THEY CALL IT the last frontier — a land so vast and unspoiled, less than one percent of it has been altered by man. Amazingly, you can get there from Oakland by lunchtime.
I’m talking about Alaska, a place that sees scores of visitors annually out of Oakland International Airport. This week, it was my turn.
You’d have thought I was headed for the moon. I packed everything from an eye mask (I was sure the sun never set) to a parka. And energy bars — in case reindeer and moose were my only options. Everything I knew about Alaska I’d read in a book or seen on TV. I had a lot to learn — and four days to do it.
You’d be surprised at how much you can do with 17 hours of light each day, and how soundly you sleep when your head hits the pillow.
Spending two afternoons in Anchorage, I saw folks fishing for salmon in downtown Ship Creek. I followed the walking tour and recreated the Gold Rush, the entry into statehood and the ’64 earthquake. I rode the coastal bike trail and the original red trolley and caught a hilarious dinner show spoof on Alaska at the famed “Fly By Night Club.” I also wolfed down two reindeer sausages and some coconut-battered Spam. (Alaska has the second highest consumption of Spam in the U.S. What a distinction!)
But while Anchorage has plenty to see and do, you need to go airborne for the “real” Alaska. Bush pilots will fly almost anywhere and land on anything from a lake to a beach to a frozen strip of ice. Alaska Air Taxi took 10 of us over the colorful Cook Inlet to Lake Clark National Park for a day of bear watching.
We saw big browns eating berries and salmon and grubs. Then they scratched their backs on the bark of a Black Spruce. In this wild land, bears fish side by side with human anglers in great glacial streams. Everyone gets their fill. And that night at the Alaska Homestead Lodge, I had the best salmon dinner of my life.
Alyeska is the largest ski resort in Alaska, but its busiest season is summer. That’s understandable, with biking and hiking and even walking on glaciers. With Red Bull for breakfast, you can accomplish all three and be soaking your blisters by dinner.
That leaves just one day to accomplish the number one tourist activity in Alaska — a glacial cruise. You can knock that out in an hour with a quick cruise to the Portage Glacier, where 1,000-year-old ice chunks float all around you. Call me crazy, but I couldn’t refuse a taste of this finely aged ice when the captain brought it aboard.
Spot a moose, see spawning salmon … talk to 10 guys who like bear hunting and oil drilling. Yep — you really can do Alaska in four days. But you’ll need those energy bars.
Wood woes
A giant wood pile on an empty lot on Azalea Lane has neighbors crying foul. They’ve been told by the city that a crew can’t come out until late September to clear it away.
“That’s the end of fire season,” says one woman, who says she’s been calling for action since last spring, but the lot owner (who reportedly lives in Montclair) hasn’t complied.
Meanwhile, folks at Oakland Weed Abatement say they wish they’d known sooner. It apparently takes time to give the guilty party the required two warnings and wait for a response. The final step, which the agency is preparing to take next month, is to hire someone to chuck the wood, then bill the owner.
The wheels of justice do move, but ever so slowly. If you have a similar incident to report, call 510-238-7388.
Hollywood Hornet
The rumors are true. A big Hollywood movie is being filmed on the USS Hornet in Alameda next month. The whole thing is hush hush, but it’s bringing in enough money to force cancellation of the Oct. 9 Jimmy Dorsey big band dance (reschedule for April).
I wonder how the fabled Hornet ghosts will react to all the hubbub.
TALE OF TWO FORTUNES
THIS IS A TALE of two fortunes. One is lost, another found. Both involve houses.
In one tale, a blaze broke out quickly in the misty morning hours in Canyon. The bohemian enclave on the backside of Montclair was just waking up, when the cry was unleashed.
“Fire!” screamed the neighbors as they raced to their telephones to call one another. The old phone tree, in the process of being updated, broke down.
Two structures were burning. Lois Aldrich, who lived nearby, raced to her elderly neighbor’s place to awaken him.
Fire is a frightening force. But when you’re surrounded by trees with only one route out, it’s beyond scary. In this case, two homes were lost, but no one was hurt.
The redwoods, as dense as they are, were conduits for moisture — which collected on the springy forest floor. Mother Nature was the firefighter’s best friend.
