Luck finally shines on Village shop

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Town Crier/Ginny Prior
Article Launched: 07/31/2008 03:24:00 PM PDT

AFTER 14 HELLISH MONTHS, A Little Piece of Heaven has finally opened in Montclair.

“Everything was going wrong,” said shop owner Nafisa McGlynn, who had a devil of a time trying to renovate the space last occupied by Body Options at 2056 Mountain Blvd. There was mold behind the wall, asbestos under the floor, termites, and then — just as she was ready to open — a computer virus wiped out all her files.

Ever faithful, McGlynn, a devout Catholic, called on divine intervention.

“We blessed the store with holy water from The Basilica of Lourdes in France — had a little cry — and here we are,” she said.

McGlynn, a former fashion designer, has made the most of her space with a soothing, tasteful décor and some 10,000 pieces of clothing and accessories for her baby boutique. If her phone number is any sign, the shop will be lucky from this point forward. It’s 510-339-7777.

AROUND TOWN: Flavors Indian Bistro has opened in the old sausage shack which was once Top Dog (and later The Dog) in Montclair. A la carte entrees start at around $8 with lunch specials daily (except Tuesdays when they’re closed).

And two Montclair retailers have found a creative way to deal with soaring rent and a sour economy. Utopia Designer Fashion Exchange is now sharing a space with The Jewelbox at 6116 La Salle Ave. The partnership seems perfect; kind of a one-stop shop for chic clothing and jewelry. There’s also a consignment section, which Montclair hasn’t had in awhile.E-MAIL BAG: Thanks to reader Linda Safir for her touching letter regarding a Bishop O’Dowd youth who was injured in an accident earlier this year. John Murphy has been hospitalized since falling from a Berkeley building several months ago. And while the details are still uncertain, a Web site called www.caringbridge.org has allowed family and friends to stay connected with medical updates, as well as messages of hope.

“Most people would not begin to know how to develop a web site to communicate with everyone,” Safir said. “This does it for you.”

TAKING ACTION: Just weeks after writing about this in my column, neighbors have finally managed to get “No Parking” signs in the center triangle at Skyline, Snake and Colton. The effort was spearheaded by realtor Laurel Strand, who was tired of looking at the collection of cars and a large RV parked in the intersection daily. Now that the space is clear, Strand said she is looking forward to helping plan a “mini park” for the area, something that would raise the property values, not lower them.

CAT TALE: If anyone is looking for a good luck charm, “Beau” might just be it. You may remember the tenacious tabby from a column I did several years back on his dramatic rescue between the walls of Corpus Christi Church and the neighboring Keller Center. He’d become wedged in the space, no doubt, after attending a church potluck.

Anyway, kitty has been living happily ever since with a parish family, but I’m told they’re moving and can’t take tabby with them. If you’d like to adopt a good mouser, call the parish office at 510-530-4343. My guess is he still has a few of his nine lives left.

THE HAPPY WANDERER – SAN FRANCISCO

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A grand weekend ‘staycation’ in SF
The Happy Wanderer/Ginny Prior
Article Launched: 07/31/2008 10:56:00 AM PDT-Contra Costa Times

GIVE IT UP for high-priced gas. It has created a new pop-culture phenomenon — the “staycation.”

The idea of vacationing near home may not seem titillating to someone, say, in my birthplace of Eureka, S.D. “Gee — let’s hop in the family truck and see — more acres of soybeans.” But for those of us blessed to live in the Bay Area, a “staycation” is a way to reconnect with one of the most vibrant cities on earth.

San Francisco is a Mecca for tourists and the weak U.S. dollar (especially against the Euro) makes it seem more cosmopolitan than ever. Here are two ways to have a grand weekend in the city — one with frills and one without. The one constant is the hotel room. Never skimp on this. Always insist on a luxury room with a pillow-top mattress and high thread count on the sheets. You’re worth it.

DAY ONE — WITHOUT FRILLS: Pack one roller bag and have a friend drop you off at the nearest BART station. Get off at the Embarcadero station and take one of the popular antique street cars along Fisherman’s Wharf. You will meet people from around the world as the wheels of your luggage roll over their open-toed shoes. Use this as an opportunity to learn some colorful new words in a foreign language. Get off at Pier 41 and walk two blocks to the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf for check-in.

DAY ONE — FRILLS: Drive into San Francisco. (You may be surprised at how light the traffic is, as everyone else is rolling their bags on BART). Pull up to the Hyatt for check-in and pay for your car to have a “staycation” too.

