Please change your links and feeds to theDTO.com

As you may have noticed, the DTO is no longer hosted at wordpress.com. Please update your links and feeds to thedto.com. Thanks! You can contact me with any questions at dto (at) thedto (dot) com

 

thedto.com has moved

After more than two years at wordpress.com, the DTO blog has moved to a unique host. Please check thedto.com for the latest on Oakland’s most happening ‘hood, downtown Oaktown.

 

Hidden openings in the DTO

In journalism, it’s called burying the lede. In dialogue, it’s an aside. This week, the juiciest information about openings in downtown Oakland came from a careful reading of an article and a blog. In a wide-ranging interview with Bakesale Betty herself, the Trib’s Dave Newhouse reveals the opening date of Uptown’s new Bakesale Betty’s bakery: in September! Meanwhile, an SF Weekly blog about Souley Vegan’s prepared dishes at the Grand Lake Farmers’ Market mentions that the vegan soul food cook hopes to reopen a downtown location this summer, at 3rd and Broadway.

There’s hidden information, and then there’s rumor and innuendo, which I suppose is a form of information. From the rumor mill, an Uptown steakhouse, and new dance club or two, and an Old Oakland take on hip Japanese cuisine are said to be in the works. Frozen yogurt is now being served in City Center, providing another place to get a sweet treat. With the Parkway perhaps getting a lifeline, it seems like anything is possible. Except perhaps a reopened Kaiser Auditorium.

Today, the Washington Inn continues its Friday night comedy series in Old Oakland; Mike Moto headlines. Jack London Square continues its nighttime dance lessons under the stars with American Tango. And Oaklandish is bringing back its Salsa by the Lake event this Sunday, though in Splash Pad Park to avoid Measure DD construction.

Finally, Mignonne Decor closes the doors on three charming years in Old Oakland with a sale today and tomorrow on vintage housewares and furniture. Though the store is, if anything, moving up in the world (it will soon find itself in West Berkeley’s furniture district), Old Oaklanders are disappointed that four gifts and clothing boutiques have closed in less than a year. But with some exciting things in the works for Uptown and other parts of the DTO, we hopefully won’t have to wait long for a new place to patronize! Sadly, though, we won’t read about it on OaklandGoods.

 

What’s going down, downtown

It’s happening downtown, from waterfront events to new construction, to good decisions and bad decisions from City Hall.

Jack London Square, its first round of new construction almost complete, is set the liven up summer with a series of special events. Thursdays Palm Tree Plaza at the foot of Broadway will show nautically-themed films, with The OakBook hosting a trivia contest. Fridays the Linden Street Studio will teach dance classes (today is the waltz) under the stars, and restaurants are offering prix-fixe dinners. A hanging tile mural is being installed on the new Amtrak parking garage. And more opportunities are arising for the future: east of the square, the former Zazoo’s is for sale. It appears to be a $3.2m tear-down, potentially zoned for up to 120 residences, and no height limit.

It’s not all roses, though, for downtown’s waterfront: The Island reports the Port of Oakland is considering ending ferry service at Jack London Square. I find this very unlikely, since it would entail ending the Alameda Ferry as well, while the Water Emergency Transit Authority is attempting to expand ferry ridership and infrastructure.

On Wednesday the Planning Commission approved plans to renovate the former Sweet Jimmie’s on San Pablo and 17th, on the edge of Uptown near Old Oakland. The operator of SF’s Independent will create a smaller venue, a restaurant, and two clothing boutiques, and gussy up the façade. The building hosted Dave Chappelle’s surprise performance last month. Meanwhile, with no public hearings needed, nearby @17th is set to be the new location of the Bench and Bar.

Less awesome for downtown was the Planning Commission’s decision to grant The Shorenstein Corporation five years to resume construction on 601 12 St, which is now a gigantic hole. The lot is half a block from the partially shrink-wrapped CityWalk site. Old Oakland could endure nine years of construction as result of that decision, mitigated only by $50,000 worth of murals on a fence.

