Thursday morning, 11 am: Watching the city move

On a Thursday morning in October—just an ordinary Thursday, not any one in particular—the staff reporters of Oakland North scattered across town with a simple mission: To spend one hour observing what Oaklanders do on a typical day.

For our student reporters, this was an exercise in listening to dialogue, chronicling action, keeping a sharp eye out for detail and learning to really pay attention to the quirks and rhythms of a city in motion. From 11 am until noon, they posted up in parks, on trains, in shopping centers and in cemeteries, waiting to see what the city would tell them. And each of them wrote you a postcard.

You can read their messages, see their photos and—in one case—listen to their audio here:

Last-minute gift shopping at Oakland International Airport by Cassady Rosenblum

Gardening at Mosswood Park by Ryan Lindsay

Riding through Oakland on BART by Rosa Furneaux

Taking PE class at Lincoln Square Park by Yesica Prado

Buying a sandwich at Bakesale Betty by Margaret Katcher

Working at Jack in the Box by Khaled Sayed

Jogging at Lake Merritt by Rachel Loyd

Skateboarding at Town Park by Brian Krans

People watching at Jack London Square by Cameron Clark

Climbing the stairs at Joaquin Miller Park by Katie Parish

Talking on the phone at Rockridge Safeway Plaza by Brianna Flin

Thinking about death at Mountain View Cemetery by Andrew Beale

Koi watching at Pacific Renaissance Plaza by Tian Chenwei