Now here is where the itinerary melds, no matter what your budget. Walk west from your hotel to Ghirardelli Square for the happy hour from 3-6 p.m. at McCormick and Kuleto’s. Sit in the bar and sip a glass of wine while you sup on tasty $2 appetizers like sweet potato fries and chicken wings. They don’t skimp on the portions, either — so you come away feeling like the savvy traveler you are.

Speaking of savvy, before you left home, you went online to www.citypass.com and bought a San Francisco CityPass. For $54, ($44 for kids) it gives you six free attractions and unlimited Muni and cable car rides for seven straight days. People come from across the globe to ride San Francisco’s cable cars. You flash your card and ride them for free. So walk across the street to the Hyde Street cable car turnaround and grab a seat for one of the world’s best thrill rides.

Past the snug rows of painted Victorians, the neighborhood markets and tiny cafes, you climb Nob Hill to California Street, the transfer point for a cable car to the Financial District (Battery and Clay) — for your 8 p.m. show at the Punch Line Comedy Club. One of the best bargains in town, for $19 and the cost of two drinks, you get 90 minutes of side-splitting laughs from three top-notch comedians. At the intimate venue, you may find yourself sharing the room with the likes of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom or former Mayor Willie Brown. After the show, catch the cable car back to Hyde Street for an Irish coffee nightcap at the famed Buena Vista Café — then walk to the hotel for a night of dreamy sleep.

DAY TWO — WITHOUT FRILLS: Wake up to complimentary coffee in your room and a bagel at any café along your walking route. You’re headed to Pier 39 for one of your free CityPass attractions, the Aquarium of the Bay. While this isn’t the Monterey Bay Aquarium by any means, its still fun to see silver sardines swim in a vortex and giant rays skim over scuttling crabs. When it’s time for lunch, grab a bite here or walk back to the In-and-Out Burger, just a few blocks west. Then it’s back to the hotel for a nap. (Did I mention the pillow-top mattress?) See below for dinner.

DAY TWO — FRILLS: Wake up and head to the lobby for the breakfast buffet at Knuckles, the popular hotel restaurant/bar at the Hyatt. It’s a hearty offering that will probably hold you over till dinner. Here, you will head for the same attractions as above, since you already have your CityPass and aren’t afraid to use it.

Dinner is at the landmark Franciscan Restaurant, the building shaped like a ship at Pier 43½.

With an enticing menu that doubles as a cookbook, you can spend as little or as much as you want here, taking in a priceless view of the waterfront and Alcatraz. We started with a smattering of succulent appetizers including crab fondue with swiss chard and an order of lightly battered calamari. Then we split a chicken arugula salad and spicy seafood cioppino. The rest of our order was a gluttonous feast that I’m still trying to work off today. I hope you will have more will power.

DAY THREE — WITHOUT FRILLS: This is the day you cram everything remaining on your San Francisco CityPass into a few fleeting hours, so as to get the most for your tourist dollar. All the attractions — the Blue and Gold Fleet Cruise, the De Young Museum and San Francisco MOMA — are accessible by cable car or Muni. Be sure to leave plenty of time for transfers and try to secure late check-out on this day so you don’t have to use your car.

DAY THREE — FRILLS: Enjoy breakfast in bed (by day three you’ll be married to your pillow-tip mattress anyway) and ask for late checkout. Then catch an attraction or two on your CityPass before reuniting with your car for a drive across town to the Orpheum Theatre for the 2 p.m. matinee of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Hands down — this is the funniest Broadway play I’ve seen. Its clever storyline will have you cheering in the aisles.

There you have it — the San Francisco “staycation.” Simple, yet intoxicating, it’s the new way to travel. Best of all, you won’t have to shut off the mail and the paper before you leave.

Dangers on the Road

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MY SON GETS his driver’s license soon and I’m worried. It’s not that I don’t trust him — he’s played enough video games to have the hand-eye coordination of a karate grandmaster. It’s not even the other drivers on the road who scare me. It’s the bikers.

The other day, a bicyclist was speeding along a fog-drenched section of Grizzly Peak Road when he lost control on a curve. My husband and daughter were coming along at that moment as he slid into their lane and bounced off the back bumper of their truck. Luckily, the rider only had road rash — but what if he had been seriously injured or killed? Blame aside, it would have been traumatic for both families.

We live in a beautiful place where bikes are as numerous as cars on some scenic byways. All it takes is one miscalculation to cause an accident. An accident that will forever change the lives of both parties involved.

