Beast Blog

Great East Bay Book Stores!

bookstores are wonderful places, and independent book stores are even more so! the east bay has plenty of great indie bookstores.

my four fave books stores in the East Bay are:

1. A Great Good Place For Books, 6120 La Salle Avenue, Montclair District.

when i first walked in, i was greeted by the owner. she was one of those people that was helpful without being pushy. she asked about my lit preferences, and was able to recommend some great titles that i hadn't read based on who i liked. she is also one of the people working on "West Coast Live" (a public radio program), so she gets great authors coming through the area to read there.

2. Pegasus/Pendragon Books:
(3 East Bay Locations)-
2349 Shattuck Avenue, (Berkeley, Downtown)
5560 College Avenue, (Oakland, Rockridge)
1855 Solano Avenue, (Albany, Solano Stroll)

i love this independent mini-chain for several reasons: knowledgable staff, excellent recommendations, cheap book tables (great gift store!), and their annial calendar sale. (wait til Jan 1st to get the new year's calendar & you'll save save save! it's an east bay tradition to shop for calendars on Jan 1st here!)

3.
5433 College Avenue, Oakland (Rockridge)

WiFi on AC Transit

To a mailing list I'm on, this AP article was sent:

An East Bay transit agency plans to install free wireless Internet
service on select buses beginning this fall.

AC Transit expects to equip half its fleet of transbay buses, about 40
that focus on commuters and rush-hour riders, with WiFi access, said
agency spokesman Clarence Thomas.

The push came from the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency's
East Bay Smart Corridors program, which coordinates with 25 agencies
to improve transit systems.

"We want professionals, those with laptops, traveling through the bay
to have better use of their time, rather than looking at traffic,"
said Cyrus Minoofar, the program's project manager.

Under the plan, the buses would be equipped with small boxes that
convert existing cellular phone networks into WiFi that riders can
access with their laptops, as if they were sitting at a desk.

Users could read e-mail and browse the Internet.

A proposed three-year grant from the Bay Area Air Quality Management
District would pay for the service, expected to cost between $60 to
$75 per bus per month. The grant has yet to be finalized.

The agency runs 27 lines that cross the bay, with services connecting
Oakland to San Francisco, Hayward and San Mateo, and Fremont and Palo
Alto.

One to Watch: Urban Commons

We got an email from a Beaster with a relevant weblog:

Hey Beast Bloggers!

I'm a fan of your blog and I've recently started my own site on Urban
Development/City planning issues. I'm based in Oakland and plan to touch
on East Bay related topics regularly. I'm trying to get people to visit
and contribute to the site in order to start a real dialog on these
important issues. Is there anyway to get a mention on your site? I'm sure
your readers would enjoy it.

Thanks!

Sincerely,

jesse

http://urbancommons.org/

The site is still pretty new, but already has a couple of Beast-related posts. Good luck, Jesse!

my fave food court spots

food courts can be a great place to get cheap eats, and many of the spots have awesome ethnic food.

Emeryville Public Market has food of practically every ethnicity you can imagine- every configuarion of asian and pan-asian, middle eastern, american, european countries including greece, germany, and italy.

my fave two spots at this food court are:

Wazwan - an indian place with great chaat- samosas with killer cilantro chutney (my fave kind!), and masala dosa.

and Kashmir (i think that's the name), right across the aisle from Wazwan. they serve afghani food. their spinach bulani rocks. i was a little sad that they felt the need to change the name of their food from afghani to persian after 9-11 (perhaps they experienced a boneheaded decline in sales?), but the food remains as good as ever.

another food court worth mentioning is in berkeley, just east off the telegraph haze on durant. there are several places in the court, but i like the pho place. i am a creature of habit, and tend to get the seafood egg noodle soup there, which is great. fresh cilantro leaves really add a freshness to this wonderful soup, which is just as good in the summer as it is on rainy days when you need some warmth.

Survey on Bay Area WiFi Use

Sean from Cheesebikini is conducting a survey of Bay Area Wi-Fi use for his masters research. It only takes a few minutes to fill out.

