Culture
When I walk into the North Oakland branch Post Office at 8:56, I immediately take stock of my surroundings and stake out a post from which I might best accomplish my mission. I choose a blond-colored wooden bench alongside the main entrance where there’s a good view of the lobby. My not-so-covert objective is to observe and record the scene here in the Post Office this fine Wednesday morning. The beige-colored Post Office takes up the corner at the Shattuck…
The tall, courteous bartender leaned over to listen as two young costumers unburdened their love troubles. By the look of them, you’d guess they had been drinking all night. The one with shorter hair and glassier eyes complained about a woman who had just moved in with him. “She’s straight out of Utah,” he slurred, meaningfully. His drinking companion nodded. “She’s having issues with it.” “She wants to marry you?” the bartender asked. The other man laughed, poking fun at…
At a West Oakland warehouse, youth build their own custom bike creations – chopper bikes, tandem bikes, cruiser bikes, and sidecar bikes of various shapes and sizes and colors.
Tuesday was Kiko Hernandez’s 36th birthday. For the occasion, loved ones gathered at his place, showering him with gifts, flowers and balloons. Like many with a late fall/early winter birthday, his birthday celebration coincided with the approach of Christmas, and so a Christmas tree was placed thoughtfully at the center of the collection of gifts. By all indications, Hernadez’s friends and family threw him a wonderful party—and if Hernandez had been alive to see it, he might have told them…
Astronaut Bernard Harris brings his Dream Tour to Oakland to encourage students to excel in math and science.
The line to get into the Department of Motor Vehicles on Claremont Avenue trailed out of the front doors and down the front of the building on Wednesday morning at 9 am. It was sunny but chilly, and people huddled in their coats or rubbed their arms to keep warm. Dolores Jones got in line forty minutes before the DMV opened its doors. She knew it would be a long wait, but was surprised to still be standing outside at…
What’s your dream zine? Check out our interactive feature for ideas from Oakland residents hitting up the zine scene Friday night.
“Can I help you?” asks one of the McDonald’s cashiers. “421!” another employee shouts, calling out an order number. The McDonalds on 46th and Telegraph is a relatively quiet fast-food stop. People come in and out, but very few sit inside to eat. Underneath the McDonald’s large sign it reads, “over 70 billion served,” but the restaurant seems so empty inside. Between 9 and 10 a.m., only ten people walk inside, although the drive-through window has steady traffic. The majority…
The tall man in black sweatpants fidgets as he waits for the bus and talks into his cell phone. His voice is gravelly. “One, two. What it do?” he says, leaning against the pole on which a sign explains what buses come to the intersection of 40th Street and Telegraph Avenue, and at what time. “I just wanted to holler at you for a minute about your boy.” He walks in a circle and leans against the wall of the…