Meanwhile, in our neighboring community of Oakland, houses are going up as symbols of hope for hard working families who qualify for Habitat for Humanity.
A Fourth of July Build-a-Thon attracted 200-plus volunteers, who framed six new homes and raised over $70,000 in pledges. With work going on each day, two families have already been chosen for their new dwellings, in a complex of a dozen new homes.
You don’t have to be a contractor to help. You don’t even have to have a hammer. You just have to have a heart.
Core classes
Where does your strength originate? If you’re speaking in anatomical terms, it comes from your gut — your core. Each Monday through Thursday, dancer Janet Welsh helps people strengthen their core with a blend of pilates, yoga and dance — which she calls Core Flow.
The location is the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Center, which provides an interesting historic backdrop for getting in touch with your body. The nine o’clock classes are $15. Learn more by calling 510-543-5442.
The ‘strip’
The strip may be naked now, but it won’t be for long.
The Glenview Neighborhood Association is planting the Park Boulevard median strip this month. And in a spirit of cooperation, there’s even free child care for volunteer gardeners — at 9 a.m. on Aug. 14 and 28. Contact Erin Moore at 510-336-0365 for more information.
And they call it…
“Puppy Love.” A boy and a girl — different backgrounds but similar interests — making a commitment to love, honor and obey. Their masters, that is.
Yes, the wedding of the summer has taken place in Montclair, and apparently no one has a bone to pick except the bride and groom.
The pooch named Penny was dressed in lovely formal attire that allowed her to show off her legs. The groom was a real catch, with an obvious affection for his mate that went beyond the usual panting and licking. Rumor has it there’s a video of the event, which may surface as we enter the dog days of summer.
Punny Plate
Spotted on a green car driving through the Caldecott Tunnel, the vanity plate: DSEPTIV. The make of the car eluded motorist Chris A., who says that may have been the driver’s intent.
Kayaking the Channel Islands: Where the Risk is Worth It!
(Alameda Magazine, July/August 2004)
Since the beginning of time, man has been fascinated with caves. Dark, dank and mysterious, they test the very depths of our imagination. But while man lived for centuries in caves on dry land, it’s sea caves that offer the real adventure. And no place in California has more sea caves than the Channel Islands.
First, a geography lesson. The Channel Islands are eight spits of land off the Southern California coast. They lie in a spot between the mainland and the deep ocean called the Continental Shelf. There’s an amazing array of wildlife and water so clear, Jacque Coustou once called it one of the best cold water diving spots on the planet. Oh, and something else. We own these islands. They’re part of the National Park system.
On a day when the fog was skirting the sun, I joined a group of kayakers on a trip to the closest island in the chain, Anacapa. We left out of Oxnard, about an hour north of Burbank and just below Santa Barbara. It’s a wonderful town that really needs a name change (remember the Johnny Carson jokes on the Tonight Show?) But that’s a story for another time.
The boat trip to Anacapa is not for the weak of stomach. Dramamine and a steady eye on the horizon helped me through the 90 minute excursion, which was more like a liquid roller coaster ride. But once we were in our kayaks, the waves were gentle and easy to ride.
Anacapa is a long, skinny spine of cliffs and caves that the Chumash called “Anyapakh”, or mirage. Our guide was most aptly named, Jimmy McWaters. “People have been hurt in these caves and you have to be careful,” he warned as we adjusted our helmets and paddled into a circle around him. He watched, intently, the swell of the sea. “If the tide is too high or low, you can get trapped,” he went on, adding that he had his own scrape with death in a sea cave. “I was trying to turn around and a swell came in and lifted my kayak up and I got wedged on the ceiling.” Perhaps too much information was coming our way.
But once I saw the treasure inside, I was convinced that the risk was worth it. A kaleidoscope of color encircled the walls, with sea stars of purple and magenta. Tiny crabs scurried along the dripping rocks. And something else was in there. I could see it on a ledge when Jimmy shined his flashlight. It was a Sea Lion with deep, dark eyes and whiskers like a broom. This was clearly his cave and his barking echoed off the cavern walls.