City Hall may be closed today, but there is good policy news as well. As the reader may know, on May 5 pedestrian advocates and downtown residents persuaded the City Council to use a prominent Uptown lot for public art instead of car parking. The approved motion, introduced by Councilmember Ignacio de la Fuente, directed Cultural Arts to incorporate the lot into its Uptown arts budget, but allowed the parking plan to move forward in two weeks if City Administrator Dan Lindheim determined an arts use is infeasible. It’s been two weeks, and Cultural Arts has presented several options to Mr. Lindheim, which have not been declared infeasible. So Uptown will not take a step backwards by reverting a prominent Telegraph Avenue lot, however temporarily, to car parking. Whatever Cultural Arts does with the lot, I’m confident it will enrich the neighborhood, complement the streetscape, and perhaps even give Playa-haters a chance to see large-scale sculpture. Uptown Unveiled debuts in June.

 

A few things to read about downtown Oaktown

In case you missed them.

Mignonne, an Old Oakland boutique featuring vintage and French housewares, furniture, and gifts, is moving to West Berkeley. This weekend the shop holds a moving sale, at 10th and Jefferson across from Lafayette Square Park. Other shopping opportunities include a new gallery in Uptown, and 17th St has been on the upswing this year. A recent business article reports that Oakland’s retail vacancy rate is much lower than the national average. Of course, it’s hard to subtract from zero.

Much was made of an empty Uptown lot where pedestrian advocates successfully delayed a plan to build a parking lot. The alternative, integrating the lot into the Uptown Unveiled public-art program, must be ruled feasible by Tuesday for it to proceed. Meanwhile, here in Old Oakland we have our own empty lot, the site of a high-rise office tower known as 601 City Center. Unlike the Uptown lot, construction started and then stalled, leaving a huge hole in the ground. But Oakland and the developer, Shorenstein, have agreed to, among other things, create a “a public art program to increase the attractiveness of the security fencing.” Funny that just a few weeks ago city staff argued that decorating construction fences with art is unattractive!

The East Bay Express reviews Pican, which, alongside Ozumo, is fast-becoming a premiere destination for its California-meets-Atlanta cuisine, epansive bourbon selection, and warmly handsome interior decor. The Coco Times reviews Banyan 14, while Becks reviews nice outdoor spots downtown for this beautiful weather.

An SFer posted a sweet blog about how much he (or she) likes working in the DTO, which to him feels like a secret. One reason we’re not seeing new highrises like 601 City Center or 1100 Broadway being built is that, despite the low vacancy rate, there aren’t new tenants moving into the market (and a source reports that Kaiser is consolidating at lot of its operations to Pleasanton). But big block of space was just leased: a “neutral” office for BART to conduct its negotations with its union.

 

DTO Reading File: It’s all good news

On this second Friday of the month, sunny downtown Oakland may not be hosting a big art walk or a restaurant opening, but there is much to read about the DTO on this beautiful day.

Dashe and JC Cellars, local urban wineries, are profiled in AppellationAmerica.com. Taste their wines at their shared warehouse, or at next week’s Oakland Indie Awards.

Bloggers, contributors, commenters and readers enjoyed meeting each other at one of Uptown’s hottest spots last week. Read Zennie’s take on the party, and the neighborhood.

A Chronicle food critic blogs that “it’s happening in Oakland,” about the recent spate of high-quality restaurant openings. Four of his favorites are downtown. OaklandGoods visits a new favorite, Pican, and an old favorite, the Paramount Movie Classics.

Many activists are quite pleased that the City Council gave public art a crack at using a prominent Uptown lot instead of car parking. Stay up to date on the two-week process by keeping an eye on the blogs.

Walk Oakland Bike Oakland posts the progress on Lake Merritt improvements as reported by Councilmember Pat Kernighan. Now that the rainy season is ending, the long-promised paths and bike lanes around our crown jewel are ready to be poured!

The Chronicle profiles Anthony Holdsworth, chronicler of a changing downtown in pastel. See his triptych of 14th and Broadway in the lobby of Oakland’s City Administration Building, 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Nice to know, the reader may think, but what am I doing tonight? Three downtown events stand out tonight, Friday May 8. The Franklin Square Wine Bar is hosting one-dollar tasting flights of Italian wines on their lovely plaza. With two weeks until their cabaret license may be suspended, tonight at Oasis may be a last chance to dance to reggae, dancehall, and techno. And at Café Van Kleef tonight, West Oakland horns-driven outfit Damon and the Heathens will perform danceable funk with plenty of local references. But with Uptown, Old Oakland and Chinatown all offering a variety of walkable dining and entertainment options, it’s easy to come downtown without a plan! See you on the sidewalk.

