20080817

Walk Oakland

On Friday, Brooklyn Avenue posted about the public staircases and pedestrian walkways in Oakland. I second the recomendation, at the bottom, of the Walk Oakland! map. When I moved to Oakland nearly three years ago now, I stopped in at Bibliomania on Telegraph & 18th, and walked out with my very own free copy of Walk Oakland!, courtesy of owner Jean Van Fleet.

For those interested, I highly recommend the tour put on by the Oakland Heritage Alliance called "Oakland Walkway and Streetcar Heritage" led by Jason Patton, who created the Walk Oakland! map. From downtown, you take an AC transit bus along an old streetcar route up to the Glenview neighborhood. You then take public staircases, sidewalks, and walkways through Trestle Glen and down to Grand Lake, where the tour ends. I went two years ago, and it is scheduled this year for Saturday, September 28.

In fact, I recommend all the walking tours put on each summer by OHA, now in their 28th year. I've been on 4 now and all were wonderful. A couple of weeks ago, I learned about Eichlers in Oakland from Michael Crowe, and last summer I toured Temescal with Ray Rainieri and Philbrick's Boatworks with owner Russ Donovon (coming up this Saturday). There are still 10 tours left this year, so have a look, and get walking.

Finally, consider joining OHA. Membership starts at only $20-$40, and gets you a newsletter and discounts on events and tours, in addition to supporting the preservation of Oakland's heritage.

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