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Old 08-18-2011, 10:48 AM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,628 posts, read 67,158,658 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stephen1110 View Post
Especially in recent years, when Rockridge was named One the Best Places to Live in the United States
(Monclair was also named One the Best Places to Live in the United States)

Rockridge combines urban sophistication with a relaxed suburban environment providing an "alternative for people who want a big city lifestyle without the big city expenses."

10 Best Places To Live 2002 - December 1, 2002
I remember that article.
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Old 08-19-2011, 11:34 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,588,653 times
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Oakland Unified Schools top the state with some of the the Highest Test Scores in California.
  • American Indian Public Charter School is the #1 Highest Performing Middle School in the state of California. API score = 988
AIPCS State Ranking
  • American Indian Public Charter School II is the #6 Highest Performing Middle School in the State of California. API score = 974
  • American Indian Public High School is the #3 Highest Performing High School in the state of California. API score = 976
  • Oakland Charter High School is the #5 Highest Performing High School in the state of California. API score = 961
http://www.aimschools.org/aiphs_state_ranking.shtml


Oakland's American Indian public charter schools among best in the state | Oakland Local
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Old 08-22-2011, 03:48 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,588,653 times
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Oakland is a Mini-Vacation for Locals

Plus if I can no longer afford to jet off to Paris or Baghdad or Buenos Aires any more, then Oakland will just have to do.

The first step in my plan to tour Oakland was to find a hotel. Bingo! The Washington Inn was quaint, centrally located and affordable

"Where's a good place to eat?" I asked the bartender while admiring his bar.
"Breads of India and Le Cheval are right down the street. And we're around the corner from all kinds of foodie destinations such as the Housewives' Market, Old Town Oakland, Jack London Square...."

Then there was the MOCHA children's museum a block away from the Washington Inn and the Oakland Museum within walking distance and the Convention Center across the street and the Tribune building two blocks to the north and the federal building complex two blocks west and Jack London Square with its view of the water and Amtrak station and Everett & Jones Barbecue six blocks to the south and, three blocks away, a place in Chinatown called "Angel Feet" that does reflexology.

And there's a new free shuttle bus that makes a loop from the downtown to Jack London Square to Lake Merritt to Chinatown and then back to my hotel.

So I wandered around all afternoon and evening and then went back to the hotel and watched HBO and slept and had leftover chow fun for breakfast and wandered around some more and it really did feel like I was on vacation.

Then I jumped on AC Transit's No. 26 bus, transferred to the F, and came back home to Berkeley. It was a perfect mini-vacation -- and all for less than one hundred bucks.

I had a great time, got away from home, didn't spend much money, ate well, wallowed in multi-culturalism and nostalgia, came home inspired and refreshed -- and discovered that there actually is a "There" over in Oakland these days.

My recent Oakland mini-vacation: Getting back to "There". Category: News from The Berkeley Daily Planet-
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Old 08-22-2011, 03:56 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,588,653 times
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The Oakland renaissance is discovered by the LA Times

Oakland is feeling its oats. Steel-cut oats, that is. Sprinkled atop a puree of onion soup ladled over smoked dates at the Michelin-starred Commis, this coarse grain is being transformed into something wonderful and different, much like the rough-hewn city itself.

Best known for its rowdy Raiders and crime-heavy headlines, Oakland has changed for the better in recent years. There are trendy shops and nightclubs, modern condos cheek-to-cheek with restored Art Deco gems and an influx of top chefs, lured by cheaper rents from San Francisco and Berkeley's gourmet ghettos.


Despite its large size (56 square miles, from the waterfront to the hills), Oakland and its neighborhoods are easily accessible, and some are just a mile or two apart. A car is best, but BART trains and city buses are convenient.

A culture boom

Uptown has great bones, with blocks of historic buildings (in varying states of repair) and striking architecture. Like many urban areas, it went from bustling in the 1920s to broken within a few decades.

Iconic structures such as the I. Magnin building dot the area, but it was the restoration of two grand dames that jump-started the neighborhood's resurgence as a night-life and arts magnet. The Fox Theater (www.thefoxoakland.com), a 1928 Moorish gem on Telegraph Avenue, and the Paramount Theatre (www.paramounttheatre.com), a Depression-era Art Deco beauty on Broadway, give heft to the Uptown culture boom. The Fox reopened in 2009 as an indie music venue after a multimillion-dollar renovation; the Paramount is home to the Oakland East Bay Symphony.

