MINNESOTA, on a picturesque tree-lined street between two lakes and a pond. Pretty much everyone lives between two lakes and a pond in Minnesota, but that’s not the reason for my rumination.

It’s my observation that my parents are missing out on something we enjoy here in the hills — navigating the barely passable streets of Montclair. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – June 26, 2009

I LOVE A good dine-around. As one who can never decide what to order, it’s nirvana to nibble my way through a bounty of edible offerings. Add wine and cheese and I purr like a kitten — which is why I’m so fond of the Oakland Zoo’s annual Walk in the Wild. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – June 5, 2009

IT’S TIME once again for one of Oakland’s best parties, East Bay Open Studios. I’m reminded of a famous quote about art, which seems fitting: “There is no art without intoxication. Art is the most enrapturing orgy within man’s reach.”

That being said, we could all use a little giddy intoxication these days, couldn’t we? So why not take the party bus between studios this year? Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – May 22, 2009

A YOUNG LAD I KNOW is doing his college thesis on happiness. And what do we know about this often fleeting state of mind? We know that a little money helps foster well being, but a lot does not. We know that exercise releases endorphins that make you happy. So do some foods. And drink. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – May 15, 2009

IT’S 4 P.M. DO you know where your kids are? If they’re meeting friends in Montclair, they may be part of an ongoing problem with loitering.

As the school year winds down and the weather gets warm, kids find it cool to hang out. And with the library closed, (mold removal) even more teens are taking to the streets.

The bigger the group, the more potential for trouble, as witnessed by a shopper who saw several youths tossed out of Rite Aid the other day. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – May 8, 2009 (Photos by Jane Fuerch)

HIGH IN THE HILLS, with upscale amenities and yoga sensibilities, is a rather unusual retreat house. Dubbed the “Skyhouse,” it’s available for business meetings, mixers, movies and anything else one might do in a house, as long as they pay the rent.

“Humorously,” says owner Bennett Hall, “this place could be the “Pimps ultra-pad” — restaged, of course —— for the set of the infamous “Gentlemen of Leisure” HBO deal that stirred up the hills and certain vocal minorities”…” Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – May 1, 2009

MONTCLAIR MAY NOT BE MAYBERRY, but it sure can be sweet. Take the Lion’s Club Restaurant Walk last week. On a balmy spring evening, the town turned out for its first-ever progressive dinner. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – April 23, 2009

I LIKE ANIMALS as much as the next person. Heck, I probably like them more, because I’ll stop and talk to a dog or a deer or just about any four-legged creature (sans skunks) I see on my street.

But when it comes to dangerous off-leash dogs, I have zero tolerance. I’ve been bitten before and it’s left more than a scar on my finger. It’s left one on my psyche. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION NEWSPAPER – April 16, 2009

LIKE TAX collectors, attorneys and even journalists these days, parking enforcement officers aren’t really feeling the love. Yet you have to give them their props. Somehow, they manage to be there at the exact moment your meter expires. That’s impressive, considering there are only 53 of them circling the streets of Oakland.

Circling like sharks? That’s probably not a fair statement, but it’s how they’re perceived by some. So I thought I’d go straight to the source, the new head of parking enforcement, Noel Pinto, to find out how tickets are issued and processed in Oakland. Continue reading →