Places Of Note

Why Chron Placed Jack London Story On Page One

Oakland redevelopment is the story of the day.  In the San Francisco Chronicle’s top story about Jack London Square, we’re getting acknowledged and slightly dissed.

The Chron’s print edition featured “Remaking Jack London Square,” with continuations titled as “Lure of Jack London Square is in doubt” and “Jack London Square – a boon or bust?” In the online edition, the header said “Jack London Square’s future remains uncertain.”

Yes, We React Pridefully

According to Chron reporter Robert Selna, “questions remain about whether the waterfront district can become a regional food and entertainment mecca even in good times.”  He’s certainly trying to get balanced input, and is entitled to his own, substantiated views.

The accompanying photos are amusing, as they depict people traipsing around in the recent rainstorm.  Whether intentional or not, that dreary weather isn’t remotely representative of the Jack London Square experience.  Where’s our climate-perfection?

This Chron piece seems to peer through a West Bay prism, trying to keep cool.  Selna reports that “Oakland’s pull has disappeared now that rents have come down in San Francisco.”  Do we detect some concern there?  You bet.

Yes, We Acknowledge Challenges

It’s almost a tautology, because redevelopment brings obvious challenges and opportunities to Oakland.  The Jack London Market does need more takers.  The office buildings must attract occupants, in droves.  We accept there are too many vacancies, and that’s par for the recessionary course.

Even in non-recessionary times, though, it takes time for a place to catch on.  New great restaurants are establishing themselves now, drawing destination diners to the Square.  Imagine if the Oakland A’s also ended up nearby, thus creating a SOMA-like vibe.  It’s all about making strides.

Yes, We Understand Interest

From the West Bay, there may be a little undercurrent of jealousy (gasp) about Oakland’s gumption.  Maybe our hipster thing, where we are seen as Brooklyn, is starting to take hold.  Maybe the idea that creatives and young professionals choose to live here – and can afford it – is validated too.

We’re not disputing the Chron story’s facts, development challenges, vacancies, current economy or reality.  Today the newspaper devoted tons of black ink to inspecting Oakland’s estuary mojo.  There’s something happening here, and it ain’t exactly clear.  We’ll wear those rose-colored glasses for now.

How We Mapped In 1953

Since Thanksgiving is a time to look back and honor our collective roots, we decided this 1953 map might trigger a few shared memories.  Cartographer H.M. Gousha produced street maps like this one for good ‘ole Esso, which handed them out free (!) at their gas stations.

Over a half-century ago, Oakland looked quite different than today.  This map shows Route 50 rather than Interstate 80!  And most of the freeways weren’t even built yet, including Routes 13, 580, 880 and 980.

The Caldecott Tunnel sported fewer tubes as well, since the third tube was added in 1964.  Imagine what commuting was like back then, as you traveled along local roads like Route 24 and Broadway.  We can’t complain there.

This map also depicts green-colored parks in our hills.  Redwood Regional Park’s been correctly labeled, while Sibley Volcanic Preserve is still called Round Top.  Huckleberry and Leona Canyon Parks are missing, as the East Bay Regional Park District hadn’t planted flags yet.

The City of Oakland’s parks are virtually ignored here, and we think that’s due to the map scale.  There’s one notable exception:  Joaquin Miller Park is given an appropriate position of honor.

Were you or your families living in Oakland in the 1950s?  Maybe things were a little slower and kinder, though we won’t pass judgment about whether they were the good old days.

Saddest Intersection In Village

What’s the saddest intersection in Montclair Village?  That’s easy, it’s Mountain Boulevard and Medau Place.  When the long-lived Montclair Wines closed a while ago, we assumed this coveted spot would get snapped up.  Instead, the corner quickly took on a lovely, abandoned look.

Here’s the shuttered shop these days, flanked by holiday banners on the light poles.  A few weeks ago, the leftover shelves and contents were cleared out and blinds were mostly drawn closed.  Now it simply cries, “take care of me!”

What will the future tenant want or need here?  When you get up close, maybe things aren’t all that bad.  The empty building looks pretty decent, the sidewalk’s fixed up, and there’s even a little (very little) greenery.

The renter surely will get rid of this lovely graffiti-art that’s so prominent.  Come to think of it, why isn’t the defacement removed already?  It might help to market this location and space better.

We hope some retailer sees this location as a diamond in the rough, and makes it shine soon.  Maybe our fantasy picks, like a scrapbooking shop/studio or spa goods place, would fit the bill.  The place is so forlorn and lonely right now!

Evidence Of Holiday Cheer Now

Holiday cheer is emerging in Montclair Village, especially this past week.  Shopkeepers seem stocked for their post-Thanksgiving push, which starts on “Black Friday” and shifts into high gear during the Holiday Stroll on December 3rd.

On this cloudy Sunday, we walked around and captured some evidence now.  While we’re far from Park City’s Old Town or anything resembling the North Pole, you can see clues around the local shops and streets.

These snowflakes fell on the La Salle flagpole, located just above the garage.  They look nice against the trees, and may be the only large flakes spotted in the Village.

Holiday banners hang from many light poles, but we like this one best because it matches the red leaves behind it – and proves the decorations are up well before the coldest winter days.

In the stores, it’s easy to find holiday wrapping paper deals…like these five-buck rolls.  You have no reason to complain about waiting or paying extra for fancy wrapping services.

Need holiday tchotchkes?  There are plenty at Madison, Hallmark and many other places.  Get a couple of those red and green elf hats or animal slippers for the kids.  Again, everything’s sold for bupkas.

Every holiday season, Montclair Sporting Goods stocks high-style coats, jackets, sweaters and fleeces – and it’s like shopping at Tahoe or Colorado resort boutiques without the crush.  The buyer showed us very cool stuff and reported that items are selling well.

Merry whatever, and start gearing up…recession or not.

Where Oakland Ranks On Job Trends

We’ve been shaking our heads at the local unemployment level, around 17 percent, but didn’t understand how our recessionary experience compared to other places.  We just discovered the unvarnished reality – things are uglier for Oakland than nearly all the largest U.S. metropolitan areas.

Earlier this year, New Geography released Pepperdine’s job growth rankings for 336 U.S. metros as well as the largest 66 metros.  Let’s reveal the rankings for the three Bay Area metros.

Metro Rankings 2009 - New Geography

The rankings show that Oakland’s metro area, which also includes Fremont and Hayward, ranked 304 among all 336 metros and 62 among the 66 largest metros.  The numbers reflect both current and past trends in employment, as a predictor of economic futures – but don’t even take into account this year’s numbers yet.

Our Bay Area siblings did a lot better, with San Jose ranking 20th and San Francisco ranking 23rd among the 66 largest areas.  We were a little taken aback, and then noticed the mix of single and multiple-year job counts in the calculations (more here).  These places did better in the past decade, and that shows in the rankings.

What’s happening now?  According to New Geography, Oakland sank right along with Sacramento and San Bernadino to the “bottom ten” of large metros due to the housing bubble-burst and construction job evaporation.  The geographers actually pointed to State regulations constraining recovery as well.

We hadn’t expected to be in such dire straits – and have almost nowhere to go but up?!