Pity the Poor Beast Basketball Fan

The Bay Area is a terrible place for basketball fans. With playoffs underway, and a bunch of exciting matchups to discuss, the Chronicle buries this in favor of the start of the (yawn) baseball season, and the NFL frickin' *draft*. The Niners don't even need to be playing to warrant page one coverage.

And god forbid you try to find a decent place to watch the playoffs (outside of your home). Scouring the Beast, the only reliable basketball playoffs-watching venue is La Val's Southside, which is also a pit of despair and squalor.

This being a market economy, I suppose this inattention simply reflects the populace's disinterest, an ennui fueled by the yearly go-nowhereness of the Golden State Warriors. But for those of us who recognize that basketball is *the* telegenic American pastime, what are we to do?

more free wi-fi!

by googling, i found a fab website: wififreespot.com!!!

i would bookmark this site, since it has a state-by-state directory for frequent travelers (like me!)

here's what i found for beastblog-o-philes-

Berkeley:
Fertile Grounds - 1796 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley Espresso - 1900 Shattuck Ave
Angel Falls Cafe - The Courtyard at Walnut Square - 1510-G Walnut Street
Le Bateau Ivre - Restaurant & Coffee House - 2629 Telegraph Ave
Addison Annex Cafe - 2107 Addison Street

Emeryville:
cuppa cabana - 4125 San Pablo Ave - 510-923-1220

Hayward:
Downtown area within 1/2 mile of City Hall

Oakland:
Rooz Cafe - 4252 Piedmont Avenue
Nomad Cafe - 6500 Shattuck Ave.
Jump'n Java - 6606 Shattuck Ave. - (510) 595-9666
Pacific Coast Brewing - 906 Washington St. - 510/ 836-2739
Cafe Teatro - 300 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza - 510-267-8970

Richmond:
Cafe Teatro - 2181 Meeker Avenue - 510-236-2752

Another Beast News Source

The Berkeley School of Journalism publishes the North Gate News Online, a news website written by students, focusing on issues in the Bay Area. They were good enough to feature a story on the Beast Blog, if you're interested in learning more about the site you're currently reading!

Vote Nationally, Blog Locally

I think of the East Bay as a political incubator, both for practices and ideas. Alameda and Contra Costa counties have more than 2.4 million people, more than some states with flags and U.S. senators (Vermont? New Hampshire?). Three local groups are operating web sites.

East Bay 4 Dean was the first. It runs a local bulletin board but mostly pimps the local meetups, very successfully, I might add. A few design observations: Three photos make it local: a bayscape, a Dean rally with marching band, and an even larger crowd in an auditorium watching Dean announce he's running. The message: Jump on the Bandwagon.

East Bay Kerry came along next. Full disclosure: I started it. An active group weblog, the site is mostly about issues, a bit about the campaign, and a little about organizing. Most real organizing seems to happen on mailing lists. I'm shooting for the blog to look at national events through East Bay eyes and listen to campaign spew through East Bay ears. As important, EBK can inform national policy with East Bay issues. Blogging is such a first-person activity, I hope personality comes through. Built with TypePad. The message: Campaigns are Conversations.

East Bay for Clark is the most polished looking, has the most engineering underneath it. Sparse content but useful "upcoming events" info. Built by national campaign staff, the site feels like an empty shell at the moment. That may change if more people participate in feeding the site. Someone on the Clark campaign gets that politics is fundamentally local, so they built dozens of these sites so locals can move in. The message: Clark is in the East Bay.  

Where are local sites for the other 6 candidates?

Cohousing in the Beast

A Craigslist post alerts us that East Bay Cohousing is meeting this Sunday, November 9.

It probably makes sense that this kind of intentional community has a special place in the East Bay. The first American cohousing company, imaginatively named The CoHousing Company, is located in West Berkeley. One of the first American cohousing communities is Doyle Street Cohousing, in Emeryville. Oakland has three active communities (no American city has more), with a potential fourth coming from East Bay Cohousing (that community is still forming, and still looking for a site).