There's been a mini-population boom as well, sparked by former Mayor Jerry Brown's efforts to boost housing. Though the boom was stalled by the recession, hundreds of residents have moved into new condos and apartments.

New eateries followed. San Francisco's Ozumo (www.ozumo.com/oakland) opened an outpost; its sake bar was an immediate hit. Other standouts include Flora (www.floraoakland.com/flashsite), a classic bar and grill, and Picán (http://www.picanrestaurant.com), a charmer with Southern soul food and a serious selection of bourbon.

Chowing down

In Temescal, you come for the food and stay for the … food. This diverse neighborhood, filled with small homes, started to gentrify a decade ago with the opening of Doña Tomás (www.donatomas.com), an upscale Mexican restaurant. Today, there are many excellent eateries packed into a few short blocks.

Folks line up for Bakesale Betty's (www.bakesalebetty.com), then grab a seat at one of the ironing boards — no tables here — on the sidewalk to chow down on massive fried chicken sandwiches or luscious strawberry shortcakes. Owner Alison Barakat came to the States from Australia in 2000 and honed her skills at Berkeley's Chez Panisse.

In the evening, the crowds head to Pizzaiolo (www.pizzaiolooakland.com) for another Chez Panisse graduate's pizzas and pastas. Charlie Hallowell is a masterful chef; an heirloom tomato antipasti with shell beans, herbs, bread crumbs and aioli was superb as was the marinara pizza, an offering with housemade sausage.

Barlata Tapas Bar (http://www.barlata.com) packs 'em in as well; its small plates are authentic and satisfying. Burma Superstar (www.burmasuperstar.com), another San Francisco favorite, is a block away, as is SR24 (www.sr24food.com), run by Josh Woodall (from S.F.'s South).

For serious shoppers

Rockridge, an affluent community of charming houses on leafy streets, is a wonderful place to shop.

Market Hall, on College and Keith avenues just steps from the BART station, anchors College Avenue, Rockridge's eclectic main drag. The French-style marketplace, with produce, meat and fish shops as well as a gourmet bakery and grocery selling items such as artisan cheeses and fresh pasta, is a delight.

College Avenue is filled with unique stores. Stop at Tootsies (www.tootsiesboutique.com), where you can get a pedicure as well as new pumps. Dip into Who's Your Betty? (Welcome to Stitches For *******) for custom purses. I was tempted by nearly everything in the shabby-chic Maison d'Etre (http://maisondetre.com).

After you've worn out your wallet, grab a local brew at Ben & Nick's, then head back to Market Hall for dinner at Oliveto (www.oliveto.com), a longtime favorite.

The 'working' street

Piedmont Avenue runs about 18 blocks before you exhaust its many pleasures — or before it exhausts you.

It is a "working" street where dry cleaners elbow boutiques; you can pop from one side of the street to the other as stores catch your eye. Piedmont Lane is great for antiques; Pimlico Place is a good bet for vintage jewelry. In the mood to play dress-up? Try Mercy Vintage Now (www.mercyvintage.com), which offers clothing and accessories from the 1920s to the 1980s.

The area has a brace of top-notch restaurants: the stalwart BayWolf (www.baywolf.com), which has dished up haute cuisine for more than two decades, and César Latino (www.barcesar.com/latino/index.html), an offshoot of a Berkeley tapas bar. Atop the list of new hot spots are Dopo (www.dopoadesso.com/dopo), a tiny Italian bistro serving artichoke soup and saffron spaghetti, and the sizzling Commis (www.commisrestaurant.com), where James Syhabout — named best chef of 2010 by San Francisco magazine — has picked up a Michelin star and a devoted following for his complex, imaginative dishes.

Make the finish line of your marathon stroll Fentons Creamery (www.fentonscreamery.com), an ice cream temple that's been around for ages. Try the Black & White, chocolate and vanilla ice cream with ribbons of marshmallow and fudge snaking through it.

At Oakland's heart

Lakeshore and Grand avenues, each filled with shops and restaurants, feed into each other as well as Lake Merritt, a striking oasis in the heart of the city.

