Oakland’s Department of Transportation is in the midst of a long-term planning process for Grand Avenue that they summarize as follows: The City of Oakland is creating a comprehensive transportation plan on Grand Avenue to strategize an inclusive, safer, and sustainable transportation network for the future, without displacing existing residents and businesses. The Grand Avenue […]
Ken Katz
Parklets: Past, Present, Future
The parklets now springing up all over town in response to the pandemic actually had their genesis in September 2011, when the East Bay Bicycle Coalition introduced the City of Oakland to International PARKing Day – an annual celebration during which parking spaces are temporarily reclaimed for landscaping and lounging. The fabulous parklet in front […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – April 2021
by Ken Katz The biggest single news item for Grand Avenue is that the vacant Aisle 5 space has been leased and remodeling is already well underway. It’s going to reopen as a “tapas and champagne lounge” called “Mimosa on Grand.” We had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Chris Rachal, on Tuesday, and he […]
Odds and Ends – April 2021
The March 30 edition of Oaklandside featured a major article about the City Council’s approval of new regulations regarding vending, music, parking, and more at Lake Merritt – particularly along the east shore of the park. Andrew Alden, the amateur geologist who regularly posts excursions focused on geological features, has just published an online article […]
Chalk It Up To Splash Pad Park’s History
If you’re at all curious about the history of the plot of land now occupied by Splash Pad Park, We’d highly recommend SplashPad.org’s About page which includes information about landscape architect Walter Hood, the California Native Plant Garden, and a summary of the site’s long-term history starting in the late 19th century. One very […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News
The best news on Grand Avenue for a very long while is that Freya Prowe, owner of Brother and Sisters Flower Shop, is back – albeit only from 10 am–4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. After twelve long, miserable months of social distancing, it was a delight to step inside her beautiful sanctuary full […]
Odds and Ends – March 2021
If you received one of the cards pictured above in your snail-mail box a couple of weeks ago, here’s hoping you promptly tossed it in your recycling bin as this operation is a total scam. KKA Enterprises is registered with the State of California as a Commercial Fundraiser. They’ve been mailing these solicitations for donations […]
A Nation of Immigrants
by Ken Katz This month’s account of EG Yang’s journey to the United States is much like the stories shared in our December edition by Marcia Lam (from Lin Jia) and the Patel family (from Adventure Toys and, until last month, Buckingham Wine and Spirits). Thus far, it’s the story of individuals and/or families experiencing […]
The Grand Lake District: Past and Present
by Ken Katz – I’ve personally witnessed quite a few changes in the make-up of the Grand Lake shopping district since we moved into the neighborhood in the early 1970s. Shortly thereafter, a gas station at the intersection of Lakeshore, Lake Park and Rand was torn down and replaced with the complex that includes T-Mobile […]
Grand Avenue Business Report – December 2020
WALDEN POND – New hours for browsing will be 10 am–7 pm every day beginning December 1st. Rare Book Room (where the Splash Pad Neighborhood Forum held its very first meeting in 1999) open Noon – 5 pm Friday through Monday. Now carrying popular adult board games and puzzles, which have witnessed a revival due […]