PROUD MOMENT: Congratulations to two local ladies for earning the highest honor in Girl Scouting. Sophia Moradian and Lauren Harano, both 18, have accomplished something that only one-tenth of 1 percent of girls who start out as Brownies ever achieve — the Gold Award. It didn’t come easy. The girls put 60 hours each into their community service project, sprucing up a Peter Pan pre-school in Oakland .

WILD RIDE: Most people celebrate their birthday with a cake — and maybe a party. But local senior Bob Frick is marking 71 years on the planet with a bike ride across America. He leaves Aug. 7 on a two-month trek from San Diego to St. Augustine, riding up to 60 miles a day.

My wife will be driving behind with supplies in the Prius,” he says, adding they’ve done several long distance bike rides and hikes together. But this trek isn’t just for fun. Frick hopes to raise $71,000 for East Bay Habitat for Humanity and is taking donations on his Web site at http://www.fricks.firstgiving.com/cycleofhope.

E-MAIL BAG: An anonymous reader is fed up with the city’s lack of response in cutting back brush on its own property at Skyline and Kimberlin Heights.

“The weeds are damaging the streets,” he writes. “Plus, you have rebar coming out of the ground at the bus stop. Somebody is going to get impaled.” The reader says repeated calls to the Fire Abatement District have yet to get the job done.

MORE MAIL: The bad smell I mentioned a few weeks ago at Moraga and Medau has reader Bonnie Candell wondering if it’s coming from the nearby storm drain.

“I’ve spoken to some bus drivers about it who agree it’s awful,” she writes, but says she’s gotten no response to her e-mail to Public Works regarding the matter. Where is it coming from? Not even her nose knows.

FREEBIE ALERT: Some people pay hundreds of dollars to belong to a health club. Reader Marcia Sugrow works out for free at the Montclair Recreation Center. She says you can too, if you’re 50 or older. Instructor Ellen Green teaches a free aerobics class at 8 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Reaching the half-century mark has its rewards!

THE HAPPY WANDERER – SURF CITY USA

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Still Cool in Surf City USA

People talk about defining moments. For me, it was an ad for Southern California on the back of my Superman comic. The swaying palms, the wispy sky and the bronze bodies were an irresistible image for a girl growing up in Minnesota in the 1960s. I moved west right after college.

It didn’t take long to find the California dream. I bought a blue beach cruiser, a skate board and a lemon yellow surf board and spent almost all my free time trying to master these rides.

Fast forward to last weekend when I got the call to drive my daughter and her friends to Southern California. They must have heard about my cool younger years and wanted me along.

“You’ll find your own things to do, won’t you?” my teenager asked in the sweetest voice possible. Ego slightly bruised, I started coming up with a plan. We’d head for Huntington Beach — Surf City USA.

Little known fact: Huntington Beach was first dubbed “Surf City” by the pop duo Jan and Dean in their 1963 hit by the same name. It’s still a big part of the culture today with over eight miles of sand and surf along a wide stretch of Pacific Coast Highway.

Few things in life are as freeing as surfing. The idea that a person can tap into nature with little more than a board or a body is mind boggling. And we would be surfing in a prime spot, in front of our hotel at the 4-Diamond Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. Everything would be at our disposal: the beach, the bikes, the surf lessons — even the fire pits for roasting marshmallows at sunset.In my day, we’d have bonfires all night on the beach, playing guitars and burning everything but the kitchen sink to keep the flames going. Then one night a guy actually threw a kitchen sink on the fire — something he’d found in a dumpster nearby. Sans the porcelain fixture, I wanted the girls to have this kind of experience.

“Just have the cruisers back by dark,” said the hotel’s concierge, who was obviously charmed by three college-bound beauties. They were biking to town, just a few blocks away, to scope out the surf shops, burger stops and bikini boutiques. I grabbed the last available cruiser — lime green with a basket — and took the bike path up to Dog Beach, a section of strand where the people watching was primo. Sure enough, some guy was surfing with his dog, a terrier with a blue bandana and sun glasses perched on his snout. In fact, it was the same pooch I saw earlier that day in the elevator at the Hilton. His owner made a point of telling me his dog had a bed in the hotel for $50 a night. “Cheaper than a kennel,” I recall him saying.

About this time, my cell phone chimed with a text message. The girls, who were concerned I’d be “cramping their style,” were checking in. “We’re at the beach. U?” I fired back a cryptic answer: “Going to surf museum, Main & Olive.” I’d heard this museum captured the essence of Huntington Beach with an impressive display of old photos, surf and skate boards and even Jan and Dean’s gold record collection.

