oakland?
I have been asking myself that question for months. What is Oakland and what does it mean to be in Oakland? You tell someone in San Francisco that you live in Oakland and they are like oh… must be the cheap rent… it is true that rents are cheaper and you might actually be able to afford to buy a house here. But since I have been here I have wanted to feel something for this place.
Where is the soul of Oakland?
Having lived in Brooklyn, I have wanted so much for Oakland to be like Brooklyn, but unfortunately it is not. So what is Oakland? Who knows? What makes this place tic? Why does BART stop at midnight? Who are the movers and shakers here? Why are people so into sideshows? These are just a few of the questions on my mind.
Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major city on the east side (also called East Bay) of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. To its north lies Berkeley, home to the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. To its west stands San Francisco, across the Bay Bridge. To its south lies the island city of Alameda, and San Leandro lies to the southeast. Along the hills which run from north to east, Oakland borders five of the East Bay Regional Parks. In the center of Oakland, and completely surrounded by it (prompting the common analogy to a doughnut hole), is the wealthy independent city of Piedmont. Oakland is home of the Port of Oakland, one of three major shipping ports on the American West coast.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
link: Wikipedia: Oakland
Oakland has a hip-hop music scene - Too Short, the Hieroglyphics, Zion I, MC Hammer, E-40, and many others have roots in the East Bay. Oakland also has the A’s, the Warriors, and of course the Raiders. But still I search for it’s soul - where is it to be found? The website OAKLANDISH explores this soul search and it is a great place to start - Big Ups to the Oaklandish crew.
Maybe someone out there can tell me, point me in the right direction. OAKLANDISH seems care and I applaud them putting forth the effort. Oakland shouldn’t be living in San Francisco shadow… Oakland should stand tall, maybe it is, somebody let me know.
God Bless Oakland!