6,000 Homeless In Alameda County

The Chronicle covers a new detailed census of homelessness.

Also, the Chronicle has a good collection of East Bay stories today.

Friendster Meets Your Free Weekly's Listings Page

Gwen writes in to tell us about Upcoming.org, an events-listing website generated all by it's users. And you can link yourself to friends and venues so that you always know what's going on.

The East Bay is currently represted by San Francisco Bay Area and Oakland, and I've just added Berkeley.

So start posting!

Friendster Meets Your Bookshelf

Tim writes in about the "Distributed Library Project":

"The Distributed Library Project is an experiment in sharing
information and building community in the San Francisco Bay
Area....
Unfortunately, the traditional library system doesn't do much to
foster community. Patrons come and go, but there is very little
opportunity to establish relationships with people or groups of
people. In fact, if you try to talk with someone holding a book you
like - you'll probably get shushed. The Distributed Library Project
works in exactly the opposite way, where the very function of the
library depends on interaction."

Sounds intriguing!

The Beast is for (Film) Lovers

A browse through the latest East Bay Express offers numerous reasons for East Bay cineastes to rejoice.

The death of the UC Theater and the hibernation of the Fine Arts Cinema has saddened local filmgoers. Good news comes in the form of an ex-Roxie Cinema programmer taking up residence at the Grand Lake, converting one of the screens into a repertory screen, starting this week with The Adventures of Robin Hood, and following soon with a Bay Area noir fest.

The PFA will be spending the next month showcasing the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. I've only seen The Marriage of Maria Braun, which was excellent, and eagerly seek to see more.

And on September 2, the PFA is showing L'age D'or with Un chien andalou, must-see surrealist flicks from Bunuel.

And naturally, there are the continued delights of the Parkway (which continues to feature more and more locally-made independent film), the Paramount, and the Landmark Shattuck's rep screen.

Oh, and, of course Reel Video and Movie Image.

San Pablo Avenue Speedway

The Chronicle writes about AC Transit's new 72R line, which hauls ass down San Pablo Avenue, and which can, among other things, send signals to traffic lights to make sure they remain green so the bus can get through.

A couple of weeks ago, the folks at SF Cityscape wrote about this, and offer some tasty transit links. SF Cityscape is a webzine about urban design, and chock full o' goodies worth reading.

A Bit of Beast Blog on the Best of the East Bay - Part 1: Arts and Culture

Last week, the East Bay Express published their Best of the East Bay for 2003.

It seemed like a good stimulus for some commentary from your ever-lovin' Beast Blog authors.

For starters, they missed a marvelous opportunity to call it "Best of the Beast."

Congrats to the Traywick Gallery on winning the reader's poll for best art gallery. Beast Blog non-author Michael Sippey is married to Trina, who runs the gallery.

I hadn't realized Bitch published out of Oakland. With them, Kitchen Sink, "ReadyMade, the East Bay is center of hip woman-run media.

EBE's choice for "Best Art Park" is the Albany Waterfront Park. I'd only heard about this place a couple of weeks ago. And on May 24th, don't miss:
========
"BUM'S PARADISE" - a documentary by Thomas McCabe
After decades of being a dump, the Albany Landfill closed in 1986.
Nature slowly claimed the land, and various homeless men and women moved
in. They built modest dwellings, become a community, and lived free
from public scrutiny. It was a magical place where the homeless, for a
time, were at home.

movie, djs, bonfire, byo
Saturday May 24 @ Sundown.
Albany Landfill Amphitheater

out in the SF Bay at the end of Buchanan St off of the I-80
(rain date the following evening or evenings until it happens)
===========

What do you think is the best Art and Culture? Tell us in the comments!

How Now Good Chow?

This morning I got the latest issue of Chowhound.com's Chownews newsletter in my inbox. Every week this treats me to culinary delights around the Bay Area, with a healthy portion of goodies for we Beasties.