Looking at the old album jackets of those surf music icons, it was eerie to think how Jan’s fate so closely paralleled his hit “Dead Man’s Curve.” He’d crashed his car racing on Sunset Boulevard. Dean, on the other hand, went on to be the town’s most celebrated artist, both with music and his graphic designs. And while he hasn’t been spotted “shooting the curl” lately, his band still plays gigs in the area.

Speaking of music, Surf City was heating up. The sidewalk cafes touted Wednesday night specials and even the downtown IHOP was putting out a vibe. About this time, text No. 2 appeared. “We’re hungry. U?” I took that as a cue to meet the girls at Dukes, a popular spot on the pier where we shared a mountain of nachos that had us swearing off food for the rest of the trip.

I’d forgotten, however, just how hungry you get from surfing. An early morning lesson at the Hyatt, next door, had left us ravenous. The girls took off for the Dairy Queen and I headed up the strand to a place I’d heard great things about: Slow Fish. The California Korean fusion didn’t disappoint, with succulent braised short ribs that fell off the bone and a crisp seaweed salad that added just the right amount of tang.

Then it was back to the Hilton for a dip in the pool and wine-tasting on the outdoor patio at Shades, the hotel’s hip beach restaurant with fresh, eclectic offerings like baba ghanoush — roasted eggplant served with grilled vegetables and dipping bread.

As the palm trees danced in the evening breeze, I caught a glimpse of the flickering lights from dozens of tiny bonfires. The girls were out there somewhere, roasting marshmallows and making memories, not unlike the memories I’d made in my youth. I guess that’s why they call it California Dreaming.

Life in slow lane comes with risks, rewards

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Town Crier/Ginny Prior
Article Launched: 07/03/2008 01:05:38 PM PDT

YOU’VE HEARD OF life in the fast lane? Well, I’m trying life in the slow lane, as I look for ways to cut the high cost of gas. My inspiration comes from friend Rosie Nysaether (a Realtor for Alain Pinel in Montclair ) who says we can save 54 cents a gallon if we drive 60 mph instead of 70 mph. She picked up the tip from the Sierra Club and passed it along in her newsletter last month.

There is one problem with this theory. I’m afraid I’ll get mowed over as I turtle along on the freeway. Even in the slow lane, I’m getting “the look,” the horn — even the freeway salute. Is it worth the scorn to save $6 a tank? Calculated over time — the answer is obvious. A savings of $300 or more a year can buy a lot of lattes. Better to have the liquid go in my tank, then in that of my car.

SHOPPING ALERT: Here’s food for thought: You may want to avoid peak shopping times at the Montclair Safeway this summer. The upper lot is closed during the market’s conversion to a lifestyle store and parking is at a premium down below. That means no leaving your car in the lot while you run other errands. It just isn’t right. On the flip side, the store will have a new look, come fall, including a soup bar and other gourmet goodies.

E-MAIL BAG: The new head of the Montclair Village Association is responding to an e-mail I ran, recently, about the challenge of parking without meters to mark the spaces. Roger Vickery says with the help of Wlad Wlassowsky from the city’s Public Works Agency, he’s had all the parking spaces painted with “t’s” so motorists will know where to put their cars.

Speaking of parking, reader Mary G. (who doesn’t want her last name printed) has a bone of her own to pick.

“The ‘peeps’ that double park in front of SCORE every night between 5 and 6,” she writes, “are just idling their cars and wasting gas — waiting for their kids.”

She says one evening she even saw someone get out of their car, lock it, and leave it running in the middle of the street for a full 20 minutes. Starbucks, she observes, is another hot spot for rude drivers.

FUNGUS AMONGUS: There’s trouble in storybook land. The old Montclair Library has a mold problem that will need to be addressed sometime soon. The culprit was probably a leaky roof, which has since been replaced, but allowed water in the walls behind hundreds of books. Look for a fix this fall that includes tearing out the custom-made book shelves to get at the problem.

ANIMAL TALES: Just when you thought there were plenty of animals at the Oakland Zoo, hundreds of goats are living just outside the gates, “mowing” the brush during fire season. The four-legged weed wackers seem oblivious to the fact that they’re dining near their wild brethren. I even saw a bird sitting on the back of one goat while he was munching away the other day.

Homeowner invents way to renew energy

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Town Crier/Ginny Prior

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” Could Plato have foreseen our high energy costs when he penned this phrase?

