East Bay
Our pal Al noticed this in some random Berkeley dive.
I'm glad I don't spend any significant time in Berkeley.
If you are sick of San Francisco but don't have a car, why don't you consider traveling to the Oakland and get shitfaced with the friends you never make time to visit? Hoodstock has an big ass lineup of bands, including groups featuring epic band names such as "Uzi Rash," "Shannon and the Clams," and "Bro Montana." Also following the alleycat, which if it takes you up Tunnel Rd. you should punch the promoters in the face, there is a "Bike Trick, Track Stand, and Bike Mechanic Competition." Go have fun getting your ass out of the Mission.
4505 Chicharrones were in full effect.
There was some 'Oakland's Next Top Butcher' action going down. It looked pretty rad but I was already too full to stick around and see who won.
The very best food came from the very un-branded "Farmstands". Each of these tents showcased a different local urban farm paired with a local chef. The rabbit and duck confit were excellent. Side note: In recent months I've come to the conclusion that there is very a notable 'babe factor' in the East Bay urban farming movement.
AKA: The Snooki Special.
Pork was probably the most over represented meat this weekend. Where my bovines at?
There were plenty of people yammering about sustainability/etc. and doing demonstrations. This chicken is about to demonstrate why you should never volunteer to work the Sunday shift at the festival.
Uh, srsly yall?
SHOCKER ALERT: There was no line at the Chipotle tent.
PRO TIP: When fighting through festival sized crowds, use resealable containers to protect you $6 beer investment.
FAKE CELEBRITY SIGHTING OF THE WEEKEND: James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem; not a vegetarian.
This bike has been parked at my office a lot lately. I have no clue what kind of bike it really is [EDIT: mud flap says 'Honda'], but I give the owner mad props for being infinitely cooler than all the middle aged bikers in my building who ride boring ass BMW road bikes and Ducatis.
Are historically all-black bars turning into hipster dives a sign that Oakland is 'fucking over'?The good olde days of 1999 are long gone, Chris Daly's war on Mission gentrification is over--"La Mission" lost and the gentrifying forces of decades past are moving back--and the neighborhood's transition towards Noe Valley is cemented (hell, realtors are already carving up the neighborhood). With rising rents, a fleeing art scene and neighborhood concerns shifting towards public drinking, the same types of bleed-edge cool that made the Mission accessible in the late-80s/early-90s are packing up their bags and settling in all parts of Oakland (this very blog has lost two contributors to Oakland in recent months). Well, according to THE OAKBOOK, Oakland is now experiencing the same gentrification woes that the Mission experienced during the dot-com boom:
[Moving into West Oakland is] a trend that started earlier in parts of North Oakland - young white families or singles moving into neighborhoods that had been predominately black or Latino. Gentrification is usually derided by people who are concerned the old residents are being pushed out of their neighborhoods. The fact that parts of West Oakland are being transformed is particularly striking because the area has been the heart and soul of Oakland’s African American community, historically and culturally.
It also speaks to a citywide trend - the dramatically decreasing African American population. From its peak as 47 percent of the population in 1980, the proportion has dropped to 29.8 percent, according to the U.S. Census American Community Survey in 2006 -08. Between 2000 and 2008, 34,000 African Americans left the city, the largest exodus in Oakland’s history. It would seem that Oakland’s days as a predominately black city, with the attendant influence on politics and culture, are numbered.
That's right, young white people, in search of cheaper rents, better street art and music (I mean, Third Eye Blind vs. E-40 COMEON), are throwing their hands up in the air and moving across the Bay. What does this mean for Oakland and it's African-American population? Well, OAKBOOK is putting together a multi-part series on exactly that, but you're going to have to wait for it (hint: it doesn't look good). In the meantime, what's happening to the Mission? With the cost of living in the Mission going up and the quality of weekends in the neighborhood plummeting (remember the days, like, in 2008, when the bars were not fucking packed all the time?), it's no surprise that there are more fixies in the Richmond and more rocking house parties in West Oakland. Is the Mission a sinking ship (with Dolores Park being our life raft)?
(photo of the Heart and Dagger Saloon beer garden by Paula Wirth)
Admittedly, I don't make it out to Oakland nearly as much as I'd like to, so I have no idea if this mural is "fucking ancient" or not*, but it is still one of the cooler Bay Area murals I've seen lately. If you want to crash your laptop from the stone age, feel free to check out a larger version of this panoramic and click on the original.
* if a mural painted in 2010 could be ancient.
Will Skechers Shape-Ups bring Joe Montana out of retirement?I’ve been noticing a growing trend of women clad in sweat pants and Skechers Shape-Ups around the city and I think that someone needs to say something about it. I probably shouldn’t be writing this post as I’ve been saying that I am going to join a gym for, well, 6 months now. But fuck it. This is why people have blogs amirite? So we can be dicks about stuff without any self reflection? Or maybe that’s just why I blog. In either case, August is a slow bloggin’ month for me and Uptown Almanac has become a focal point of guilt/obligation/obsession because of this. So, I think the only cure for this self-imposed guilt is to take a moment to hash out my growing despise for women in Skechers Shape-Ups!
I didn’t really think about the whole Skechers Shape-Ups phenomena until recently when I was dropping off Zach at some liquor store near our friend Clark’s house a few weeks ago. Approaching 23rd and Mission, it hit us. Is there 4realz a Skechers store in the Mission that’s actually still in business? WTF? Seems like that space should be some sort of Toms mega store where trustafarians can purchase ugly footwear by the bulk, and subsequently feel like a saint becuz every horrible Toms fashion choice is a great choice for humanity! Meaning, every pair of Toms shoes purchased means another pair of Toms shoes for some kid in a developing country. Win win, but I’m really digressing from the point here. Point is, why is there a huge Skechers store in the Mission, and why do women wear Shape-Ups?
I get the idea of being lazy and getting fit at the same time, it’s the American dream! But, isn’t there another way to be lazy and get fit that doesn’t offend my eyes? The other day I was in the gallery that I work in when some lady strolled up in her Shape-Ups, decked out in some sort of ensemble with an elastic waste, acrylic nails, and comically accessorized her work-out fit with A BIG GULP acting like she owwwwned the place. THESE are the people wearing Shape-Ups you guys. I approached her, and in the best Dumb and Dumber impression I could possibly muster I said, “big gulps, huh?” and proceeded to ask her about her Shape Ups. “Are they toning your butt and flattening your abs?” The woman, the unsuspecting victim of my boredom just kinda looked at me, said she had a long day, and turned to leave.
Did I offend her and her Big Gulps? Or was she simply trying to prove a point by walking out with her firm ass in my face. IDK, cuz nothing seemed too firm cept the Big Gulp in her hand. But do Shape-Ups really shape you up? The Huffington Post reports that according to the American Council on Exercise, ‘simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.’ Skechers (and Joe Montana!) disagrees.
Do you have Shape-Ups? Are your eyes offended by Shape-Ups? Do you think that after a year of wearing Shape-Ups, Joe Montana will come out of retirement? Who is buying Skechers in the Mission? If you were going to buy Shape-Ups would you do it in the Mission? If Skechers gave away a free pair of Shape-Ups to kids in developing countries for every pair you purchased would you buy Shape-Ups? Or would that be fucked up because kids in developing countries are already skinny? Want to go get Big Gulps later? Huh?
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