downtown oaktown

In case you haven’t noticed, this blog is on hiatus until after the November election. I am working for Rebecca Kaplan’s mayoral campaign.

All the news you need to read to be caught up on the happenings in the DTO.

KALW reports on decades-long efforts to make Chinatown more vibrant and pedestrian-friendly.

The Oakland Tribune reminds us of an ill-fated proposal to gut the Fox and Paramount theaters, and remove several historic buildings, to create a movie multiplex.

Jerry Brown, now the Democratic nominee for Governor of California, points to the restored Fox Theater and revitalized Uptown arts district as his key accomplishments of Mayor of Oakland.

OaklandLocal’s list of weekend parties includes the one-year anniversary of Penelope, a purveyor of spicy cocktails. Penelope will celebrate its longevity with a masquerade ball and charity auction on Saturday.

The Planning Commission voted 5-1 to uphold the recent downtown zoning map over the objections of a small group of NIMBYs who sought to block development around Lake Merritt.

Oakland Pride opened an office in Jack London Square. The nonprofit organization hopes to create a permanent community center, while preparing for the relaunch of an Oakland Pride festival along Telegraph Ave in Uptown.

Shorenstein’s City Center properties are close to a sale to new investors, while another downtown landlord fell into foreclosure.

Once again it’s First Friday, and downtown Oakland stars in a monthly celebration of culture. Aficionados welcome the return of the occasional RAW Gallery, a well-edited collection of art in music in a half-built retail space on Telegraph and 20th. The Great Wall projected installation, a taste of planned public light art in Uptown, features In Search of Happiness, “a curated screening of video art and films from artists in Europe, Canada and the United States.” New galleries, relocated galleries, and street-based art can all be found at the Art Murmur, centered at 23rd and Telegraph.

The increasingly artsy environs around downtown are of course a source of civic pride, but the arts have also been used to put the Town down, from Gertrude Stein’s epigrams to aborted television pilots. Recently, all the way on the northern border, a “tea party” of craftsmen (and women) knitted over Berkeley’s rail-side HERETHERE sculpture, covering up this perceived slight at Oakland. Given the sculpture’s proximity to pioneering Internet-enabled Nomad Cafe, will we soon see censorious socks on (Regr)Etsy?

In Jack London Square, vegetarian restaurant and wine bar Encuentro gave up its most popular recipe to the Chronicle recently. You could try this at home, but it seems pretty labor-intensive. Best to visit Encuentro, don’t you agree?

Geisha, the long-awaited and somewhat controversial establishment dreamed up by the owner of the former Silver Lion and Golden Bull watering holes, opened in the former Oakland Stamp Factory on 14th near Webster this week. A generously-sized bar, well-expressed decor, experienced bartenders, and a full kitchen will add life to a street mostly known for shuttling people from downtown to the Lake. I don’t know what sort of food the cabaret-licensed nightclub will serve, but Geisha’s eponymous cucumber-lime punch is tasty.

Finally, I would like to encourage Art Murmerers to take advantage of my client Friendly Cab’s First Friday promotion. Sponsored by Kapsack & Bair DUI attorneys, three DTO hotspots will offer $5 taxi coupons tonight to help you get home or even cover a bar-hop. Stop by The Layover (1517 Franklin), Penelope (11th and Clay), and Era (19 Grand) so you can enjoy the drinking without the driving! After all that walking and biking for the Car-Free Challenge, it will be nice to traverse all the DTO has to offer in the comfort of a back seat. Enjoy your First Friday!

Last week saw the first dry First Friday of 2010, though it was pretty chilly after the sun set. Like the rest of Oakland, Downtown shines best when drenched in sun, and it seems the rainy season has finally ended. If you’re working downtown, living downtown, or planning to hang out downtown, here’s what you need to know in mid-May.

Downtown Oakland’s second-largest property owner, Shorenstein Properties, has put its four-million-square-foot office and retail portfolio on the market. The properties include the City Center shops; Oakland’s third-largest and second-tallest building, 1111 Broadway; and an agreement to complete construction of a new high-rise at 11th and Jefferson. Though Shorenstein is a local company and a long-time investor, new energy and ambition could improve the City Center office district.