In and out of the sea caves we paddled, riding the tides and marveling at the marine life. If ever there were an amusement park for this sport, the Channel Islands would be it. Off Anacapa alone, there are more than 120 sea caves. Some are big, with wide open entries. Some are tiny, barely allowing a kayaker to enter before being spit back out with the tide. Guides have names for caves like these. Names like Room of Doom and Flatliner. The novice kayaker may want to sit these caves out. But then there are places like Painted Cave off Santa Cruz island. One of the world’s largest sea caves, it’s big enough to house a blimp. In fact, Santa Cruz has over 150 caves on its front side alone. It’s the biggest of the Channel Islands and is thought to be a miniature of what Southern California looked like more than a century ago.
On longer trips you can beach your kayak and hike the trails on several of the islands. Snorkeling is also a popular sport. And if all this doesn’t do it for you – there’s always sex. With waters so clear, you can see the male Garibaldis luring the ladies into their kelp dens. When the passion has ended, the females take off – leaving the men to raise the minnows. It’s a show that goes on daily in the Channel Islands chain.
For more information on Channel Islands National Park, call 805-658-5730 or log on to http://www.nps.gov/chis.
Oakland’s Dream, Disney’s Inspiration
FOR MORE THAN TWO decades, I’ve reported the news — most often, the bad news. I broadcast the fires, murders and chaos, because those were the headline stories. “If it bleeds, it leads,” a boss once told me.
Funny, but I can hardly take all that news today. The phrase “TMI” comes to mind — too much information, too much negative information.
That’s why I focus on happy news, the sometimes silly but mostly uplifting stuff that you don’t always hear about — but maybe you should: stuff like the changes at Children’s Fairyland.
C. J. Hirschfield is the executive director of this Oakland treasure and is beaming over what’s being accomplished. She says staff and volunteers are really sprucing the place up — with a new covered amphitheater, a totally refurbished storybook puppet theater and a kid-sized Old West town.
She’s also joined forces with Target stores for a multi-cultural storytellers series and “sweetened” the pot with a partnership with Fentons. On Aug. 14 and 15, park visitors can build and eat a giant 50-foot ice cream sundae.
Many folks say the park was an inspiration for Disneyland. In fact, when Walt Disney came here in 1954, he was so impressed that he hired Fairyland’s director away at double her salary.
“There’s so much love for this park,” says Hirschfield, who gave up her career in cable television two years ago to run the Lake Merritt amusement park. “People can’t imagine Oakland without a Fairyland,” she says. And to that I add, “Don’t even try.”
Sunday stroll
Maybe it’s time to resurrect the old Sunday stroll. Drop your sweat pants and don something fancy for an afternoon of window shopping and fine nibbling on Grand Avenue.
Reader Audrey Daniels tells me the Coffee Mill has live jazz from 3 to 6 p.m. every Sunday, and the street offers a world of ethnic cuisine — from Korean and Thai to Italian. There’s a theater, book store and even a chocolatier on Grand Avenue, where Sunday’s are something to celebrate.
Street art
A mystery artist has returned to the hills to repaint the sign along Skyline Boulevard near Shepherd Canyon Road. With just months until our president election, the painter reverted to the message, “Vote for those who vote for the Earth.” And just as quickly as the artist surfaced, he seems to have disappeared — to live in Italy, I’m told.
E-mail bag
With documentaries being so popular these days, reader Jamie Sharp wants people to know about a group of budding movie journalists. Reel Kids Films is a company of Bay Area students, teachers and film makers who focus on social themes like violence prevention and women’s rights. Anyone interested in working on, supporting or making donations to the group’s film “Times Like These, Again” should check the Web site, http://www.reelkidsfilms.com/.
Running ‘afowl’
Wild turkey sightings are up in the hills, and it’s not just at Crogans. Lisa N. says she was playing with her 5-month-old daughter when she looked up to see one of these fine-feathered fowl in her yard. Later, when it re-appeared, she was able to capture it on camera. I’m including a photo to remind you that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.
Reach Ginny Prior by phone at 510-273-9418 or on the Web at http://www.ginnyprior.com/.
