The walk has put me in an outdoor mood, so I take a drive to Joaquin Miller Park, a short drive from downtown Oakland but a different world, a wilderness world. I park by a random trail that turns out to be the โBig Trees Trail,โ and set off on foot. I soon see where it got its name as I stroll beneath the giant redwoods, the sun barely filtering through the thick greenery. The sky, what I can see of it, is bright blue, the air is cool, and the city feels like a million miles away (actually itโs seven miles). I find a bench thatโs, magically, the one spot in the woods where the sun is bright and unfiltered, pouring through the trees and warming my body as this place has warmed my soul. Itโs amazing to me that this escape from all things urban is so close to the city, and with the many trails throughout, itโs easily worth a dayโs visit.
Oakland Murals
Be sure to include the Chabot Space & Science Center, at one edge of the park, which has been delighting visitors since 1883. Here I learn that the worldโs largest LED sculpture is on Oaklandโs Bay Bridge. I also crawl into a โblack hole.โ I send light through a nebula and watch it disperse. I look through a lens to see facts about galaxies. I take a seat at a lunar landing simulator and (remarkably, considering my lack of driving skills), steer my craft perfectly onto the moonโs surface. Upstairs, I look through telescopes at Venus and at the star Arcturus, so bright that I can see it gleaming through the telescope even in the middle of the day. Itโs a fascinating journey beyond our little planet, and since Iโve already come up here to get away from the world, it seems only appropriate that I take this journey into the beyond.
Back in the city, I start exploring one of my favorite things: the murals. Oakland has a thriving mural scene, with these works of art scattered throughout the city and brightening many a street corner. Whatโs interesting here are the many female muralists, and I discover some of these on the wonderful Postcard Scavenger Hunt that takes me through some of the hidden corners and undiscovered pleasures of the Temescal district. Itโs an ingenious concept for a tour, devised by your guide par excellence Jena Dominique, an idea that had its genesis in her travels throughout Europe, where she noticed that the postcards on sale didnโt really reflect her impressions of the places she visited. So as you begin your tour, youโre handed a series of postcards, mostly of murals, and set out with Jena through the district to discover them, from the sunglasses and lips of a gigantic face on the side of garage to the wild collection of animals on a subway car to the lovely, robust reclining woman. (Is she in paradise? Dreaming of it? Something else? You choose.)
As we walk, Jena points out the oak trees (the symbol of Oakland) on various signs. We stop in the wonderful Taraโs Organic Ice Cream, with offerings like geranium, nutmeg, and rosemary, served in amazing sesame cones. We recharge in Julieโs Coffee and Tea Garden, which quickly becomes one of my favorite coffee places in town, as we sit over our brew in their lovely courtyard among every imaginable type of person, all gathered for the same reason: to enjoy each otherโs company, the perfect Oakland weather, and the wonderful organic coffee. Jena might well take you to Cholita Linda for lunch, and youโll definitely stop in Standard and Strange, a clothing store full of high-quality merchandise thatโs pictured in one of the few non-mural postcards in my collection. By the way, youโll be sending the postcards in your collection to friends mid-tour! Itโs one of the most creative, inspiring, and just downright fun urban adventures Iโve had, and a great introduction to this fascinating city by someone who knows Oakland like the back of her hand.
Inspired by Jena, the tour, and my postcards, I set out to discover more of the cityโs murals, and I spend an entire day hunting them down, photographing them, and just enjoying their artistry. At 18th and Webster, a huge green elephant, the symbol of the Oakland Athletics (or โAโs,โ as theyโre known here), literally carries the whole town on his back, in an image thatโs as laden with commentary as it is visually stunning. At 11th and Harrison in Chinatown, a dragon curls fiercely (or is it benevolently?) behind a woman while a bird wings its way across a bright red orb. Just a block down are more dragons, these cavorting among pandas against a background of bamboo and distant hills. On Webster near 17th, robotic figures, their faces and bodies comprised of geometric forms, parade against a deep blue sky. At 24th and Mandela Parkway, in the middle of an industrial area, lies one of my favorites. A collection of phantasmagoric creatures seems to jump right off the wall: monsters with double pairs of vertical eyes, a shark with a chain in its mouth, and a muscled, headless guy clutching a sword. Thereโs probably nothing else youโd want to do in this neighborhood, but if you swing by, I promise youโre in for a treat.
All this mural-hunting wears me out, so I head to dinner at Drakeโs Dealership, where the atmosphere is buzzing in the large, open room that was, as its name implies, once a car dealerโs showroom. From the long list of pizzas I choose โLoriโs,โ which comes with mission figs, goat cheese, mozzarella, and olives. I know Iโm taking a chance on the unusual pizza combination, but it just sounds so good, and it totally lives up to expectations, and Drakeโs is now a permanent resident on my growing list of restaurants. So is Shakewell, a perennial favorite, which I just featured in my Traveling Gourmet column of best brunches. Under the guidance of remarkable chef (and out lesbian) Jen Beisty this is a great place to dine and feel at home in Oakland (Itโs also located right near the incredible Michael Mischer Chocolates, so I can kill two culinary birds with one stone!)
The Bay Bridge
Photo By: Engel Ching
The best meal I have on the trip, however, is right back at the Claremont, in their beautiful restaurant called Limewood. Here chef Travis Spear, who just arrived last June after stints at places like the Four Seasons DC and the Waldorf-Astoria in New York, is doing amazing things. In addition to the regular menu of locally-sourced food prepared with Spearโs creative but light touch, Monday nights feature a single-ingredient themed dinner. On my visit, itโs quince, that quirky, kinda sweet fruit, and Spear transforms it into such dishes as duck confit rillette with little squares of thyme-roasted quince, pork belly with a quince mostarda, creamy harissa, pickled chanterelles, and a scattering of brussels sprouts leaves. Sound amazing? Weโre not even at the main course yet, which is chicken with โdirty couscous,โ a few thin slices of red jalapeรฑo, quince squares, and chicken/quince jus. I love the concept, but even if you donโt do one of the special meals, you canโt help but fall in love with this place, which is buzzy but comfortable, inventive but not too out there, refined but friendly, and with the most amazing view you can possibly imagine.
Iโd be happy to end my Oakland trip on this culinary high note, but the next day, before heading home, I decide to make one more trip to Lake Merritt. I park the car, and stroll around admiring by-now familiar sights. I dodge a recalcitrant jogger, eavesdrop on an animated discussion between two sisters, and snap about a million photos. I take one final look at this remarkable city, so gutsy, spirited, and still-in-progress. I remember the words of Jan Brock in Cole Hardware: โWeโre in Oakland because we want to be.โ Over the course of my visit, Iโve come to understand why. I remember, too, Jenaโs words during our scavenger hunting: โWhatโs here? An oasis is here. Color is here.โ I suggest you check Oakland out and see for yourself what makes the locals feel this way.
