AliB

Unless your favorite food is hot chips, this area is not for the foodie. There are more liquor stores, barber shops and nail shops than any "restaurants". You can find beauty supply shops and run down scary "grocery" stores in this neighborhood. If you are lucky you might catch a man pushing an helado cart with some nice ice cream bars. The best thing about this neighborhood is a great independent school on Holly Street. This is a private cultural school for grades pre-k thru 8th. This school is a long standing extension of the Wose church, and adds some life to the neighborhood. There is also a youth development center near this neighborhood, providing classes, tutoring, and activities for east Oakland youth.

I love Lakeshore Ave! It is a really nice street with well kept homes. And the shopping area is the best.
Arizmendi Bakery has the best, best pizzas ever: as well as other baked goodies to rave over. I love the fact that is a co-op as well. There are boutiques, restaurants, markets on this stree (and I'm only thinking of one side of the street!) The other side has a video (well I guess now its DVDs) store, more food and a Trader Joe's (can't get any better!)

102nd ave runs from Bancroft to E. Above E14th the houses are average Oakland style, no frills, fairly quiet. Below E14th to E is a little rougher. At 102nd and E14th is where you can find some of the strangest blend of folks. This is not the cleanest area nor the friendliest.And at an intersection with E14th definitely means cars all day and night.

A gun shot zone in West Oakland, full of drugs and the like. There is a church at the corner of 32nd St. and Linden that used to house a private school in the past. Parking can be a challenge when the church has a special event or during Easter, Christmas, Mother's Day or a funeral. There is a typically nasty liquor/grocery store on the corner of 32nd and Adeline that attracts the local boozers. This part of Adeline is pretty strange as well.

30th street is in the West side of Oakland. I have mixed feelings when I think of this street. One one hand, it was like a trip to a war zone (murders, constant gunfire at night, prostitutes, dog fights, drugs galore, zombies (crackheads)...you name it. On the other hand, I felt the best neighbor connection while here. The day we went to sign our lease, the street was soooo quiet and no one was around. I thought "Oh, they were so wroong". The day we move in was a totally different story. It was the loudest, rowdiest place I had ever been to. This was the story for 5 years. Some times quiet ( I soon realized that when the police were on the hunt or serious turf wars) or pure loudness (fights, music, guns shots, dogs, sirens). Poplar Rec center is very near and has various classses for community members.

63rd street is home to a great and unique Oakland Public school. Peralta Elementary was a year round school when I attended (a long, long time ago). The neighborhood is very family oriented, as the school works with the community. Well kept home with a lot of great Oakland history. Close to the 40 bus line (runs to Berkeley and East Oakland), definitely waking distance to UC Berkeley, BART, the Ashby Flea market, College Ave, Whole Foods and Alta Bates hospital.

61st street is a nice little street that runs from just below Telegraph to near College Ave.
It can get a little loud at times (especially 4th of July and New Years) with gun shots and firecrackers. This neighborhood has calmed down a lot though. There is a nice little neighborhood park in the center of the street. When I was a child, only the residents new of this quiet space. 61st street is lined with single family homes. 61st at Telegraph Ave has a great Ethiopian restaurant. There are still many residents who have been in this neighborhood 30 plus years.

Fruitvale BART station, food galore, cowboy boots, newly renovated library, Fruitvale station...what more can you ask for in a neighborhood. I love this part of East Oakland because of it's rich cultural heritage. 35th Ave run straight down from the Nimitz freeway (580) into the heart of the Fruitvale district. From this drive you will see many average Oakland houses. The whole Fruitvale District section of 35th Ave.is especially nice for those of us who love Mexican, Peruvian, Guatemalan food, street cats with mango, corn, helados (ice cream) or pillows...or balloons. You can also buy frilly lace dresses or ball gowns for little girls (don't know where else in Oakland to buy these)

As an Oakland/Berkeley native, Chinatown has always been a part of my life. 8th street in particular, is one of my favorites. My first introduction to Chinese herbs connected me to this street in particular. My acupuncturist would write prescriptions for me and I would get them filled at Cathay Herbs. After getting my herbs I would always stop by the market a few doors down to see what fresh produce they had outside or to buy my favorite Chinese soaps, candies, dishes...I love to see people walking around with the pink plastic shopping bags. The surrounding area is filled with so much culture. You can buy authentic Chinese herbs, fresh fish, fresh produce, gifts, gold, clothing and cooked food galore (many restaurants). Of course with all of these sight and sounds of living culture, you get a ton of traffic. You have buses from and traveling to Alameda and the rest of Oakland coming through here, tourist, residence and shoppers. It is very difficult to find street parking and many often double park. There are parking lots in the area, but during special events these fill up pretty fast. Bus or BART is a great way to get to this street.

An attempt to make this street sound "nice". Old school Oaklanders know this as East 14th. Jam packed with action and a cultural melting pot. This street runs right through East Oakland and has a bus line right there, to get you to Downtown Oakland, BART and San Leandro. Watch you back though, many a folk have lost their lives on this oh so Oakland street. Gang activity, prostitution, and drugs often find their way into many-a-equations on the East side.

If you like the wild side then E18th is right for you! Traffic: this street runs right into the Lake, so all the late night, just leaving Merritt Bakery party goers on there way into the depths of East Oakland will pass your way. Al;so if you are looking for street pharmaceuticals, again, I think you have found the right spot. On the upside..I love San Antonio Park (walking or biking distance), Lake Merritt and authentic Mexican food on E14th (aka International Blvd ). The bus line is so close, and buses run to BART from here. There are many children in this area, but not really a "child friendly" street.

I grew up on this street as a child, and have always made a point to revisit the street that is so memorable to me. The immediate area is mixed with apartment complexes (nice apartments) and single family homes. I grew up in an apartment atop Mandana, between Grand Ave and Lakeshore.
From this great location, we were close to everything: busses to BART (east access to SF, Berkeley...), Grand Lake Theater, restaurants and eateries (doughnuts, Philly cheese steak, Chinese, ice cream, crapes, German bakery, hot dogs...you name it), a really nice produce market, grocery stores, and of course Lake Merritt!....I feel that the neighborhood is safe and friendly. I haven't lived here in a while, but I was a latchkey kid and I never had any issues traveling by bus and trekking up that great ol' Mandana hill. This is a great area for families, single folk, couples and retirees alike, due to it's close proximity to great culture, "the city", and the Lake.