 

First Friday, first Saturday

Though April’s bucolic weather turned out to be just a tease of summer, the Oakland Museum kicks off spring in the DTO with their annual California Wildflower Show, this weekend. For those willing to brave the drizzle, today offers First Friday events, in addition to the nationally-lauded Art Murmur. From Uptown art posters to a new Saturday brunch spot, here’s what you need to plan your downtown night and day.

Poster Art Party at the Den

Oakland’s newest and prettiest music venue is hosting an exhibit of contemporary concert posters by artists Lil’ Tuffy and Jason Munn, who have designed posters for The White Stripes, Thievery Corporation, and Beck, among others.

1807 Telegraph Ave, all evening.

RAW in Uptown

The Uptown Apartments’ unfinished retail space once again hosts an art exhibit and mixer for First Friday, featuring seven artists, primarily working on paper.

1951 Telegraph, 6 – 9p

HOME at Fiveten Studio

Six local artists explore the concept of “home” in different media.

831 Broadway, 6p – 9p

Notorious at the Paramount

Oakland’s other Art Deco jewel presents Alfred Hitchock’s Notorious. A classic movie in a beautiful venue for only $5, and the theater opens early for cocktails at the two bars.

2025 Broadway, doors at 7p, movie at 8p

Filmnight 1.0 at Swarm Gallery

A collaboration with Mills College, Swarm Gallery presents “the first in a series of monthly screenings of experimental, documentary, short, feature-lenth and animated film, video and all formats in between, curated by filmmakers and film enthusiasts from the Bay Area and beyond.” Tonight’s offerings include digital media by Amanda Bailey, Brian Caraway, Stephanie Cooper, Loke Davis, Grace Rosario Perkins, Steuart Pittman, Annie Vought, Doug Williams and Andrew Witrak.

560 2nd St (at Clay), 7:30p

Dancing Under the Stars at Jack London Square

Jack London Square kicks of its summer programming of outdoor dancing led by an instructor from the Linden Street Dance Studio. Tonight will feature salsa dancing, and prix fixe menus at Cocina Poblana, Miss Pearl’s Jam House, Scott’s Seafood, Il Pescatore,  Kincaids, and Hahn’s Hibachi.

8:30p, bottom of Broadway (by the palm tree forest)

Saturday Brunch at La B

La Borinquena Mexicatessen debuts its brunch menu in celebration of “America’s Cinco de Mayo holiday,” in the words of Tina Tamale. Mimosas, sangria, cerveza, huevos, botanas and the full menu (tamales!) will be served in the generously-defined morning, with a mariachi trio performing at noon.

La Borinquena, 582 7th St at Jefferson, 10a to 3p Saturday May 2

 

This week, downtown

Though doom and gloom surround the economy on many fronts, downtown Oakland is only getting more happening. But it’s not all new ventures. A traveler to Downtown Oakland this week sees new businesses, but also transformed businesses, rescued businesses and long-lived businesses.

As I mentioned in an update to last week’s blog, Bakesale Betty has received all necessary permits and is building their new bakery in Uptown, which will hopefully open this summer. Also under construction are two spots in Old Oakland near City Center – a wine bar and a sushi restaurant, both on Clay near 11th St. Though it’s true that Old Oakland’s designer denim boutique closed after two years in business, nearby retailers Verse, Mignonne, and Fiveten Studio are still going strong. Check out Mignonne’s mailing list for their Saturday sales and vintage trunk shows.

One of downtown’s two (or three) completed but empty condo developments opens this evening with a party featuring Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown and wannabe Mayor Don Perata. I’m sure Jean Quan will be there too, though Robert Bobb is probably tied up in Detroit. The Ellington is a 134-unit high-rise near Jack London Square. Meanwhile, Old Oakland’s Dwell, built by now bankrupt AF Evans, has received multiple offers and a new owner is expected to be announced soon. I understand that the Jackson St project with construction defects has been renovated, but if anyone knows what’s going there, please let us know.

