Author: montclairoak

We Have Old But Loved Trestles Too

In Montclair Village, we have old trestles on Mountain Blvd that are rather unadorned.  They might be something you haven’t noticed much before, but are two concrete hulks lining the street as you head south from the Montclair School into the commercial district.

Some other places, like the City of Pinole, have decorated their train trestles in lovely ways.  Makes you start to put two and two together, right?

During an Oakland Heritage Alliance tour of Montclair, which we took last summer, the docent pointed out the old train route.  All the vestiges are pretty obvious when you look carefully.  Just check out the Pocket Park at the Moraga and Thornhill intersection, our now well-marked entry.  Or take a walk up Shepherd Canyon, which is now getting love from the Friends of Montclair Railroad Trail.

What’s been left behind are the huge concrete trestles on Mountain Blvd.  We have discovered interested parties who are beginning to ponder the possibilities – and I’m interested too!  There’s strength in numbers here, due to the aesthetic and cultural impact of filling these blank slates.  If you want to contemplate and help, then please reach them:  montclairtrestles@gmail.com.

Montclair Farmers Market and Mayoral Politics

This morning, various political causes were in full view at the Montclair Farmers Market.  It was the first time we saw a public display declaring “Jean Quan for Oakland Mayor 2010” on the street.  There was a volunteer at the adjacent table, and the all-important cinnamon loaves were luring us nearby.

Both Jean Quan and Don Perata have declared their mayoral candidacies online and you can keep up virtually for now.  They each have base camps:

  • Candidate Perata’s website is called “Believe in Oakland, Perata For Mayor 2010.”   Perata has posted his appearances, including the Laurel on February 27th.  The site also has a donations section, of course.  Over on Facebook you may join his group, which has 512 members, or friend him along with 254 others.
  • Candidate Quan’s website has been live for a while, and serves as a fund-raising channel.  You may also fan her through Facebook, which she seems to use actively – by posting appearances, messages, images and more.  Oh, and there are 254 fans as of this minute too.

We wonder how these online efforts will influence voters during 2010, who knows?  As the real campaigns get underway later this year, however, we suspect there will be evidence of live humans ready for their meet ‘n greets.

TV News Airs Montclair Bubbly, Chocolates

We get all warm and fuzzy when Bay Area telecasts feature the Montclair District, because it’s a rare event.  Tonight we saw the requisite Valentine’s Day story with an economic twist, and two Montclair businesses were highlighted:   Farmstead Cheeses and Wines and Le Bon Bon.

KTVU Reporter Tom Vacar was making the point that Valentine’s Day still packs a profitable punch, even though people want to economize a bit.  Our local business owners felt pretty optimistic so far.

“Valentine’s Day is all about sparkling wine,” exclaimed Jeff Diamond, who owns Farmstead. He added that all holidays matter, including  V-Day, and that his business has picked up versus last year.

“We are happy,” declared Le Bon Bon’s proprietor, Ugyen Triantopolous.  She explained that some customers buy a little bit less, but business is looking good this year.

Check out the the video and our two new celebrities.  You’ll see plenty of air time for the two stores, along with bubbly and trays of chocolates.  You can’t really go wrong with these affordable luxuries for V-Day.

Surreal Look At Local Car Crash

Tonight we experienced a bad rush hour, complete with a near-stoppage around 6 pm.  As we headed southbound on Highway 13, shy of the Moraga-Thornhill exit, a local car crash came into view.  Just awful!

We first noticed a fire truck on the northbound side, and then the evidence right outside our window.  It was tempting to stop, snap and gawk, but impossible with a single lane of traffic open.  So here’s a surreal and blurry image, and you’ll have to use your imagination.

Only the smashed-up car remained, awaiting a tow.  The driver and/or passengers had already left the scene, likely getting some medical attention at a nearby hospital.

After we exited the highway, CBS Radio began blaring the stoppage news in their traffic update.  And now you have the rest of the story from Montclair Central, over and out.

When Three Cops Hang Out

Not much of a headline here, but there was something very comforting about seeing three local cops hanging out at our coffee place last night.  Yet they weren’t chilling with their dinner salads.

Instead this trio was deep in discussion, much like any work colleagues getting together.  While I wanted to overhear them, I failed miserably in my attempts to play undercover agent.

Every so often, a word or two floated over to my side of the coffee shop.  My sense is these police were chatting about subjects like performance tracking.  They were definitely in lean-forward mode – and trying to figure out how to get some stuff done.

I admit to feeling a little glow of security, with all the officers nearby.  On reflection, I also felt empathy for what they needed to accomplish.  How can any cops really be effective with the continued, steady beat of crimes around here?

On that note, some Montclarions are having a rough time lately.  There’s a new wave of car windows broken, things stolen from cars and even stolen cars.  One neighbor mentioned running after someone who was aiming to steal more the other night, but the potential perp sprinted away.

It’s a big deal when you have been violated, regardless of the overall stats and response rates.  There’s not much you can do without garages to hide your cars.  While we assume all this activity has already been reported to the police, it dampens the spirits far more than the rains.

Still there’s no question that our cops seemed to care, as I watched them huddle last night.