Mint Condition Homes

I think it was our company Christmas party when a friend and co-worker gave me an article she had clipped for me from the Chronicle. She said, "This totally sounds like something you would be interested in...."

Ummmm... yep!

In all of my free time (yes, sarcasm intended!) I plan other little projects that I'd love to be involved in... And here it was... in black and white! Something I'd LOVE to do, but have absolutely NO qualifications for!

I took their description from their website:

"Mint Condition Homes, LLC is a boutique, design focused, community driven urban redevelopment company that transforms bank owned properties into quality, affordable housing.

Our homes are located in Oakland, California and are carefully selected for the historic integrity of their existing structures and their potential for creating economic stability within their neighborhoods."

So basically, they take neglected, bank owned houses, re-model them with their historical integrity in tact, (sometimes replacing features lost over time,) and they do it all as environmentally friendly as possible. They also make a point of trying to keep down costs so that when they go to market the houses are still affordable!

(If I could do something like this I'd love to add the option of selling the houses furnished.... )


Please check out their website... MINT CONDITION HOMES...

You will be amazed!

Urban Farming

Farms? In Berkeley?

Well... it isn't Berkeley, and "farmlettes" might be a better word!

Believe it or not, Oakland is a groundbreaking city in the urban farming movement. Look it up if you don't believe me! Sunset Magazine even did an article about it awhile back...

Anyway...

One day I was sitting in my car on a sunny street, waiting for a family. I played a little game: Shut your eyes and listen. Can you identify Oakland by the sounds you hear?

I heard birds, kids playing, a couple of cars going by and.... chickens.

Beyond the hipster, kids of white hippies who are currently fighting city hall to keep their urban farms, (see more below,)it is not at all unusual to hear chickens and roosters all throughout the residential Oakland neighborhoods.

I know what you are thinking.... "People use roosters for fighting..." But that isn't the ONLY truth...

Many of the families that I work with have gardens and are producing their own food. They want HENS. Hens lay eggs AND produce fertilizer for the afore mentioned gardens. The roosters are kind of a nuisance. That might be why they are frequently sacraficed to fights. Now I'm not saying it's right... don't forget, I have a hard time killing ants in my house! I'm just sayin'...

Anyway... back to the hipsters:

Novella Carpenter is an author and blogger. She originally began her urban farming project by "squatting" on an abandoned lot in West Oakland. She bought the lot awhile ago and gives tours, etc. Since buying the property she has been running into problems with the city...

You can read all about the situation here:

Ghost Town Farm

A Little Love for the West Side...

I spend the majority of my "Oakland time" in East Oakland. I love East Oakland and am very comfortable there... (during the day at least!)

Today though, I wanted to show the West Side a little love..

I was here today, and everytime I come I am amazed by this super hip little area... The architecture is simply AMAZING...

Oh the possibilities!!!

Hmmm.... Not sure I want to share....

I've been debating long and hard about sharing this little Oakland gem.... 

But here it goes:

In and Out Burger eat your heart out!  ... Sparky's on Redwood Road is hands down the best burger.... EVER!

... and their fries and shakes aren't half bad either!

I imagine that if you went to Skyline High this was your mainstay lunch spot... It is located kind of IN the parking lot of the little shopping center at the base of Redwood Road. 

Go... Eat.... Be Happy... In Oakland!

Graffiti

I'm not gonna lie...  I see a LOT of "RIP" and gang taggings as well as other,

more general graffiti during my regular work week...

But I also see stuff like this:

See.... people still feel the love in Oakland!

Sitcom Furniture Outlet....

I'd seen the building like... daily.... but I had never stopped.

Finally my curiosity got the best of me and I'm SO glad it did!

Sitcom Furniture Outlet is totally great...

The furniture looks like it is pretty decent quality... And although I'm sure the styles aren't for everyone, they did have a decent mix: kind of mid-century modern, mixed with art deco, mixed with craftsman...

anyway...  they had CRAZY bargains... (I LOVE a bargain!)

It is on High Street, right above the 880.

Mills

I am a "Mills Woman!"