The latest issue clued me into Syrah ice cream at Tucker's in Alameda (yes, made with Syrah wine), where to get good offal on International Blvd., a Sichuan banquet at China Village in Albany, where to get good crawfish in Oakland, and more.

And I get these great tips *every week*.

If you're a Bay Area foodie, you've got to subscribe. Only $15 a year!

comfy dive bars

here is a random list of comfy dive bars in no particular order:

baggy's by the lake: intimate, a fireplace & tables/chairs, as well as bar/stool. i use it for meetings. older quiet clientele, except when the raiders are on. then they're noisy! E. 18th Street (across from Merritt Restaurant, near Lakeshore)

george kayes: very small but boisterous. good times. broadway near 40th.

connolly's: two rooms, one with career alcoholics starting at 6 AM, the other with a pool table & room to dance. used to have punk shows here, but uppity neighbors didn't like the kids. telegraph @ 42nd.

the alley: large, with wood booths. an oakland institution- it has the same guy playing at the piano bar every night. grand ave, north of lake park.

Pinball, part two

i am just a casual pinball fan, but i do know that emmett cadigan, the current booker of the stork club, hosts "pinball mafia" at least once a month at the stork. 21+ only at the stork...

i also like the games (including pinball) at emeryville's arcade. the arcade is located behind the food court in the border's books building near the amtrak station. what's great about that spot is they have a combination of old & new machines, air hockey, and across the hall is a billiard hall with hourly rentals & a foosball machine. the arcade is all ages, the pool place is 21+.

The San Pablo Avenue Times

There is a interesting collection of local feature stories by UC J-school students up at The San Pablo Avenue Times.

Farmer's Markets/CSAs

for cheap, healthy eats you can't beat a farmer's market. not only do you get fresh (mostly organic) produce, but you also support sustainable small farms, cuz the middleman is left out & the farmer makes a larger profit.

i like the grand lake farmer's market best. its getting bigger & more diverse all the time in its offerings, & the city is finally getting rid of that weird cobblestone lake thing (bordered by Grand, Lake Park, and the freeway) & making a permanent home for it.

in second place for me is the berkeley farmers market, which used to be "the shit" but is really too crowded now. sadly, temescal could not sustain a farmer's market & it petered out, i think. old oakland has one, but i've never been.

if getting to the farmer's market is too hard for your schedule, there are several delivery "box" services that can help. you'll get a box of organic, family or CSA (Community Sustainable Agriculture Project) produce delivered to a drop off or your home.

The one that's super-rad is Full-Belly Farm. Not only do you support a specific farm in their efforts, but every year, they have a "hoes-down" where all box recipients are welcomed to the farm for camping & meeting the farm & its inhabitants. dancing, feasting, and fun!

in second place for me is "The Box", but its only second cuz it's just the food, not fest...

updated 5/19/03:
There are indeed distributors that work with several organic farms to provide a box of organic produce. one of the better ones is called simply "the box". they are based in SF, but have service to the east bay. their number is 415 ORGANIC.

Venues & Clubs

in my opinion, i think oakland has the most to offer in terms of venues & clubs in the east bay. it has the most spaces that could be kick-booty clubs, if only the city lets it happen. in the meantime, the warehouse & house party phenominon is killer in oakland.

i like rock, indie, & experimental live performance genres, so oakland does it for me. if you like rootsy, bluesy, or folk, berkeley is prolly where ya wanna be. if you like DJs, well, that's a whole different ball o wax. (ruby room? radio? shattuck down low? where do the DJ people go?)


the best places for my kinda stuff? well, as an indie promoter, i get to select the venues where i place things based on MY criteria. i choose the oakland metro, the black box (oakland), and the starry plough (berkeley).

why? the motives of the people who own/work there, mainly. at the metro & the black box, the venues are owned & run by artists & people who run a venue because they love the arts. the starry plough is a family-run business, and as a leftie, i appreciate their anti-racist, pacifist politics.

they also happen to run a great feeling place from an audience point of view. the places just feel... comfortable. lived in. friendly.

i also like(d): cafe eclectica (albany), the now-defunct club muse (albany), 924 gilman, & the parkway theater.

now the dish:
i have also placed things at places i did not like for different reasons (from both a promoter and audience point of view). i've had run-ins at:

1. the now-defunct talk of the town (oakland). what a nightmare. i thought i was gonna have a heart attack each show. badly run by tweakers.