The former Maxwell’s Restaurant and Lounge on 13th St is now Maxwell’s Soundstage, thanks to new operator Dwayne Wiggins of Toni Tone Tony and Alicia Keyes fame. He also operated the coffeeshop in the Alice Arts Center until it closed in 2007. Look for respected singers to draw a sophisticated urban crowd, though so far there’s only been one show. Maxwell’s is near another soon to open club in the area southeast of Broadway. Perhaps other districts are starting to eclipse Uptown’s light; a local architect makes an argument for Jack London Square in a design interview.

On Sunday, the Museum of Children’s Art, a wonderful children’s art center in Old Oakland, celebrates its 20th birthday! From noon to five pm on April 26th children and their parents can enjoy refreshments, entertainment, and hands-on arts and crafts including miniature golf! Year-long memberships will be available at an anniversary discount, too. In addition to retailers, nightlife, and urban housing, there are some great resources for kids in the DTO as well. MOChA is at 538 9th St in the Swan’s Market courtyard.

 It’s a week of things to get excited about in the DTO, though the city may screw that all up with an Uptown parking lot right in the middle of Telegraph! Check out ABO for the details, and enjoy your downtown weekend!

 

The DTO steps up its game

Wednesday night, the Oakland Planning Commission passed an updated zoning law for downtown Oakland, after more than a year of discussion and debate. The new law aims to spur more development and business success in the center of the East Bay, while respecting neighborhood character and promoting public transit use. While a few dozen people debated downtown’s future, a block away a few thousand people were experiencing downtown’s present. And it’s pretty cool.

At least six spots are set to open in the coming months: a wine bar near City Center, the reopening of Umi Toshi on Clay in Old Oakland, Mimosa Champagne Bar in the ever-expanding Uptown district, Farley’s East coffeeshop and ERA dance club on Grand near Broadway, and Geisha dance club on 14th St in SOBO (UPDATE: Councilmember Kaplan reports that Bakesale Betty has received permits and is under construction). This bounty of entertainment retail is shared with other neighborhoods as well, but downtown is beginning to take its place as the rightful star of Oakland’s show.

Jack London Square, in the midst of an enormous expansion, is turning up the heat this weekend, with a boat show and the announcement of a series of Friday night outdoor dance classes starting on May 1, led by Linden Street Dance Studio. Next week, the Ellington, a high-rise condo building that fell victim to its developer’s bankruptcy, will reopen under new ownership for sales. And speaking of foreclosed but completed condominium complexes, Dwell in Old Oakland is expected to be sold to a capable real estate firm very soon.

This week, all week, Uptown was thronged with crowds attending multiple concerts at the Fox, the Uptown, and the Paramount, as well as simply enjoying the revitalized neighborhood. I stopped by AVE and Flora with a visiting relative on Tuesday evening, and both were packed with folks that did not look like they were here for Green Day. It is hard to remember that only two years ago the entire district was vacant. Despite all this obvious success, KALW is going to have a radio show discussing whether or not the 10k program was a good thing. Seems like old habits die hard.

 

First Friday highlights – April 2009

This evening is of course First Friday, an art-oriented day popularized by the Art Murmur galleries around 23rd and Telegraph. Besides other Oakland neighborhoods muscling in on the action, tonight’s First Friday includes downtown art exhibits outside of the immediate area around Mama Buzz. Those include:

Swarm Gallery 3rd Anniversary

It’s the third anniversary of arguably Oakland’s most professional art gallery, an Indie Award winner in 2007. The exhibition features John Casey’s pen and ink drawings, a politically-oriented group show called Regime Change, and faux-naive pipe-cleaner sculptures by Don Porcella in the conceptual space. April 3, 6-9p, 560 2nd St, with live music. Exhibit closes May 10.

Hive Space Gallery: Paper Works

The Hive is an innovative experiment in providing high-quality studio space in the Oakland’s competitive real estate market (as opposed to the less-competitive industrial real estate market). Tonight, a dozen artists who use the studios present works on paper, appropriately titled Paper Works. April 3, 6-9p, 301 Jefferson St. Exhibit closes April 15, gallery open only by appointment.

Uptown art presentation

The Uptown Apartments, having spurred much of its neighborhood’s revitalization even before its construction was complete, is helping emphasize Uptown’s cultural scene by hosting a temporary art exhibit and party in its retail space. Catering by Yoshi’s, including free food and drinks. 1951 Telegraph Avenue.

Enjoy your First Friday in the DTO!