Yep... it is true... My masters degree is from Mills College. 

If I told you the actual name of my degree you would yawn...

but ... Mills College is an amazing, somewhat hidden, Oakland gem.

I won't go into the whole history of the school, etc.  You can look all that up if you are really interested... but it has been around pretty much ... forever.

 Now I'm not knocking good ol' SDSU.  My undergrad years were filled with life experience. 
(How else was I to learn that you really shouldn't jump out of a moving vehicle.???) 
But I think it goes without saying that the difference in my educational experiences were pretty extreme.

Mills was SERIOUS school...
  There were times when I likened it to boot camp....
the education department broke you down and built you back up!
... and guess what... I know my stuff!

So there are other cool things about Mills besides just the education. 
I'm a TOTAL architecture nerd, and there is an abundance to gawk at on the Mills campus. 
The campanile was actually designed by Julia Morgan herself...

Now... I know some of you may be SUPER annoyed at me for saying this,
 but I REALLY think that men should be admitted to the undergrad programs. 
(Most, if not all, of the graduate programs admit men.) 
Not only do I think that it would make for a better draw to the school itself,
 I think it would be great for the neighborhood.  If the undergrad program was a bit bigger,
 more students might be drawn to living in the surrounding neighborhoods.

 I can just imagine a cool little coffee house on the corner of Seminary and Macarthur...

The "Slopes"

I am currently kind of obsessed with "The Slopes." 

Not unlike San Francisco, Oakland is made up neighborhoods that frequently have their own names: Montclaire, Laurel, and The Diamond District might sound familiar. 

Another way of describing where a neighborhood is is by it's geography:  You have "The Hills," "The Slopes," and "The Flats."  The Slopes refers, for the most part, to the hilly areas BELOW the 580 freeway. 

I am frequently amazed by these neighborhoods.  Although it was a little bit hazy today, this is an example of the view you get from the slopes.

 (Believe it or not, you can see the San Francisco skyline ...  maybe just not in these photos!) 

  

If these houses were anywhere else... with these views...  Just THINK...  This is what I mean when I say that Oakland is filled with hidden gems... Oh the POTENTIAL...

Happy New Year!

I'm in love with Oakland.  I know... you think I'm crazy.  Oakland is the crime ridden, ugly step-sister to our beautiful "city by the bay," San Francisco. 

Well.. I'm going to go out on a limb here.... I might like Oakland BETTER than San Francisco!

Let me explain:

Not long ago someone said, "Oakland is the next Detroit..."  No way, and this is why:

First of all, we have a port...Detroit doesn't.   But besides the basic economic factors...

Oakland is in a perfect location.  The views are amazing; right on the Bay, the SF skyline in the background.  You can get to the beach or the mountains in no time, and the weather is PERFECT.  There is a variety of housing; apartments, cottages, lofts... your pick... all the way up to multi-million dollar mansions.  Oakland will never be an abandoned ghost town on a frozen tundra...

I know what you are thinking though... "Oh, this blog is going to be just the "nice" parts of Oakland..."   But that is exactly what I DON'T want it to be.  You see... I'm in Oakland every day.  East Oakland to be exact.  I want people to see what I see: the architecture, the gardens, the people.  There is current beauty as well as potential beauty.  There are new things happening and old things that are timeless...


Now, I DO want to include some of the "nice" parts too...

So I decided that for my first post I would start with our outing on New Year's Eve!

We wanted to take the kids out for an early dinner.... 

someplace that felt special...

The Lake Chalet was a great choice! 

This is the re-built boat house on Lake Merritt.  It is owned by the same group that runs the famous Beach Chalet in the City.  I read the reviews:  beautiful location, so-so food. 

We were pleasantly surprised.  The setting is REALLY amazing... I can't say more... you will NOT be disappointed.  The food was good... no complaints.  The steak was cooked perfectly and my pasta dish was really tasty.  The services was good and my cocktail was perfect!

(Now I can't wait for the weather to warm up...  This is a perfect spot for warm weather outdoor drinks/ dining!)