Montclair homeowner John Orfali has taken this philosophy and has run with it, inventing a quick, easy way to make renewable energy for his home.

It involves a windmill and solar panel connected to a battery, which he and his sons have installed on their property.

“We run our TV and bedroom lights off it at night,” said his wife, Mary, who claimed it could also come in handy during a power outage. “If there is a major earthquake and we are without electricity for days, how are you going to charge your cell phone or run some lights?”

John’s invention offers a solution, and with any luck he’ll find the financial backing to go public soon.

CHANGE METERS: Want to put your money where your mouth is? Top Dog in Rockridge is selling hot dogs for two-bits to anyone who pays with a quarter from 1964 or earlier. Why? The older quarters have silver — enough silver to make them worth about 3 bucks today — or the price of a hot dog. There’s a deeper political message about the government minting worthless money, these days, but you’ll have to go to the sausage shop to get that “food for thought.”

NATURE RETREAT: Speaking of sausage, there’ll be plenty of brats at the Aug. 3 Biergartenfest at Nature Friends. This German retreat is like a Bavarian Village overlooking Butters Canyon in the hills. There’s a beer garden, kitchen and dance hall on the wooded property, which is open several times a year for folk dancing and festivals. The late summer event will feature a live band from 2-6 p.m. and the Nature Friends Schuhplattler Dance Group. Call 510-531-2930 for more information.

MAIL BAG: The Town Crier continues to get complaints about Oakland ‘s new parking meters. Reader Maleah Simpson says there’s no consideration for our aging population.

“Walking, in some instances, half a block to print out a ticket, return to the car, walk the same half block up hill to the shop they want to visit — it may be difficult for some,” she said.

She also points out that the city is losing money because people are taking up more than one space.

“There is no guideline,” Simpson said.

E-MAIL BAG: Thanks to reader Tod Vedock for alerting me to his year-long crusade to fix a buckled section of roadway along Broadway Terrace. He said the roots of a large tree have pushed the pavement up there, creating a nasty hazard for bicyclists and an eyesore for everyone else.

“I thought I would get this corrected,” he wrote, “as I’m sure you are bouncing all over it on your scooter!”

And in response to my recent piece on the renovation of Royal Ground, Eric Reynolds wrote that Raquel Saldana has left the coffee shop after 13 years.

“She’s been there almost everyday, from the crack of dawn until the late afternoon,” he said. “She’s loved by many of the Village moms because she kisses and hugs their babies and she’s not afraid to say hello to anyone.”

Saldana hasn’t gone far, however. She’s reportedly moved across the street, serving coffee at the Malt Shop.

THE HAPPY WANDERER – SAN DIEGO

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HILLS NEWSPAPERS: 05/22/2008

It was the final kerfuffle in a series of slapstick events that made up our weekend in San Diego. With just minutes till boarding, I found myself outside Southwest’s security zone with no identification.

I’d left my purse with my daughter to search for an airport bathroom with no queue. “You can’t go back that way,” said a stern-faced officer. “You’ll set off the alarm.” I had a hot flash as I paged my daughter to bring my I.D.

Several megastress moments later, my teen arrived with an attitude the size of Cleveland, lecturing me the entire way back to the gate as the flight door was ready to close. We made it on the plane — just barely.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “What kind of mother doesn’t take her purse to the bathroom?” Try a mother who was too tired to think — after four days of shopping, fine dining and power bonding.

It was the kickoff of Mother’s Day weekend when we arrived in America’s City. That’s what San Diego was called when I lived there in 1983. Back then, the beach was my focus, but I wanted my 18-year-old to see something besides beer and bikinis. She’d see plenty of that in college. This weekend, we were meeting friends and staying in a more sophisticated spot — the city’s Gaslamp Quarter.

Once a notorious red light district, I could almost hear the bawdy laughter as I gazed at the 94 Victorians — gorgeous painted ladies nestled into just 16 square blocks. Our group joined a walking tour led by the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and heard tall tales from some of the period’s most colorful characters.

Appropriately, the Gaslamp today is still colorful, but in a more acceptable way. People spill into the streets from the dozens of noted restaurants and cafes, sending the visitor count soaring some 400 percent in the past 10 years.

The perfect home base for exploring the Gaslamp is the splendidly restored Ulysses S. Grant Hotel. Thirteen presidents have visited the Grant since its 1910 opening, but what’s impressive today is the length to which the owners, the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, have gone to honor the president they considered a friend.