Fun at Fentons: C. J. Hirschfield, executive director of Children’s Fairyland, Oakland City Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Fentons President Scott Whidden, Elvia De La Fuente and Karl Osterloh, president of the Fairyland Board of Directors, attend a kick-off fund-raiser for Children’s Fairyland at Fentons Creamery on Piedmont Avenue on July 18, National Ice Cream Day. July sales of Fentons’ Fairyland Sundae, Myrtle’s Creation and a special T-shirt will benefit the park; patrons bringing Fairyland keys to Fentons receive discounts on some items. Fentons is also celebrating its 110th anniversary this year. See http://www.fentonscreamery.com/ or call 510-658-7000 for more details.
Oakland Art In Surprising Places
OAKLAND IS full of surprises. Just when you think you know everything, you find out those scary rubber masks you see at Halloween are made right here in our town.
In an old metal foundry in West Oakland is a design studio so popular that its art is known worldwide. And Halloween masks are just part of what’s created at Chiodo Studios.
Much of the garden art you see today is made here, including some whimsical pieces that are being molded and designed for the new children’s section of the Oakland Zoo. Chiodo’s vice president, Francine Agapoff, showed me the pieces the other day, in a great little tour.
In a sunny spot in the back lot, a man was casting polymer on a giant purple spider. By spring, kids will be climbing on this big bug, along with a caterpillar, ladybug and a tortoise (and shell).
“It’s art with great educational value,” says zoo director Dr. Joel Parrott. “Kids will get to climb on the backs of oversized insects of real species,” he says, adding that the art goes perfectly with the new bug house, underwritten by hills businessman George Zimmer (a long time zoo supporter).
Chiodo is also designing a maze and an interactive otter den, as well as a three-dimensional mural. The total cost: $300,000.
“It’s the going rate for great interactive art,” Dr. Parrott says with a laugh, “and the kids will have a lot of fun learning.”
Escargot a go-go
Reader Al Caruso says there’s money to be made in ranching — snail ranching, that is. You just catch them, purge them (with a seven-day cornmeal diet), and they’re ready for the sauté pan — with a little white wine and garlic butter. Get enough of them and you can sell them to fancy French restaurants.
Don’t expect to make a fortune immediately, though. The profits come in at a snail’s pace. For more information, look on the web at www.snailfarming.net.
Sign of the times
Oakland’s Camera Corner is gone, but not forgotten. Owner John Hartz says the Oakland Museum wants his old sign, which has been hanging above the 13th and Broadway store since the mid-1940s.
A chemical fire forced the shop’s closure about a year ago, but the 6-by-20-foot sign is still up, and Hartz says the landlord would probably like to get rid of it. The old saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s …” comes to mind, since the museum sees the sign as a part of the city’s history.
History cruise
FDR’s floating white house is setting sail July 24 for a cruise honoring Admiral Daniel Judson Callaghan.
Reader Howard Smith says Callaghan was Roosevelt’s naval aide and was born and raised in Oakland, attending St. Elizabeth’s School. The 10 a.m. cruise is open to the public, and reservations can be made by calling 510-627-1215.
Beloved bartender
A good bartender is a therapist and a mixologist. But Luis Dehora (www.martiniman.com) has taken his job a step further. The Brazilian bartender is so popular at the Lafayette Park Hotel that customers Harold and Lee Reed have paid for his trip to Rio and back three times.
But that’s just the beginning. Another couple is so attached to Dehora, they’ve purchased plots at the cemetery next door. It has something to do with his “heavenly” spirits.
Simple Times And Soaring Spirits
SOMETIMES this big city life gets you down. The traffic, the crowds, the clash of agendas. But then a day comes along that lifts your spirits: a day like the Fourth of July.
It starts in the morning with one of the best hometown parades in the country, in Piedmont. It’s a scene from a simpler time — the streets lined with happy faces and outstretched hands as the children clamor for candy tossed from the floats. And there are the bagpipes, the clowns and the ladies on stilts. As the years go by, the entries just get better.
Throughout the day, there are barbecues — with the grill being the center of activity. Everyone has a recipe, a favorite food to cook over the coals until the juices run clear. Those who don’t grill bring salad and side dishes, on a day when we’re free to eat just what we please.
The nightcap, of course, is the fireworks. Say what you will about the big, booming displays at Jack London Square. I like the “baby boomers” on the other side of the hill.
