by Ken Katz As we reported last month, Alyce on Grand owner Alyce Preston was about to move (for about the fourth time) to a new location. This one is two doors up the block at 3231 Grand—the former home of Oak Common. When interviewed on Friday (three weeks after reopening) Alyce confided that this […]
Ken Katz
Odds and Ends – June 2021
Doug Stonebreaker has had a presence at the Grand Lake Farmers Market going back to 2003, when Prather Ranch introduced us all to dry-aged grass-fed beef. Two years ago, he and Gary Root formed an innovative partnership operating as StoneRoot Field & Sea. Unfortunately, seemingly out of the blue, Gary made a surprise announcement in […]
The Names in Lights Have a Tale to Tell – Part 2
by Ken Katz Last month, Part 1 of this series of articles about the twenty-seven Names in Lights panels in the Splash Pad Plaza focused on three panels listing the Grand Avenue businesses that donated to the Splash Pad fountain fundraising campaign. This month, we’ll be focusing on three additional panels that list businesses on […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – May 2021
by Ken Katz This year’s Mother’s Day (May 9) will be particularly memorable, especially for all the mothers and grandmothers out there who, due to COVID restrictions and health concerns, have been unable to see (let alone hug) their children and grandchildren for well over a year. All three of the florists on Grand (Brother […]
The Names in Lights Have a Tale to Tell – Part 1
by Ken Katz Unlike the “Chalk Talks Festival” (the subject of our article last month), the Names in Lights panels that were installed in the Splash Pad Plaza in 2004 are discussed at some length on the SplashPad.org About page, where you’ll learn that the lettering and designs were cut into high density steel using […]
Help Shape the Future of Grand Avenue
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 […]
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 […]