Start the day by fueling up at Arizmendi (http://lakeshore.arizmendi.coop) on Lakeshore, a worker-owned cooperative bakery featuring pastries and artisan breads. Wander up the avenue to window-shop the cute boutiques; the Japanese kimonos and silk scarves at Rose Quartz are eye-catchers, the whimsical items at Urban Indigo (www.urbanindigo.com) are great for gifts.

Circle back around the Grand Lake Theater, a 1926 Art Deco movie house, and head up Grand Avenue. Gems are hidden among the old-line stores. Walden Pond Books(www.waldenpondbooks.com) features new, used and rare works, and with its nice mix of new and recycled children's items, Silver Moon is a must for moms.

Grand is a dining draw as well. Boot & Shoe Service (www.bootandshoeservice.com), an offshoot of Pizzaiolo, is as popular as its cousin. Camino (www.caminorestaurant.com) is helmed by yet another former Chez Panisse chef. Russell Moore's large, rustic eatery in a former warehouse is a hot ticket, with a small menu that changes nightly.

The best bet at the Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill (www.thelakechalet.com) — it opened in 2009 in the renovated municipal boathouse — is to have a sunset cocktail outside on the dock overlooking Lake Merritt. The lake attracts joggers and picnickers to its park-lined perimeter; you need a child to get into Children's Fairyland, a storybook playground, and adults can indulge their own fantasies with a gondola ride on the lake.

A thoroughly modern Oakland - latimes.com


Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill


http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/01/24/travel/24bites-span/articleLarge.jpg


http://www.thelakechalet.com/images/headerimages/14.jpg

Last edited by Stephen1110; 08-22-2011 at 04:29 PM..
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Old 08-22-2011, 04:17 PM
 
Location: South Korea
5,242 posts, read 13,029,460 times
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I went to the Oakland Art & Soul festival yesterday, anyone else go? I hadn't heard about it until a friend of mine showed up and dragged me along. It was pretty fun, I saw two pretty good local bands, I can't remember the name of the first but they were pretty good, the 2nd was called Carne Cruda, they were pretty good too. Had some good (but overpriced...but that's carnival food for you) fried catfish and garlic fries.
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Old 08-22-2011, 04:19 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,588,653 times
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Top 5 Things to Do in Oakland - National Geographic Traveler http://oaklandish.com/oakblog/wp-con...pening-247.jpg

Oakland is to San Francisco what Brooklyn used to be to Manhattan: grittier, less expensive, and overshadowed by its glitzier sibling. But that’s starting to change. Foodies head specifically to Oakland for places like Commis, the only East Bay restaurant other than Chez Panisse to boast a Michelin star. The newly renovated Oakland Museum of California shows off expanded galleries for its massive collection of California art. Also restored: the Fox Theater, a 1920s gem, now a live music venue.

Visit Jack London

Jack London Square combines piers, lawns, restaurants, and shops to create a perfect setting for a waterside stroll. The soon-to-open two-story Jack London Market houses vendors of everything from meat and seafood to wine and cheese—Oakland’s answer to San Francisco’s Ferry Building.

Brunch at Camino

Chez Panisse alum Russell Moore cooks up wood oven-baked eggs and duck fat-roasted potatoes in Camino, a former furniture shop now sporting an open fireplace (in Italian, camino means “hearth”) and long wooden communal tables.


http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/media...amino_0088.jpg

Cruise Lake Merritt

The oldest (1869) wildlife refuge in the United States, Lake Merritt is an unexpected oasis, complete with egrets and black-crowned night herons, near downtown. Walk its newly landscaped 3.4-mile perimeter; stop for a snack at the Lake Chalet, a renovated boathouse; take a sunset cruise on an authentic Venetian gondola as a costumed gondolier serenades you with Italian love songs.



http://www.eastbayloop.com/wp-conten...io-410x293.jpg

Drink Your Vegetables

At Penelope, the signature drink is a blend of silver tequila, fresh beets, apples, pear, and lime. Across from the Fox Theater, the art deco eatery Flora crafts cocktails with unusual ingredients like absinthe and agave nectar.

