Comments on: The Triumph of Hope over Experience

By: Andy K

Andy K — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:39:32 +0000

Back on topic – Jean also was on the School Board prior to being on the City Council. Another success story.

I often wonder why I live here too. I love the Bay Area – SF was fun in the early 90s, but it is a little to pricey for me. Also, when you live there it is easy to shut yourself out to everything else in the Bay Area. I do still have hope for Oaktown. As I have been saying for the 14 years I have been here – so much potential.

By: KenO

KenO — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 06:08:14 +0000

if we could take out SFHs for highway 24 in the 60s, I don’t see why we can’t take out SFHs now in the 10s for more condo action. oh wait, NIMBY …

what the hell was different then??

all that robert moses shit… he never even DROVE a car! just did the bidding of folks with money.

980 and 24 should be torn out.

what do yoou propose as a solution for the JLS-Downtown underpass being ugly? i don’t think more signs is good enough.

By: KenO

KenO — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:57:27 +0000

if you loved sf, you’ll kiss park street asphalt in alameda on new year’s eve

oakland (and ebay) has long been sf’s suburb. oakland is largely suburban if you check out an aerial view. sf slightly less so.

you must live in tokyo if you want high density all the time. i used to live there for a couple years =)

By: dc

dc — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:50:16 +0000

Both cities are dangerous, but ours is more dangerous. Anyway, I didn’t bring up SF because I particularly want to move there—it just happened to offer me the most recent reminder of what a city is supposed to feel like, with people out and about (and not only in a few commercial blocks here and there), fewer single-family homes, fewer car-dependent residents, and so on. Oakland has little bits and pieces of urban density and bustle, but the spaces in between are too often either blighted wasteland or dull sprawl, and it’s starting to get to me. The high crime rate is just an added irritation.

By: KenO

KenO — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 13:56:34 +0000

dc arent both cities dangerous? i’d move away eventually too.

By: Andie Janos

Andie Janos — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:27:01 +0000

Well D, if you flee Oaktown to go to SF, you will be missed!

By: dc

dc — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 04:46:46 +0000

Another thing to add to the Oakland hit list: a new cafe with indoor bike parking, a pump, and some tools in case anyone needs to fix a flat. Sweet! I rode by it during construction a few months ago and it looked promising, but I didn't know it had opened. It's on a part of (mostly blighted) San Pablo Avenue which has a few interesting galleries too.

By: dc

dc — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:59:26 +0000

ng: The homeless guys seemed to be having a purely theoretical discussion. Along the lines of “People just leave stuff there for the taking. Two minutes of work, and someone could walk off with this bike.” Like most people who present themselves as experts, the guy didn’t really seem to know what he was talking about. As far as I was concerned, the bike was probably safer with them standing there looking at it than it would have been otherwise.

eric: Indeed—ask me again after the holidays have passed, and my outlook on Oakland may have improved significantly. Speaking of which, I had a great bike ride through East Oakland to San Leandro this morning. Just a few more days and grumpy season will be behind me…

By: eric

eric — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:10:49 +0000

It’s almost Christmas! Woo-hoo!

By: ng

ng — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 13:28:36 +0000

appealing, even with the bike-stealing bums? or were they just theoretical robbers?!