2. ivy room (albany). never really liked it. most of the music is not my fave.

3. 21 grand (oakland). a fine place, but the volunteer staff can be overworked & sometimes uptight.

4. the stork club (oakland). i was the club booker here for almost two years. there were some serious things i did not like here that i won't get into.

5. imusicast (oakland). a venue run like a tightwad dotcom. do not like this place. they make bands pay for lots of tech stuff that regular shows do not need (webcasting & staff). hard for bands to make a living here. the "no sticker" rule is also a drag.

6. rooster's roadhouse (ex-minnow, alameda) there have been staff & promoter upheavals here over and over. for good reason.

i would say that i would work with 21 grand again, and if the stork problems went away, the stork club too. the others? nah. can't recommend them to others, either. sad, really.

what's your fave club?

Sushi bids

i have tried sushi all over the east bay (as well other places). here are my votes in no particular order:

Kirala (Shattuck in Berkeley): great food, but really snotty people (esp the maitre'd) working there. completely ruins the experience for me, so i avoid it like the plague. it's sad, cuz their food is awesome. too bad they wait on yuppies first (out of turn) & leave the scruffies like me waiting longer. i guess they don't know i always tip at least 20%...

Koryo (Telegraph Ave @ 43rd): best late nite sushi (open til 2 AM)

Drunken Fish (Piedmont where it hits Broadway, owned by the Koryo people): best chirashi sushi (nothin' sez lovin' like rice-n-roe in a bowl!)

Bonsai (Telegraph near 43rd):
nicest chefs- Moraino-san is partially deaf, but super sweet, buy him a beer & ask what's fresh!

more later!

East Bay Hipster Media

Glancing at your local newsstand reveals a wealth of publications emerging from the post-boom East Bay.

Three of note:

ReadyMade - Published in Berkeley, this lifestyle improvement magazine is chock full of ideas for young urbanites with not much money. A recent issue is devoted to reusing cardboard boxes as a building material for all manner of household items.

Kitchen Sink - Straight outta Oakland, this "magazine for people who think too much" really couldn't have come about if its various editors and writers still had gainful employment. An assortment of essays, memoirs, poems, and fiction, it's a little like if the New Yorker were written by no one over 30. And published in Oakland.

Kitchen Sink is fast becoming the hub of the Oakland arts and letters crowd, with its sold-out fundraisers and other art, gallery, and cafe events.

On the more obscure side, we've got Berkeley's Loud Paper, an art and architecture zine for kids who miss grad school.

Are you the Gatekeeper? I am the Key Route Master.

Click map to enlarge.

This map, drawn in 1911, depicts the old Key System routes, a commuter train system for the East Bay named for the shape of the routes (said to resemble a skeleton key). The Bay Bridge originally had special lanes for Key System crossings, but the Rise of the Automobile meant the death of the commuter train, and by 1948 the last streetcars ran, and by 1958 the trans-bay trains stopped.

Vestiges of the Key System remain. Most obvious is Key Route Blvd in Albany. The oddly situated Shattuck Square in Berkeley, where Shattuck splits before it meets University Ave heading north, used to be a train station. At the corner of Piedmont and 41st in Oakland there is a plaque as you enter the parking lot, marking the terminal of a Key line. It states you could reach downtown San Francisco from that spot in 30 minutes.

For more facts, stories, and pictures of the Key System:

Susan Cerny's "Berkeley's Growth was Dependent on Public Transportation". (Part of her "Berkeley Observed" collection of essays.)

An amazing collection of photos of the Key System in action.

And perhaps my favorite, an old film of a ride on a Berkeley Street car (down Oxford, up Hearst). Make sure to read the summary at the bottom of the page.