19th St, Downtown

This is the section of Oakland people head out to to take care of business. And I don’t just mean the kind that brings in money--I also mean the kind where you throw back a few and unwind some of the stresses of the week.

I worked down here at a temp agency for awhile and sometimes after work we’d head down to the Bar Three Five Five, which is a cool divey sort of hipster bar with a classic saloon look to it; or to the 19th Street Station, a slightly more business class bar. There are also a ton of little hole in the wall eateries and stores around here that feed off the local businesses.

19th Street is pretty ugly and not the sort of place that you want to loiter after dark unless you are looking for trouble. But it is also a very active stretch filled with high rises. You could literally work in a building for years without meeting or even seeing half the people in your building.

Part of what makes this a popular location for businesses and organizations is that it is right by the 19th Street BART station, which makes it easy for commuters from as far away as Pittsburg and Daly City to pop over without worrying about facing rush hour traffic. Driving is also not convenient here because of the parking situation--basically you have to pay for parking, and though not as expensive as SF, is still pretty expensive.

They other nice thing about this stretch of 19th Street is that though not in the Lakeside neighborhood it is still within walking distance of the Merritt Lake and the nearby park, a good spot for a walk or for lunch during the day.

The weather is fairly cool and there is a lot of activity, but there are also a fair number of homeless folks around. It is the big city, and if you aren’t used to it and can be a little intimidating.

And in case you think that it is all suits here, this is also the home of Oaksterdam University, whose central topic of research is cannabis. This is basically one of those streets where you feel the pulse and flow of commerce of all kinds.

I wouldn’t want to live around here, but I definitely miss working in a place like this.