The town of Moraga has a sweet little fireworks display that’s easy to get to and blanket friendly. And once you’ve watched fireworks while resting on your back, you’ll never go back to standing shoulder to shoulder again.
Vandals and victims
It’s summertime, and restless teens can mean trouble. Tire slashings, mailbox thrashings and even a suspected arson fire at Montera Middle School — these are among the recent crimes that cost taxpayers and homeowners plenty.
Since the suspects are youths, police want parents to keep an eye on their kids and an ear on their conversations. Vandals sometimes brag about their deeds, and it comes back to bite them. If you hear or see any suspicious activity, call the Oakland police at 510-777-3333.
Oakland plays host
Just what is there to do in Oakland? Ask the hundreds of writers and travel promoters who attended a major tourism conference at the City Center Marriott last week.
Of the 100 “surprising” things to see and do in town (according to the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau), there’s the Chabot Space & Science Center, Jack London Square, downtown, Chinatown and even more out there — like the Paramount, Potomac and Preservation Park.
There’s enough to keep you busy from early morn till dark. It’s our job to accentuate the positive; and when it comes right down to it, Oakland has a big list of attractions.
Gone fishin’
They’re not much for frying, but they do a great job of keeping bugs at bay. Alameda County is offering homeowners free mosquito fish for their ponds.
Just one of these swimmers can eat up to 500 mosquitoes a day, finding the bugs most succulent during their tender young larvae stage. Mosquito fish are kind of a dull gray, but you may want to request the albino variety, which has a “pinkish hue” and may look better in your ornamental pond.
Just call the county’s mosquito abatement district at 510-783-7744 to order your fish and find out other ways to prevent West Nile virus from spreading in Oakland.
Freebie alert
Thanks to readers who told me that one of the best ways to sell a car is on craigslist. With no fee and a simple signup, I posted my 2001 Prius on this Web site and had several offers within days. Compare this to the complicated procedure on eBay, where it costs $40 to sell. Sometimes cheaper is better!
Seeing Oakland Through the Eyes of a Travel Writer
(Oakland Magazine, July/August 2004)
You’re planning your vacation. You see yourself having incredible adventures, capped off with an elegant dinner and electrifying nightlife. You’re thinking Costa Rica, Bora Bora–maybe New Zealand. But before you book globally, think locally, because there’s a world of adventure in your own backyard.
Seeing Oakland through the eyes of a travel writer is something I do often as a freelance journalist living in Montclair. What other big city offers miles of open space with winding trails and sweeping vistas, a bustling sea port and one of the most diverse populations in the country? Oakland may get a bum rap from some, but I’ve never met a travel journalist that didn’t like it here. So let’s go exploring and celebrate the sunny side of the bay. Right after breakfast.
It’s a well known fact that the morning meal is critical, especially when you’re touring, and The Montclair Egg Shop is known city-wide for its hearty omelets. In a cozy cafe with a model train that goes clickety clack on an overhead track, this place is all it’s cracked up to be, and more. It’s also located in one of the Bay Area’s most charming neighborhoods, Montclair Village. Nestled in the Oakland hills, Montclair’s old fire station and library feature the story book architecture seen often in Oakland. But surrounding this village is something even more unique–miles and miles of parkland and water shed, where you can hike for days and rarely see another person.
But you can see a llama. In fact, you can rent one to carry your pack on a hike through Roberts Regional Park. Open to everyone, these llama hikes can be booked through the East Bay Regional Park District several times a year. On a recent outing with some out of state travel writers, I led my buck-toothed friend “Freckles” along the dusty tree-lined trail. Contrary to what you may have heard about llamas, he never spit once. He did, however, make funny low-pitched noises that sounded like a cow with laryngitis.
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. Waterfalls tumble from granite rocks into steep canyons. All this is just minutes from downtown Oakland, and as nature tends to be–it’s free.
