With the resurgence of the downtown Oakland scene in the last 5 years, it is great to see the new development including tons of art galleries, restaurants & music venues. Furthermore, dilapidated warehouses are now bustling live-work lofts. Neglected parks are cleaned up & revitalized to beautiful sanctuaries. Progress is in full swing. Oakland is turning around it's high crime rate & poverty while embracing it's eclectic blend of blue collar working class population with the prolific music, arts & cuisine. With this influx of development & progress, it is only natural to attract & be influenced by surrounding styles and communities.
However, not all influence is beneficial to Oakland's future success. San Francisco, for example has an unlimited amount of attractions all over it's great city. However, due to it's limited space, high tech boom, corporate emphasis, and other factors cost of living has risen sharply. While this is true around the entire Bay Area, no on can deny that The City has seen some of the most increases in costs. Popularity & demand to live there has a lot to do with this and is no doubt effecting Oakland's cost of living as well.
With this has also come a lot of out-of-towners (East Coast, Midwest, South, Overseas) moving here(comes in waves and has always been a factor dating back to the Gold Rush) for all this great area has to offer. This is part of what makes this area so great: it's influences of all these cultures mixing together. But with this recent migration of the past 10 years, we have seen of differences in the area. For one, more people wearing black and a LOT more East Coast companies on the streets(including some that take over their West Coast counterparts i.e. Longs becoming CVS)
Oakland has in the past and will continue to receive a certain amount of spill-over from people moving to the area who originally seek out The City but could not make it work. This is only natural and should be expected, but does that mean we need restaurants & nightclubs that alienate it's residents by catering(no pun intended) to The City crowd/mentality? As the saying goes "When in Rome". In other words, it is nice to have fancy, upscale restaurants in a town more known for gangs & police misconduct/brutality but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. The majority of people in "ghetto" neighborhoods are hard working families that take care of each other. The communities that are dealing with the violence & crime want their streets to be safe. They want businesses to thrive. They want flourishing art scenes, small local eateries and a diverse selection of services. They also want these businesses to reflect the communities they serve. They don't want to be alienated by some trend in the city or national chain only interested in taking advantage of a city on the rise.
I don't want to be misinterpreted as advocating Oakland take a seclusion-type approach, I just believe that development should be carefully planned to ensure the town grow in an appropriate manner. While even the nicest places in Oakland might have white table clothes or a gourmet, fancy atmosphere, they are mostly down to earth, friendly and warm, let's keep it that way.
In the Scene:
-The Cathedral Building is selling "Office Condominiums"(where Telegraph starts @ Broadway) for something like $1-1.5 million(!!) but has been vacant since they completed renovation on the building sometime laster year(or in '07?) Has it ever occurred to them that rather than try to reap the most profit from a SF commuters they can fill the building for a slightly smaller profit with hard working, successful Oakland residents looking to upgrade their living conditions? Granted these lofts are worth a lot due to them encompassing entire floors & were renovated with great care, but they sit empty at the high price.
-The stunning Lake Chalet(same owners/operators as Beach Chalet in SF) just recently opened after months of renovations with rave reviews. It has a stellar bar with a beautiful Lake Merritt as it's backdrop, sleek decor and high ceilings. The side room is very inviting with open spaced tables and has a cozy fireplace with couches. The staff is friendly and eager to please. The outside patio area is really nice but unfortunately due to fire code, cannot (at this point) have heating lamps to keep you comfortable at night. Like their Ocean Beach counterpart, Tuesdays is Taco Night, starts at 2pm and has $2.50 Tacos, $3 Pints and Half Price($4.50) Margaritas. While this is no doubt a great night(especially to be seen among the local celebrities, politicians & other community figures) it is in no way a deal. At a taco truck, tacos go for @ $1.50 and are about twice as big. I am not suggesting because tacos at a truck are cheap, Lake Chalet tacos have to be the same price, but at least make sure there's substance in them! Also, they charge $2.50 for chips & salsa! Most places it's on the house, what gives?
Agree or disagree? write your comments below, I encourage various viewpoints and feedback .
Keeping Oakland's Style Unique
Oakland is a special place with a unique blend of multi-cultural, artistic & hard working people. While there's a thriving nightlife, we also enjoy the slow, calm moments. Community is important to us & we are welcoming in nature. We say smile & nod, say "hi" to you in the street. We take in our surroundings. We acknowledge each other on the street. We enjoy the finer things in life while also appreciating the simpler aspects of everyday. This is The Town.
Mission Statment
I was waiting for a BART train in the 12th Street station when I saw an ad for the Uptown Apartments;
"San Francisco living for a lot less" or something of that nature. It got me thinking, "Is this what we want the new Oakland to be? A mere holding ground for city dwellers who can't afford the overpriced housing in SF? Do we want the new dwellings to go to only those with a six figure income or give opportunity for current Oakland residents who are living in slums? Do we want overpriced restaurants with a dress code or comfortable, reasonably priced with wholesome food?
While we will always live intertwined with San Francisco & other surrounding cities, it is important to keep the parts of Oakland that make it The Town.
"San Francisco living for a lot less" or something of that nature. It got me thinking, "Is this what we want the new Oakland to be? A mere holding ground for city dwellers who can't afford the overpriced housing in SF? Do we want the new dwellings to go to only those with a six figure income or give opportunity for current Oakland residents who are living in slums? Do we want overpriced restaurants with a dress code or comfortable, reasonably priced with wholesome food?
While we will always live intertwined with San Francisco & other surrounding cities, it is important to keep the parts of Oakland that make it The Town.