They pumped $56 million into a renovation so grand the hotel just won Best Luxury Guestroom Design at the HotelWorld Global Hospitality & Design Awards.

From its signature Grant Grill to its 3,000-square-foot art gallery, every inch of the hotel befits a guest of honor and distinction. A guest like me.

My room was so lavish I didn’t want to leave. Even the headboard was a unique work of art, beckoning me into the luxurious bedding. But somewhere outside was a seafood dinner and a cheesecake with my name on it. I gathered my travel companions for dinner.

Oceanaire is one of the Gaslamp’s more celebrated eateries, with eclectic offerings like miso-glazed Oregon black cod and salt-and-vinegar fries. Our group was so big that half of us dined here and half took a cab to Oceanaire’s sister restaurant, Island Prime.

Both restaurants created a gluttonous feast that had us adjusting our waistbands well into the night. It also spurred us into action early the next morning.

“Hurry!” shouted our panicked friend, who’d taken charge of “shepherding” our group around town. We were sprinting, coffee cups in hand, to catch the Coronado ferry. Never mind that it was just a few blocks from our hotel — we were discombobulated and running late.

My daughter and another young gal had gone ahead to reserve bikes on the island, for our Mother’s Day ride to the Hotel Del Coronado. After sorting out who got the surrey and who got the beach cruisers, we had a leisurely ride (sans the surrey whose wide girth seemed to put it on a perpetual collision course with other vehicles.) And the Del didn’t disappoint. The grand old hotel with its broad, beachfront deck had succulent drinks and a great boomer band.

Perhaps the drinks were too succulent. Later that day, as our group toured the San Diego Museum of Modern Art, someone went out the emergency exit. A piercing alarm rang throughout the building and, while my friend didn’t admit to anything, she had that deer in the headlights look. We laughed about it over a delicious dinner at Prado, a restaurant known for its intoxicating fusion of flavors and eye-candy ambiance. Then we wrapped up the evening with a heady performance of “Beethoven as I Knew Him” at the nearby Old Globe Theatre.

Yes, it was a trip to remember — kerfuffles and all. In fact, I’m willing to say it was the mother of all Mother’s Day weekends.

Ginny Prior has a weekly syndicated travel radio show on Sports Byline USA, as well as travel features in print publications across the country. If you have a travel destination you’d like to share, drop a note to The Happy Wanderer at ginnyprior.com.

IF YOU GO:
The U.S. Grant Hotel: www.luxurycollection.com/usgrant
Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation Tours, leaving from the Westin Gaslamp Quarter: www.gaslampquarter.org
Oceanaire, Island Prime and Prado: www.cohnrestaurants.com
The Old Globe Theatre: www.theoldglobe.org
Coronado Island: www.coronadovisitorcenter.com

Baby sparrow, Ginny bond — for brief moment

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Town Crier/Ginny Prior
Article Launched: 05/29/2008 03:51:33 PM PDT

JUST CALL ME the bird whisperer. A sparrow landed on the seat of my scooter the other day, just as I was parking in the Lucky lot.

He had two little tufts of fur and an odd look in his eyes as he bobbed up and down, giving me the once over. I asked him how spring was treating him and he gave me a peep. Then he awkwardly flapped his wings and flew into the side of a window.

“It must be a baby, just out of the nest,” said the receptionist at the nearby Montclair Veterinary Hospital. She scooped him up and put him on the ledge near his parents, who were obviously peeved that he’d left home without permission. But for that one fleeting moment, we had bonded; I with my scooter and bird with his new set of wings.

CRIME LOG: It’s a well-known fact that banks don’t like publicity when they are robbed. They don’t want to be seen as vulnerable. So I won’t mention the name of the bank in Montclair that was robbed, recently, by gun-wielding thugs who reportedly assaulted both the security guard and a teller. They got away but were later caught after another East Bay heist in which the bank had put a tracking device in the money. It’s just another example of how violent crime has escalated in Oakland.

E-MAIL BAG: Reader Michael Levy wants to know if the rumors about Royal Ground are true.

“I’ve heard it’s becoming a café,” he writes, adding the word is they’ll close for renovations soon. Michael, you’re right. Royal Ground’s new owner, Miguel Barron, confirms he’s putting in a kitchen, and will start serving food soon. He hopes the work won’t cause too much disruption to the coffee shop, where a multitude of Montclair residents get their daily caffeine fix. As I’ve reported before, Barron already has one restaurant in the village — the venerable Montclair Egg Shop.