Gondola ride on Lake Merritt
But not everyone find solitude on a dusty trail. If it’s urban fitness you’re looking for, then catch the morning stroll at the nation’s oldest wildlife refuge, Lake Merritt. While the bird-watching is good, the people-watching is even better, with regular sightings of Oakland’s celebrity mayor (Jerry Brown) on a jog with his dog. 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. Some 59 years later, 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 non-motorized 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 like royalty 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. Sea 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, the 121 year old Heinhold’s First & Last Chance Saloon. Like a scene from John Barleycorn, Heinhold’s is still serving ’em up–frothy and cold. On foot or by boat, Jack London Square is great for exploring, and just blocks from the perfect place to have lunch–in a gingerbread house. Though it’s certainly not real, it almost looks edible -the candy-cane pillars and chocolate brown bric-a-brac make T.J.’s Gingerbread House irresistible to passers-by. Even more enticing is their Cajun-Creole cooking, which T.J. Robinson learned from watching her grandma cook in Louisiana. Jambalaya, cracked crab and cornbread–served in a fairytale setting. No wonder this place still has a line out the door many nights.
In some countries, a good lunch calls for a good nap. In the Bay Area, it calls for a spa treatment. And while a massage can aid in digestion, it’s more fun to think of it as pure indulgence. It’s the underlying theme at The Claremont Resort and Spa. With treatments so exotic, you’ll dream you’re in far away places–the term “out of body experience” must have been coined here. Perched majestically on a hilltop, the grand lady is also a very hip place for happy hour, with it’s long luscious views of the Oakland and San Francisco skylines. The Paragon Bar takes full advantage of the scene with almost every seat near a window or on the outdoor deck.
When dinner calls, Oakland answers with so many top-rated restaurants, it’s impossible to choose. One place that garners great revues is the chic and sexy A Coté on College Avenue, where the long queues for dinner testify to its popularity. Since this restaurant takes no reservations, be prepared to window shop while you wait.
Or you can head for Old Town Oakland, a much more subdued setting for an evening repast. There are several good restaurants here, including the popular Vietnamese café called Le Cheval. But for a quiet, comfortable meal, my favorite place is Twist, in the historic old Washington Inn. In the 1870s, Old Oakland was the heart of the town, with its grand Victorian hotels built for travelers coming in on the Transcontinental Railroad. The Washington Inn still operates as a boutique hotel today, and the atmosphere and Italian food are superb. It’s also close to one of the hottest spots for nightlife in Oakland, Yoshi’s World Class Jazz House. Everyone from Joe Sample to Diana Krall comes to play here, and there’s no bad seat in the house.
Walking out of Yoshi’s the other night, I watched the fog role in from our famous neighbor to the west. It’s 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 it’s Oakland’s time to shine.
If you’re going:
- Montclair Village 510-530-8052 or visit www.montclairvillage.com
- East Bay Regional Park District 94,500 acres with 1150 miles of trails. 510-562-PARK
- Children’s Fairyland 699 Bellevue Avenue–open year round. Admission $6 including unlimited rides. Adults must be accompanied by a child. 510-452-2259
- Gondola Servizio Lake Merritt Boathouse. Open year round. Reservations required. Call Monday through Friday from 10-2pm. 510-663-6603
- California Canoe and Kayak 409 Water Street in Jack London Square . Open year round. Kayak rentals start at $15 per hour. Canoes–$25 per hour. 510-893-7833
- Heinhold’s First and Last Chance Saloon 56 Jack London Square. 510-839-6761
- T.J.’s Gingerbread House 741 Fifth Street. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday. 510-444-7373
- Claremont Resort and Spa 41 Tunnel Road. 510-843-3000
- A Coté Restaurant 5478 College Avenue. Lunch Tuesday through Saturday. Dinner Tuesday through Sunday. 510-655-6469
- Twist Italian Restaurant 495 10th street in the old Washington Inn. 510-832-7449
- Yoshi’s 510 Embarcadero West. Open nightly for dinner and jazz. Reservations recommended. 510-238-4551
Wake Up And Smell The Coffee
IT’S MORNING in Montclair. Sleepy-eyed people start to congregate — looking for coffee and a little conversation. The line grows at Starbucks, where the really “hip” people have only to enter and their drink is being made. And each time they open the door, they let escape that wonderfully warm, nutty aroma of fresh-brewed coffee.
Just a few doors down is the Montclair Donut shop, where the Gaelic guys sit and read at the table in the back. Friends laugh, and call them the Irish prayer group. Rain or shine, they start their morning at the round table.
