Oakland's 160th: Occupied by Arts and Food

I wish Oakland a Happy Birthday hat.

Just a few days after the chaos of May Day protests in Oakland, it seemed my city had bounced back- topped off by a gorgeous coat of beautiful weather as it celebrated its 160th birthday.

Reading some of the good coverage from Oakland Local (opinion piece, it should be noted), some of what is happening to Occupy Oakland saddens me. My pal Amy shared a bit of perspective too. There are bad people out there willing to smear the effort of change. But protesting and in-person show of support is how change used to happen throughout the history of our country, I'm just not convinced it's the right nozzle to use any more in our oh-so-digital age. I stand by some of my earlier recommendations on how to embody the change you want to see.

Having lived through tremendous gentrification in Boston in the 1980s, I agree there are positives and negative effects to any community. But last night my city was thriving. When I first moved here 12 years ago, our downtown was empty and a little scary. Now, everywhere you turn downtown now you find a beautiful historic building with some sort of cafe, restaurant or gallery establishment's sign out front. 

Flora restaurant- my #2 of the Oakland's top 5 most beautiful
deco buildings downtown.

Art show:  Oakland School for the Arts

Ran across some other great blogs celebrating Oakland's Birthday that I had to edit in after the fact:

- She's a Grand Old Dame from the DTO.
- Center Center Reflection from Oakland Daily Photo.
- Neverending greatness about Oakland:  Our Oakland.

Got there late; remnants of the 160th Birthday Cake.

Coconut cream pie martini. Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe.
Downtown Oakland.

I Magnin Building. 1930. My #1 favorite Deco destination downtown.

Oakland City Hall (white bldg). 1914 reconstructed after 1906 earthquake.
The first high rise government building west of the Mississippi
at that time.

Historic poster heralding the benefits of Oakland.
Seen at Oaklandish. Downtown Oakland.

Cars and colors of the Oaksterdam University mural.

Artis Mobilis. Supplying the galleries participating in Oakland Art Murmur.

Read more here on Wikipedia about Art Deco Uptown Oakland.

Fox Theatre. #4 on my list.

Historic building downtown with Kaiser bldg. in the background.