MORE E-MAIL: Several readers have asked for an update on the median strip planting along Highway 13. Councilwoman Jean Quan says Caltrans is working on it — albeit slowly.

“They are incredibly slow but have worked fairly consistently since January,” she writes, saying they’ve installed the irrigation and have been hauling in soil to begin the planting.

PEDDLING FUN: Speaking of Royal Ground, the bike club that calls “the ground” home is celebrating its 10th anniversary on Sunday.

Ron Scrivani, Howard Neal and the Velo Raptors have been “peddling” the benefits of bicycle fitness and now have upwards of 65 people in their group.

“Our club started 10 years ago when Howard Neal said that he was going to take a bike ride on the coming Saturday morning, and I asked if I could join him,” Scrivani said. It’s turned into a weekly Sunday morning (8:15 a.m.) ride that starts at Royal Ground and goes through the hills and beyond. Everyone is welcome.

PAMPER PARTY: Strong hands and a warm heart. That’s a good way to describe the staff at Montclair’s Simply Gorgeous Day Spa. They are spending the day, today, giving free treatments to five winners of their recent “You deserve to be pampered” contest. Nominated by friends and family, one recipient was described in this way: “She is ‘mom’ to 2 smart, witty & handsome boys. She works her butt off as a gardener 7 days a week. Her joints are aching, her hands are painful & basically all her joints throb day & night, but still she works, cooks dinner, helps with homework and keeps her home impeccable.”

Hands down — this woman deserves a massage!

An Artist Follows His Dream

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Behind the Scenes with Zonk’s Creator

OAKLAND MAGAZINE – MAY 2008

hoobler-photo1Man is nothing if not a dreamer. And “Zonk” is nothing if not a dreaming tortoise. The popular children’s book Zonk the Dreaming Tortoise is the creation of Oakland artist David Hoobler, who seems rather like a turtle himself, at times.
Somewhat shy, with a slightly tentative smile and an unpretentious nature, Hoobler shares a studio apartment with his cat and his colorful imagination. His drawing boards are the focal point of his living room, framing an old steam heater that Hoobler admits makes the room too hot.
Hot like the Sonoran Desert—a region with two rainy seasons that provides the inspiration for Hoobler’s character, Zonk. “In 1996 I was living in Arizona and taking a writing course,” he recalls, “and was given five minutes to come up with a story about a funny little character with a funny name.” Putting pen to paper, he created a desert tortoise who liked water so much that he longed to be a sea turtle. A classmate looked at the piece and said, “That would make a great kid’s book.”
Hoobler launched into action, dusting off his set of barely used, dried-up watercolors (every aspiring painter has one). “They were so solid in the tube, I had to cut them out and put them in a dish,” he laughs. With an art degree from Sonoma State University and a talent he says was passed down from the women in his family, Hoobler created his first image of Zonk the Dreaming Tortoise.
Two books and dozens of paintings later, Hoobler is one of the few artists who actually makes a living off his trade. It takes as much marketing savvy as creativity, something which many artists find difficult. And forget sitting back while the big book stores sell your stuff. “It’s not a system for small publishers,” says Hoobler, who calls chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders too much work. “They want two or three books, and a lot of times they want to keep them on consignment, and then you have to track them down.”
As an author and artist, Hoobler prefers to sell his own products on Amazon and through his own Web site, www.zonktheturtle.com. His online store sells not only paintings and books, but also colorful T-shirts and turtle pajamas. He also works the circuit of art fairs and festivals and even school assemblies.
As the years go by and the artist’s life becomes more entwined with that of his characters, friends have noticed some changes in Hoobler. One day, someone even mentioned how much he’d become like Zonk the Dreaming Tortoise. Or had Zonk become more like him? Either way, they were sharing some similar traits.

“Zonk reflects a lot of my own personality,” Hoobler admits. “I’m very much a fantasizer, and I have a hero complex. I want to do things that are impossible.” At the same time, Hoobler gets really embarrassed when friends make fun of him, not unlike Zonk, who hides when he’s feeling humiliated. If it sounds familiar, it may be because this scenario has played out before—in the life of cartoonist Charles Schulz and his sad-sack character, Charlie Brown.
If only Hoobler’s tortoise and sea characters would catch on like the Peanuts gang. Hoobler holds out hope as he works on his book distribution in Baja, a promising market and a place often mentioned in Zonk’s travels. In fact, it’s here on the Baja peninsula that Zonk and his friends are frolicking in the secret lagoon when they encounter resistance from “locals.” With the aid of some bats and a friendly thermal vent, they flee the lagoon on the back of a manta ray. It’s the final adventure in Zonk’s first trilogy, and Hoobler hopes to have it done by this summer. “I go to Baja to draw, paint and get inspiration for my book, and then I come home and write.” Once the story and illustrations are finished, he has the books printed in Singapore.
“It’s 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration,” says Hoobler, quoting Thomas Edison as he opens the window to cool down a building that once served as a traveler’s inn in Oakland. The place is temperamental but has character. Hoobler feels it fits him.
Living life simply, but with richness and adventure, Hoobler is grateful. “I’m almost making a living with my art,” he says, “which is quite an accomplishment. I’m not quite the starving artist.”