The cyclists and dog lovers hang out at Royal Ground. These are their spots, and the benches outside are well worn. I glance across the way and see a local celebrity of sorts, George Zimmer of Men’s Wearhouse fame. He’s warming his hands with a steaming cup of java and chatting with another man in front of Peet’s. His shirt is crisp and fresh — not a wrinkle in it. He almost looks too good for this time of morning, but you can’t fault a man for impeccable taste.
A man with a different kind of fashion sense catches my eye. Rocky Becker is opening the old Montclair Barber Shop. “Have you got a customer already?” I ask him, a little surprised at his early business hours. “I open when I like,” he tells me, and that makes sense. Rocky is a rebel of sorts, with his dark leather jacket, silver-black hair and belt buckle sporting the confederate flag. He’s Al Davis’ barber, and he fits the Raider’s image — strong and self assured.
I stop for a moment to pet a blond dog. He’s sprawled across the sidewalk like he owns it. His “master” is somewhere, having a cup of coffee, no doubt. It’s all part of the scene in Montclair in the morning. That time between sunrise and 9 a.m., when folks have a little more time to linger. The sounds, the smells, the gentle way we ease into our day — this is the Village at its best.
Cyber book club
With the high cost of book these days, here’s an idea that lets you try … before you buy. It’s the Oakland Library’s online book club.
Just log on to http://www.oaklandlibrary.org and pick your favorite category of books, including mysteries, fiction and non-fiction, romance novels and even spiritual selections. Type in your e-mail address, and you’ll start getting a 5-minute portion of the “book of the week” by e-mail, each Monday through Friday.
If the book is a bore, just delete it. If you can’t get enough, you can buy it or get on a list at the library. What a great idea!
E-mail bag
On the subject of recent cuts in bus service in the hills, reader Don Mackey writes: “I thought that it might be helpful for you to know that we have an empty bus going up and down Snake Road in Montclair.”
He says that if the route were monitored, it might make sense for the bus service to be reallocated from Snake to an area with heavier ridership. Like most of us, Mackey says he hates to see empty buses driving around town polluting the air.
More e-mail
Oakland’s proposed legislation to limit the number and kind of pets you can have is still causing a stir. Reader Liz Taylor says part of the charm of living in the hills would be lost if restrictions were too severe.
“When we first moved to our home,” she says, “our property was flanked by a scientist specializing in berries and heirloom fruit who used guinea fowl for pest control.”
“On the other side,” she adds, “(there was) a great family with four kids, five dogs, a horse, reptiles and a number of peafowl.”
Taylor says everything from dogs to rabbits and sheep have co-existed in her neighborhood for years and she’d hate to lose that.
Indecent exposure
Making eye contact with a stranger can get you more than an eyeful these days. Just ask reader Jean M. who reports seeing more than she wanted of a motorist on Thornhill Drive. Apparently, the guy drove past her once in a state of confusion, then past her again in a state of undress. Jean reported the incident to police but never heard if they got their hands on the flasher.
New Mayor has 4 legs to stand on
THE “MAYOR” of Montclair is an animal, and believe me, that’s a compliment.
The pug Percy was given the nod in a mock election last week at Crogan’s, and the Village people have spoken.
Looking back, though, I do wonder about his qualifications. Was Percy, indeed, the best beast for the job? After all, the Montclair Antique’s mascot has been sighted (you notice I didn’t say cited) watering the landscape on more than one occasion. A victimless crime, you say? Not if you’re the poor defenseless plant.
Reader’s forum
My piece on the hills motorist who found a nasty note on her SUV has precipitated yet another response. Reader S. Friedlander says, “T’wer me, I would ask the people who were leaving notes on her SUV to say: ‘Please leave it at home and take the bus or walk, or even take your bike — but try to use your car as little as possible.'”
Friedlander says it does no good to demand that someone sell their SUV, when many folks may need a bigger vehicle for work.
Speaking of cars, reader M. Liu says she has a Honda Civic hybrid and is feeling “great these days given the high price of gas.” She’d like me to mention Honda when I write about hybrids and tell readers there will soon be an Accord hybrid to rival the Prius, which I so dearly love to promote. “The more the merrier in the spare the air effort,” she says, and I agree.