To link Oakland’s disparate office markets and transit hubs, the City of Oakland has set a date for the launch of its new shuttle serving Broadway. On Monday Jun 21, commuters can catch a free ride from Uptown all the way to Jack London Square every fifteen minutes, from 7am to 7pm. Downtown is geographically quite large for a downtown of a mid-sized city, and it’s just not a nice walk from a Midtown lounge to a Jack London Square restaurant, so many expect the shuttle to help unite different retail  nodes, over time. If the shuttle can secure additional funding, its hours can be lengthened to serve dining, but for now it’s great for commuters and Jack London Square restaurants, which suffered mightily when the City’s last Broadway shuttle ended operation in 2002.

Far from the beaten First Friday track, Jack London District’s Swarm Gallery opens a new exhibit this Second Friday, featuring photography and wood sculpture. The Mercury20 photography gallery is now open at its new location on 25th St near Broadway. Today is the deadline for Alameda County artist to submit work for ProArts Gallery’s juried annual, Bay Area Currents 2010.

The Uptown neighborhood continues to add residents and businesses at a rapid clip. City Homestead reports several new restaurants coming to the district, and recently the Planning Commission gave a new bar permission to operate at 17th and Telegraph. Oakland will spend Redevelopment funds to brighten BART’s lonely alleyway. With artsy lighting joining our rightful sunshine, it’s the season for hanging out in downtown Oaktown.

This is the first First Friday since the City of Oakland’s cabaret ordinance was reformed, a long-time goal of cultural mavens. As of Wednesday, restaurants and cafes are allowed live music, and DJ bars no longer have to worry about being ticketed. The late-night permits and easier cabaret permitting process for clubs will hopefully encourage more nightlife, and tonight many are expected to enjoy the freedom to play music in public. With newly-legal live performance as the backdrop, today’s sunny First Friday offers a wealth of cultural opportunities.

Highlights of the monthly Art Murmur can be found in the OakBook’s regular article about the art scene. Uptown’s newest hotspot, The New Parish, hosts a Feria Urbana for local designers to sell their wares, ranging from art to jewelry to t-shirts to hats. More details are available at FeriaUrbanSF.com.

For the Bike Month of May, cyclists will ride the map of the Art Murmur from 23rd and Telegraph starting at 6:30pm, “in a fantastic parade of hometown fashion and music.”

The Uptown Nightclub, just slightly off the beaten Art Murmur path, will host a First Friday extravaganza with no cover charge. Several bands and DJs including The Mumlers will perform, while Warner Records will play new albums from The Black Keys and The Dead Weather.

Further afield, newcomer Urban Legend Cellars winery will keep their tasting room open until 9pm tonight. 621 4th St. Nearby, on Saturday and Sunday, Jack London Square will host The Sweet Shoppe, a festival dedicated to sweets. Just in time for Mother’s Day, its probably the best place to pick up bonbons in the DTO.

Uptown’s resident pedicab service, Backseat Driver, will be out and about tonight. Check out OaklandNorth.net’s video interview with urban micro-entrepreneurs Ken and Lulu Ott. Look for Ken and his rickshaw around town tonight. While Ken pedals around, The Rock Papers Scissors Collective will display of human-powered machinery, an element of their Beyond Bicycles project.

Since we’re on the topic of transportation, allow me to plug a professional project of mine. I am helping Friendly Cab offer free taxi rides on First Fridays. A $5 taxi coupon, enough for a free bar-hopping trip downtown, will be available tonight at three downtown bars: Penelope at 11th and Clay, The Layover at 1517 Franklin, and Era Artbar at 19 Grand. Stop by a bar and ask for your coupon, and enjoy a free or heavily discounted ride on Friendly Cab! Sponsored by Kapsack & Bair DUI Attorneys, the coupon can help you have fun while avoiding drunk driving. Read more about it at TheOakbook.com and the Trib’s Nightowl blog.

Whether you’re cabbing, bicycling, walking, riding a rickshaw, or even driving, downtown’s First Friday is where all roads lead. Legalizing live music this week adds to the cultural celebration.

