Places Of Note

What’s An Oakland Neighborhood?

No true shock:  Montclair really isn’t an Oakland neighborhood.  The latest maps reveal our ragged geographic demarcations, in what’s collectively called the Montclair District by its denizens.

Despite the ambiguity, we still share a sense of place as defined by hills and canyons, catastrophic events, historical real estate developments and whomever lives next door.

Recently Our Oakland took a stab at mapping every single extant neighborhood throughout the City of Oakland.  We relish this effort, which combines many different sources.  What’s more, because it’s on Google, you can play around with different overlays and views.

So where are we?

Let’s start with the largest definition of the Oakland Hills, which represent “our claim” on the Berkeley Hills.  Some of the Oakland Hills are called the North Hills, which tries to smooth over the Berkeley divide as well.   These northern reaches include Panoramic Hill, Claremont Hills and Hiller Highlands.

Moving south of the Caldecott Tunnel, the labeled neighborhoods include Merriewood, Glen Highlands and even portions of Upper Rockridge.  We’re not sure anyone says they live in “Glen Highlands” these days.  And while Rockridge isn’t considered Montclair, it shares a tight bond from the devastating Oakland Firestorm of 1991.

Traveling down to the southern reaches, the large Piedmont Pines development is nestled between Shepherd Canyon and Skyline.  And much like Michigan, this neighborhood’s bifurcated:  a small section exists on the far side of Joaquin Miller Park.

Parts of the Hayward Fault, running along Highway 13, also mark our borders successfully.  However the “Montclair core” jumps the line here, with many homes sited between Moraga Avenue and Park Boulevard.  We weren’t around before the highway was built, and it probably felt like a unified area back then.

How else are we defined?

The City of Oakland likes to call us Beats 13Y and 13Z, essentially north and south of Thornhill.  It’s a neat definition based on the original canyon road used by Hiram Thorn for logging operations, and likely divides up the patrolling duties.  But there are no real differences among Montclarions on either side.

We are clearly unified by the 1991 firestorm.  When asked where you live, neighbors residing in the rebuilt zone will often mention that fact in casual conversation.  If your home was destroyed, then you let other people know about it.  Even if you lived in untouched areas back then, you were touched by an experience that brought everyone together.

In the end, the people probably define Montclair District best.  A few of the earliest homeowners or their descendants are still living here, who pass on their stories.  It’s not only about the fire, either.  If you remember the one snowfall in the early 1970s, then you are a true-blue Montclarion too.  On my block, there are some old-timers and their memories help us live here – maps or not.

Favorites Today In Mountain View

After the rains, it was time to get out and enjoy the two-bridge view from Mountain View Cemetery.  We had only ventured to this monumental cemetery with tour groups before, and decided to visit untethered this afternoon.

Today in Mountain View, we were able to wander around and take in the whole place.  It was a wonderful experience, though we naturally started at Millionaires Row and paid homage to chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli before walking up and down the hillsides.

We’ll spare you the gorgeous views (!) and share our three favorite memorials.

We came upon this very cool family memorial, with tablets arranged around the cross rather than lined up on the group plot.  It reminded me of a Swiss mountain top, complete with that large cross and a rocky jumble.  The Wetherbee clan will never be forgotten by Mountain View visitors!

While walking downhill, one of the stones just looked unnatural among the traditional neighbors.  On inspection, we discovered a stone tree trunk with the branches chopped off.  The memorial honored a lumberjack named Jesse L. Smith, with this inscription:  here rests woodman of the world.

Nearby was a monumental pillar and statue that could have been honoring a U.S. founding father.  Tip of the hat to one Dr. Washington Ryer, a 19th century New Yorker who practiced medicine in California.  He was a pillar of the community, so there’s nothing wrong with ostentatious displays for eternity.

While Mountain View Cemetery has interesting memorials and a storied history, it’s not frozen in time.  Today I ran across some bereaved parents honoring their 32-year-old daughter.  “I come here twice a week to tend,” explained the father, “because the grass grows so quickly during the spring.”  Her grave was properly situated at a high point with great views, and festooned with lovely flowers.

It was a beautiful and peaceful day in these hills – stop by for a walk sometime.

Bay Area Facebookers Are Provincial

Facebook has reached a critical mass where you can dive into profiles and see who collectively connects out there.  Now it’s possible to uncover the most frequent geographical ties, including some eye-openers.  And you can track what people “fan” the most, which provides a cultural zeitgeist.

In the Bay Area, President Obama makes the top-10 fan lists and San Franciscans still place him in the very top slot.  Starbucks has the most social clout in the East Bay and Silicon Valley, and drops down a couple notches for San Francisco and Santa Cruz.  And everyone wants more sleep, except for the already laid-back Santa Cruzans.

Bay Area friends also stick around their neighbors online, and seldom venture from California!  East Bay and San Francisco friends are the closest, reciprocal connectors.  Silicon Valleyites associate with San Franciscans most often, while Santa Cruzans bridge to Silicon Valleyites first and foremost.

When Bay Area Facebookers venture beyond California, they primarily reach their New York buddies.  East Bay and San Francisco friends have some Washington, D.C. ties.  Silicon Valley clearly works with their Seattle colleagues too.  And we’re not sure why San Franciscans forge special ties with Chicagoans.

How does this work? When you sign up for Facebook, you can identify with a geographic area.  It’s not a perfect measure, we know.  Some Montclarions have told me they attached the San Francisco label to represent the Bay Area, rather than pick the more precise East Bay moniker.  In any case, millions of Facebookers drive regional and metro distinctions that make sense here.

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.

Donate Your Trees To The Elephants

We just noticed the Oakland Zoo is asking for dead tree donations, because zookeepers need to feed the elephants and other animals living there.  Now that we’re cleaning up from the storms, there’s plenty to share.  How can you resist?

The zoo specifically requests browse, or the tree branches that their beasts consume.  According to John Briggs, browse/elephant keeper, the zoo animals prefer five to eight feet long branches – and need a lot of fuel.

  • Here’s an official list of acceptable, delicious trees:  Acacia, Alder, Almond, Apple, Bamboo-Green, Birch, Bird of Paradise, Blackberry, Carob, Cotoneaster, Deciduous fruit trees, Elm (Ulmus), Eugenia, Hibiscus, Oak, Palm Frond-Green, Poplar, Plum, Roses, Maple-Silver, Maple-Sugar, Mulberry, Sweetgum (Liquidambar), Thistle, and Willow (Salix).
  • And here’s an official list of unacceptable, toxic trees:  Conifers, Eucalyptus, Elderberry, California Bay, Horsechestnut, Laurel, Olive, Maple-Red, Myrtle, Pepperwood, Pittosporum, Rhododendron, Walnut, Pear, Juniper.

Our zoo’s been on an endless and insatiable hunt for animal food.  For years, they were harvesting trees at the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, but neglected to get required permits when the hospital closed.  In addition, some trees were illegally felled at the nearby King Estates Open Space.

Earlier this month, Zoo Director Joel Parrott offered his mea culpas and apologized for running afoul.   Since that’s water under the bridge, we should focus on helping the special creatures that roam across the Oakland Hills.  Elephants like Osh, Dunda, Lisa and Donna, as well as all the other zoo residents, need some decent meals and snacks!

To donate:  Please reach the Zoo’s John Briggs (john@oaklandzoo.org or 510-632-9525, ext. 266)  or Jeff Kinzley (jeff@oaklandzoo.org or 510-632-9525, ext. 225).  They can sometimes pick up trees but request drop-offs at the zoo.