Buy Tees From a Truck

Track down the 1966 Clark Cortez motor home turned portable clothing shop run by community-focused arts collective Oaklandish and express yourself as natives do: with a T-shirt touting Oaklandish’s popular roots logo


http://oaklandish.com/oakblog/wp-con...pening-247.jpg

Last edited by Stephen1110; 08-22-2011 at 04:41 PM..
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Old 08-22-2011, 04:59 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,588,653 times
Reputation: 911
Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar View Post
I went to the Oakland Art & Soul festival yesterday, anyone else go? I hadn't heard about it until a friend of mine showed up and dragged me along. It was pretty fun, I saw two pretty good local bands, I can't remember the name of the first but they were pretty good, the 2nd was called Carne Cruda, they were pretty good too. Had some good (but overpriced...but that's carnival food for you) fried catfish and garlic fries.
Unfortunately I didnt go. But fortunately it's comes every year.

A symbol of downtown Oakland’s renaissance, Art & Soul is a great entertainment value that sizzles with two music-packed days featuring Jazz, Rock, Gospel, Latin, R&B, Acoustic and Blues performed by national recording artists and top local talent.
Youngsters will love the kid-friendly carnival rides, interactive art projects, face painting and roaming costumed characters.
Stroll through the Artisan Marketplace, sample exotic foods and tasty treats from a multicultural menu and view great art.
Art & Soul, the Bay Area’s coolest festival, has direct transit access and free parking for thousands of cars.

Art & Soul Oakland: Homepage


One of the Top Festivals/Biggest Festivals in the Bay Area attracting up to 50,000 people

Your guide to Bay Area summer music festivals

Art & Soul wows visitors with music and dance-packed stages, peaceful vibe, party atmosphere : Local: In Oakland


OAKLAND -- For a city frequently making headlines for its violent crime, this weekend's Art and Soul Festival is offering residents and visitors alike a truer picture, many said, of what life in Oakland is really about.
It's about popular music, tasty food and thousands of people from different backgrounds converging together to enjoy a day in the sun.
"This is awesome, it's just great," said Tim Snelling, 30, of San Leandro. "I've never been before but I'm glad I came today."

The tickets are so affordable, and I was blown away about how easy everything is," said Kama Fletcher, 38, who was eating lunch in front of City Hall with her children Calvin, 15, and Faith, 7. "We're a big family, so a lot of times it's hard for us to do things like this."
Fletcher said she was drawn to Art and Soul for the first time this year because Grammy-nominated singer Shawn Mullins was booked to perform on the main stage Saturday. Fletcher said she was preparing for the show as she waited to meet her husband, Tom, and their son Elijah, who were driving from their home in San Jose later in the day

Wiseman, a former San Francisco resident, said he decided to attend Art and Soul this year because of its rave reviews.
"I've heard a lot about it," he said. "So far, so good. It's quite bigger than I imagined it would be, a lot of different stages."

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18724198

Oakland represents as thousands visit downtown festival

Now in its 11th year, Oakland’s annual Art & Soul festival keeps getting better and better.

Saturday’s event was great for people-watching, catching up with old friends, sampling the arts, crafts and munchies of local vendors and artisans and seeing and hearing some great music.
The Jefferson Street Gospel stage was poppin’ all day, as folks wore their Sunday best, even though it was a Saturday. The Plaza Stage, dubbed the WomenGig stage, had a female-centric flair, with host Marga Gomez and performances by Sistas in the Pit, Vicci Martinez and others.

http://oaklandlocal.com/article/art-...owntown-photos
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Old 08-22-2011, 05:15 PM
 
Location: The Bay
6,914 posts, read 14,676,335 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mayorhaggar View Post
I went to the Oakland Art & Soul festival yesterday, anyone else go? I hadn't heard about it until a friend of mine showed up and dragged me along. It was pretty fun, I saw two pretty good local bands, I can't remember the name of the first but they were pretty good, the 2nd was called Carne Cruda, they were pretty good too. Had some good (but overpriced...but that's carnival food for you) fried catfish and garlic fries.

Yup, I was there (On Saturday). I wanted to see Goapele yesterday but I missed it.


I took pics of the festival.
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Old 08-22-2011, 05:21 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,628 posts, read 67,158,658 times
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I wish I could have gone to that...had a family thing to attend.
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Old 08-22-2011, 05:32 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,588,653 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nineties Flava View Post
Yup, I was there (On Saturday). I wanted to see Goapele yesterday but I missed it.


I took pics of the festival.
I like those pics..

Last edited by Stephen1110; 08-22-2011 at 05:44 PM..
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