It’s April Second today, also known as First Friday, and true to form, the DTO is hopping with artistic, cultural and gastronomic treasures. A brief roundup of what’s new and notable downtown follows, for your urban enjoyment.

The scoop on what you may have seen near the Art Murmur: classic car enthusiasts gather informally in Uptown every First Friday.

Hibiscus gets a flattering writeup in a popular Bay Area dining blog.

The Oakland Running Festival (yes, it was more than a marathon), which was centered downtown, is estimated to have brought almost two million dollars to Oakland in one weekend. And that’s not including the publicity value of all those nice blogs about the Town!

Will Oakland’s next Pride Parade be in Uptown?

Obi Kauffman interviews The Hive’s Elise Morris. The Hive’s sister gallery, Swarm, will be open tonight displaying conceptual works and watercolors. You can find more about tonight’s art offerings in The OakBook’s monthly art roundup.

New fixture The Layover presents art to walk through, created by one of the DTO’s most prominent public artists of the last decade. And in Old Oakland, a new bar brightens Ninth Street. With cabaret reform coming to the Council for final passage this Spring, look for new nightlife venues continuing to crop up.

Another winery comes to Jack London Square. If only there were a water taxi, the Oakland and Alameda waterfronts would be a premier boozy destination!

Mobile food vendors will gather near 23rd and Telegraph this evening, including a “jerk” specialist, but most of Oakland is not supportive of alternative culinary experiences.

The fate of the A’s, whether they stay in East Oakland, move downtown, or move to San Jose, remains unresolved.

Happy weekend downtowners! I’ll see you in Uptown.

“Art bar” and nightclub Era arrived with a splash last Friday; the Oakland Tribune reports that 700 people enjoyed the 5000 square-foot, two-story lounge on its opening night. Tomorrow evening Era hosts its first dance party, featuring DJ fflood. A few blocks away, at 2022 Telegraph, Saturday sees a V-Day “Pleasure Tasting” party, featuring neo-soul music and custom-created appetizers, for a $10 cover charge. Though Uptown is increasingly sexy, it’s also the site of the city’s most depressing Valentine’s window display.

Proving itself no slouch, newly-christened Midtown continues to excite the center of downtown with art and fun. The Joyce Gordon Gallery features a show of woman-created art opening with a reception tonight, while the Layover hosts a DJ tribute to late hip-hop producer J-Dilla this evening, behind newly-installed bike racks. Further downtown, Beer Revolution is bringing amusingly-named suds to Third Street near Jack London Square, not far from the Linden Street Brewery, Pacific Coast brewpub, and The Trappist temple of beer.

But not everything downtown is adults-only or even nightlife. Tomorrow the African American Museum and Library in Old Oakland hosts a screening of African-Italian film Inside Buffalo, about a segregated WWII combat unit. The Oakland Ice Center is offering free curling classes to kids, for Canadian expatriates in our diverse, multicultural city. Farley’s East next to Era has been called one of the most family-friendly coffeshops in the Bay Area. Though other parts of Oaktown host everything from fashion to art parties this weekend, the DTO offers everything in a few square miles.

Uptown’s long-awaited Era Art Bar opens today at 4:30pm. Created by the impresarios behind several Old Oakland spots including B Restaurant, Air Lounge, and Tamarindo, Era promises to be a uniquely styled club. Era boasts hand-crafted cocktails, carefully-chosen wines, two floors for lounging, top-flight DJs, and stunning interior design. See what the buzz is about at 19 Grand Ave.

Tonight the Fox Theater celebrates its anniversary of reopening as a live-performance venue with a party at the Den. Despite not having any dedicated parking, the Fox has sold out almost all of its shows and was the top Google search term in San Francisco in 2009. Joined by the New Parish at 18th and San Pablo, the Fox is establishing Uptown as a live-music destination, though there is a growing perception the Paramount is falling behind (a position disputed by a boardmember in a recent OakBook column).