THE HAPPY WANDERER: OAKLAND

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Oakland has plenty to offer travelers

YOU’RE PLANNING A getaway. You see yourself having incredible adventures, capped off with elegant dinners and electrifying nightlife. You’re thinking Costa Rica, Bora Bora — maybe New Zealand. But before you book globally, think locally, because this year, it’s hip to stay home.

Once the long-suffering step-sister of San Francisco, Oakland is finally grabbing the spotlight for chic restaurants and nightlife. Cool new venues like Levende East in Old Oakland are energizing parts of the city that used to shut down at dusk. In the 1870s, Old Oakland was the heart of town, with grand Victorian hotels built for travelers coming in on the Transcontinental Railroad. Today, it’s part of a renaissance that includes a vibrant Friday Farmers Market and a plethora of popular restaurants.

A few blocks away, in Uptown, uber-trendy clubs and eateries are drawing an eclectic mix of hipsters and after-work professionals. A perfect example is Café Van Kleef, where an animated crowd fills the bar almost nightly, spilling out onto the sidewalk by 6 p.m.

Rockridge continues to shine with celebrated spots like À Côté, where the long queues for dinner testify to its popularity. And in Montclair Village, chef/owner Henry Vortriede has his own style of comfort food (along with killer blackened brussel sprouts) at The Montclair Bistro.

But food isn’t the only thing that should draw you to Oakland. Consider a hike with a llama. On an outing offered by East Bay Regional Parks a few years ago, I led my buck-toothed friend “Freckles” along a dusty tree-lined trail in Roberts Regional Park. Contrary to what you may think, he was not the spitting image of an old boyfriend. He did, however, make some odd nasal noises.

While the llama trek may be an Andean-like adventure, the Oakland hills have parks that are reminiscent of other faraway places. Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve reminds me of Ireland, with its velvet green crests and vast, sweeping views of the mountains and sea. In winter and spring, nearby Redwood Regional Park is so dense with vegetation, it resembles a rain forest. All this is just minutes from downtown Oakland, and as nature tends to be — it’s free.

So, too, is a stroll around the nation’s oldest wildlife refuge, Lake Merritt. And while the bird-watching is good, the people-watching is even better, with regular sightings of Oakland’s celebrity former Mayor Jerry Brown. Speaking of sights, along the shores of this great urban lake is a magical place that some say was the inspiration for Disneyland.

When Walt Disney came to Children’s Fairyland in 1954, he was so impressed, he hired the director away at double her salary. Fairy tales still come alive here and so do innovative ideas, like Fairyland’s summer overnights for families to pitch tents and see puppet shows under the stars.

Oakland is a mariner’s paradise and Lake Merritt is no exception. At the boathouse, you can rent sailboats and other nonmotorized vessels for a leisurely cruise. But for something really different, book a ride in an authentic Venetian gondola. With a handsome gondolier at the helm, you feel regal as you glide across the placid waters. All around you are the skyline and city, and the lights of Lake Merritt — like a romantic string of pearls.

Then there’s a nautical adventure that is more interactive; kayaking on the Oakland Estuary. California Canoe & Kayak has dozens of colorful kayaks in the water at Jack London Square. Take one out (instruction is available) and tour the waterfront that Jack London made famous in his adventure novels. You can even see a replica of his cabin in the square next to one of his favorite watering holes, Heinhold’s First & Last Chance Saloon. Like a scene from John Barleycorn, Heinhold’s is still serving ’em up — frothy and cold.

On my way to Yoshi’s World Class Jazz House near Jack London Square the other night, I watched the fog roll in — a little gift from our famous sister to the west. Its clammy fingers tried to pull me toward it — toward the city that always seemed to steal the spotlight. “Not this time,” I thought to myself. This time I’m opting for Oakland.