Remembering Reagan
President Ronald Reagan’s recent death brought back memories of the time I traveled to his Santa Barbara ranch. Part of a very small group of reporters, I was treated to a side of Reagan that was both real and heart-warming. He showed me his favorite things that day, including the modest home he helped build with his own hands.
His spirit was contagious and he went on that year to lead our nation as president. So it touched me when I heard about the candlelight ceremony for Reagan at several Sunrise Senior Living locations, including one in Oakland. Sunrise offers Alzheimer’s care and used the event to pay tribute, not only to the brave people battling this disease, but to their selfless care-givers.
Donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America by calling toll-free to 866-AFA-8484.
All’s ‘fair’
Get out the bib and the overalls, it’s time for the Alameda County Fair. There’s no better place to pig out on pork rinds and popcorn than Pleasanton, the quintessential place for a hometown celebration.
And speaking of food, there’s a wingding of an event this year, with the First Annual Hot Wing Face-Off on Saturday, July 10. Contestants have 20 minutes to prepare their raw wings on a two-burner propane cooktop in front of an audience. You can download entry forms on the Web at http://www.alamedacountyfair.com. May the best marinade win!
Punny plate
Spotted on a vintage sedan in the Oakland hills, the vanity plate: “75 SWINGR.” Rudy D. says the car sported an added feature — a hula girl bobbing wildly on the back shelf.
Small Acts of Kindness Get Big Results
WISHES CAN come true, if you find the right “genie.” Just ask Michael Scott, an East Oakland school principal. He had a dream to energize the student body and beautify the campus at E. Morris Cox Elementary School. But without the money, he needed some magic to pull it off.
What came instead was divine intervention, from the Faith Network of the East Bay. The group hooked Scott up with Berkeley muralist Edythe Boone, who shared his mission and saw the benefits to the school and the neighborhood. The mural was unveiled on the playground this week and the sense of pride was heartwarming. You hear plenty of bad news about Oakland schools. But the good news comes from small acts of kindness like these.
Horsing around
For folks who don’t spend enough time with their four-legged friends, there’s a new horse camp at Lake Del Valle in Livermore. Complete with watering troughs and corrals, you can come down off the dusty trails and rest a spell, with your trusty steed nearby.
Since so many hills folks have horses, you may want to check this out: the town of Rio Linda hosts a cowboy-mounted shoot in which you ride horseback, shooting .45-caliber revolvers, racing the clock and firing at … water balloons. Someone should have come up with this 200 years ago. They could have tamed the old West a lot sooner.
One man’s trash…
Think of this as a Goodwill store for homeowners. At ReStore in San Leandro, you can buy everything from cabinets to doors, plumbing supplies to power tools — all donated by people with good hearts and the need for a tax write-off.
ReStore is the recycling shop run by Habitat for Humanity, and the money raised there goes to build new homes for low-income families. It’s a win-win for everybody. Contractors and business people can get rid of excess supplies (without dumping them in a landfill), shoppers get good stuff at great discounts, and Habitat for Humanity gets a new source of cash. For more information, call 510-251-2604.
E-mail bag
I apparently struck a nerve with last week’s story about a reader who found a nasty note on the windshield of her SUV in Berkeley.
Carol Siegal says she had a similar experience in Berkeley last summer when she left a bag on a broken meter, only to return and find a “venomous” note by someone who accused her of being too cheap to pay to park.
“I felt like the adrenaline was pumping through me in anger for the next hour!” she wrote, adding, “the meter really didn’t work.” Carol’s car seems to attract anonymous notes.
Now she’s getting them in front of her own house by a group claiming to be the Claremont Woodlands Neighborhood Association. The official-looking memos state there’s no street parking allowed, but Carol knows it’s not true. “What does all this say about our society?” she wonders?
Montclair on the air
The radio station that calls itself “the Bone” (107.7 FM) is looking for a few good dogs in Montclair.
The station will be broadcasting from the Village on June 18 (from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Crogan’s), and holding a mock election for a new canine mayor. Candidates will have to knock Percy the pug off his perch. The pug that holds court at Montclair Antiques has been the top dog around here for several years.
Ginny Prior 