May Day
Oakland, California
Another gorgeous spring day
My BFF and best Travel Buddy, Sandra had a free round trip LAX-OAK ticket so generously offered it to me to spend a weekend in her hometown - Oakland. Oakland, home to the Black Panthers, has had quite a reputation, but there is a side to the city that few people have known. Not only is it on a harbor, there is a lake and part of it is nestled in the mountains. Sandra lives in the mountains, nestled in a beautiful forest and surrounded by hiking trails.
My flight from LAX to OAK
Sandra's cozy home nestled in the forests of Oakland
I arrived around 8pm on Thursday nite and met up with Sandra at the airport as she was flying in from Phoenix. We had a drink at a local bar in Orinda, called Casa Orinda with her partner Bob, who I have heard her talk about for years but have never met him! So now I know he really exists. :)). After a drink, we left for her place where Sandra and I got caught up over a bottle of nice wine. We both wanted to sleep in on Friday but both of us had a very busy work schedule so ended up working at her home until her wireless connection stopped working. No worries. We went down the hill to the quaint neighborhood village - Montclair of Oakland, and stopped at Pete's coffee for a cuppa and free hi speed Internet access. Spent a few hours at Pete's working and occasionally took a break to look out the window and see what's happening outside.
Scenes from Pete's Coffee @Village of Montclair, Oakland
Hot!
We then drove back to her house around 130pm or so with a stop at the library as Sandra had to take a conf call . I stopped at the very quaint library to check out the Lonely Planet guide on Brazil so we could start planning our trip for 2011 - Carnivale at Rio!
The very quaint library
After working until about 430pm or so, we decided to explore Oakland. I told Sandra that the New York Times travel section had an article titled "36 hours in Oakland". The article suggested a Black Panther's Tour which would take us to the "hood" and all the historical sights. So I called David Hilliard, whose phone number is listed on the site about taking the tour. David was the chief of staffs of the Black Panthers and was a childhood friend of Huey Newton. He answered the phone and said that there was not enough people interested (need 15) so no tours this weekend. Bummer. Sandra's never done it and because the tour is in the "hood", it's not exactly a place where we would go on our own.
So for early evening Friday, we decided to go to the renewed and rejuvenated harbor and start the weekend with a drink at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon which was recommended in the ny times article and is also where Jack London used to hang out. It is said that Jack wrote notes on Call of the Wild here. It first opened in 1883 and survived the Great Quake 1906. The bar is slanted though from the damage from the quake so it's hard to keep your drink from spilling. It is here where I learned that Jack London grew up in Oakland! The harbor shopping area is aptly named Jack London Square. Check out the link on Jack London as his biography is very interesting.
Jack's cabin from Alaska which he used during the Yukon Gold Rush. It was brought here by a wealthy Oakland businessman
The grounds surrounding Jack's cabin is dotted with tiles dedicated to dogs who are now at the other side of the rainbow.
A statue dedicated to the "Call of the Wild"
Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon
The bartender making very strong vodka w/cranberry and club soda drinks for us.
The old bar
After drinks, we walked along the harbor and went for an early dinner at Sidebar - a happening restaurant in Oakland. With San Francisco nearby, the restaurant seen in Oakland has stiff competition but is getting rave reviews. Sidebar is one of those restaurants that have simple food done extremely well. We had a fab time there and stuffed ourselves. We also had a lively conversation with the couple sitting next to us. The husband is a member of the Bohemian Club which happens to be a club that Sandra's partner Bob also belongs to. They were a very nice couple and we enjoyed the chit chat.
The service of the restaurant was excellent except it took forever for our cocktail - Pisco Sours, to arrive. However, once it arrived it was yummy. Also, we asked the waitress to bring out each dish slowly and she managed to that.
After dinner we went back to Sandra's and opened a bottle of rose from one of the wineries we visited in Argentina about 3 years ago. We decided to see the movie Love Happens with Jennifer Aniston while drinking the wine but the movie was so bad and we were so tired, that we didn't finish it and called it an early nite. I was sound asleep by 1030pm! But what a great day we had. Stay tune for our activities today - May Day. Blog will be posted on Sunday.
Sidebar - a very happening restaurant in Oakland
We started with Gougeres - the special of the night.
Pisco Sour
Chicory Salad with an Anchovy Vinaigrette - it was very good
Linguini Vongole that the couple next to us enjoyed. Looked very good and they said it tasted very good.
Mussels in a garlic cream sauce with pomme frites. Good but the sauce was rich.
Our last dish was the chicken stew and it was the best dish of the night.
