Brooklyn-Cool in the East Bay
Oakland has officially emerged from the shadow of San Francisco
No longer the underdog of the Bay Area, Oakland — with its trendy restaurants, exploding art scene and hip DIY underground culture — has officially emerged from the shadow of San Francisco. Recently cited by national media as the go-to city for affordable housing and hip culture, one could say Oakland is the new Brooklyn.
Just as New Yorkers now make their way to their once poorer cousin for innovative experiences in culture, food and art, San Franciscans increasingly head to Oakland to glimpse the new and unique.
The monthly Oakland Art Murmur art walk in the hot Uptown district attracts thousands to a tangle of crowded galleries, swamped food trucks and edgy street performances. For these "First Fridays," as they are known in street parlance, throngs are now crossing the Bay Bridge from west to east.
Oaklandish, a nonprofit apparel company that operates from a storefront near the Art Murmur in the heart of downtown, launched the city's "roots" logo as part of a street art campaign designed to illuminate local history. Now the company is leading the pack toward collaborations between businesses and artists and donating 10 percent of proceeds to local organizations working to strengthen the community.
Oaklandish also sponsors the annual Oakland Innovators Award, a fund for organizations and individuals doing pioneering work in the city in such areas as art, education, technology and business. Showcasing the city's creative intersection of commerce and change, it's just one of many businesses making a contribution to the city's evolution.
The Oaktown phenomenon evolved over the past decade but only just hit its stride recently. For many years, Bay Area artists congregated in San Francisco's SoMa loft district. Skyrocketing rents during the dot-com years, however, drove artists and innovators to Oakland, where commercial properties in West Oakland were already being transformed into artist spaces. Now, in these up-and-coming industrial neighborhoods, hundreds of new urban "farmers" are keeping chickens and growing organic vegetables.
Other O-town neighborhoods have been revitalized by the proliferation of diverse new businesses launching throughout the city. In North Oakland's Temescal district, cuisine from Burma, China, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco and Spain can be found in a three-block radius.
In the Golden Gate district along Oakland's San Pablo corridor, one finds a mix of hipster-cool and the real deal. From cupcake joints to yoga studios to DIY yarn stores and Middle Eastern groceries, this is an area that's just hitting the radar.
Farther south along the Oakland Estuary, Jingletown is a creative community with a large number of working artists living in converted lofts. Nearby Fruitvale is home to Oakland's largest Latino population and the city's original — and still stellar — taco trucks. Jack London Square is a revitalized nighttime drinking destination with pubs and several spots for "locavore" artisan cocktails.
Ironically, Oakland is not only the "new Brooklyn" but the "old Brooklyn" as well. In 1846, over 200 settlers from New York arrived in San Francisco Bay after sailing around South America on board a ship called the Brooklyn. Many settled in the East Bay. For a time, East Oakland was even called Brooklyn Township.
Now it's just called the place to be.