Downtown’s good news is not just about bars and nightclubs. The DTO, or more specifically Uptown, has seen several new restaurants open this short new year. Though we’re still waiting for Bakesale Betty, True Burger has opened on the same block as the erstwhile bakery, and Hibiscus at 18th and San Pablo adds a sweetly Southern note to downtown dining in a handsome historic building with a focus on Creole foods and unique cocktails.

With the announcement of Barnes & Nobles’ closure in Jack London Square, some observers mourn the passing of yet another bookstore, while others see potential for destination retail to emerge in the prominent space. On the other side of downtown, the Broadway Specific Plan, meant to outline the transformation of Auto Row into a “lifestyle” shopping center, is seeing fierce criticism from both anti-development types led by the Oakland Heritage Alliance who are critical of the goals of the project, and from urbanists who are very uncomfortable with the huge amounts of parking called for in the study (more parking than retail, actually).

Today is of course the First Friday of February, and without rain, it’s likely tonight’s Art Murmur events will be crowded. Highlights include local cityscapes at Pro Arts Gallery, a multimedia exhibition by French artist Pierre Alain Clauzin at Hatch Gallery, and a retrospective of late graffiti artist Mike “Dream” Franciso at the New Parish. From Jack London Square to Midtown to Uptown, the DTO offers art and entertainment tonight for any budget, or no budget. See you at the hot dog stand on Telegraph!

If you’re still looking for a way to celebrate the end of the Noughties, there’s no better place to ring in 2010 than downtown Oaktown. The DTO’s growing assortment of bars and nightclubs offer many different New Year’s Eve experiences. Here is a sampling of public New Year’s Eve parties in the DTO and its environs.

Audrye Sessions and Hottub at The Uptown

The Uptown presents a varied show for New Year’s, with pop-rock band Audrey Sessions headlining a lineup with electro-dance outfit Hottub and the soul group Soft White Sixties.

$12-$15, uptownnightclub.com
1928 Telegraph Ave

Eclectic Fever at the New Parrish

Native favorite Kev Choice and his ensemble headlines a cosmopolitan lineup at the New Parrish, downtown’s newest live-music venue. Also featuring Aphrodesia, Doca Do Rio, several DJs, and samba dancers.

$40 in advance, eclecticfever.com.
578 19th St at San Pablo

Lovemakers at Ghost Town Gallery

The Lovemakers came from Oakland’s underground warehouse party scene and rose to almost-stardom with a major-label record in 2005. The electro-pop-rock outfit return to their roots for their final performance, with dance DJs, guest performances, and art displays.

$15
2519 San Pablo Ave

Make Love: LaToya London and Ise Lyfe at Maxwell’s

American Idol finalist LaToya London returns from touring the country as the lead in The Color Purple to perform one night in her hometown of Oaktown. With poet Ise Lyfe and DJ G Wayne.

$25 – $40, airbornetickets.com
341 13th St

New Year’s Eve at Penelope

Downtown’s newest bar, known for outdoor seating, slick decor, and spicy cocktails, will host its first New Year’s Party.

No cover.
11th and Clay Streets

New Year’s Eve at Radio

Radio Bar presents its signature New Year’s Eve celebration, with champagne and party favors, without a cover. DJ Barracuda will spin rock, funk, and electro, and dancing on the bar will be encouraged.

No cover.
435 13th St at Broadway

New Year’s Eve at Ruby Room

The DTO’s venerable hipster spot Ruby Room celebrated its tenth anniversary this year, and will celebrate its tenth New Year’s Eve in its trademark punky style, with no cover, rock DJs, and a raucous champagne toast at midnight.

No cover.
132 14th St at Madison

Top Ten Social at Levende East

Top Ten Social is a house music party on Fridays at Levende East. For New Year’s they’re bringing famed house DJs Vikter Duplaix and Mark Grant to Old Oakland.

$40, with discounts for groups, toptensocial.com
827 Washington St

White Party at the Easy Lounge

The Easy Lounge, which now has a cabaret license, will ring in the new year with dancing under blacklight. Wear white while DJ Jerry Ross spins pop, rock, and hip-hop.

$5 if you’re wearing white, $10 otherwise
3255 Lakeshore Ave