East Bay Realty Pro Blog

A couple of days ago, I was taking exterior photos of an upcoming listing when two dog-walkers passed. I had a laugh – hope you do, too.

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In the midst of the urban space we call Oakland, runs a creek that covers over 2600 acres, emerging from the Oakland Hills and meandering through the city. About 80,000 folks live in the Sausal Creek Watershed area along with a myriad of birds, animals and plants. There are believed to be over 250 plant, [...]

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There are so many things to see and do in the East Bay. Years ago, my wife, Sonia, started a list of “must do’s.” Eventually, she expanded it into what is now the Neighborhood Connections page on my Web site, East Bay Realty Pro.
The page not only contains lists (and links) to fun places throughout [...]

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With the weather being so wonderful, it is a great time to take advantage of Oakland’s free walking tours before they end for the season. Running from May through October, there are eight itineraries. A few examples are “Old Oakland,” “City Center,” “Uptown to the Lake,” and “Waterfront.”
Check the full schedule at the City of [...]

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I had a double reason to visit Oakland’s Montclair Farmers’ Market this morning.
Started in 2005, the market has been a huge success. A large section of LaSalle Avenue is closed to traffic and filled with vendors whose stalls are brimming with gorgeous fruits, vegetables, pastries, ethnic foods and so much more.
The primary reason for my [...]

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Sometimes it’s difficult to make social appointments when you work in real estate. My wife and I were planning to join this morning’s tour of Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery, “Noted, Notable and Notorious,” but work intervened. It may seem strange to some to go traipsing among the tombstones, but think about it as a place [...]

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Oakland is too often maligned for its high crime, when, in fact, it has much less crime than many other cities.
I stay informed about what is happening in the area by using the Oakland Police Department’s “CrimeView Community Incident Map.” This is a really cool web site that allows anyone to search for various reported [...]

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My Sunday day off was all planned in my mind: watch the last two NCAA basketball games before the Final Four and spend the rest of the day spiffing up our garden. So, when my wife, Sonia, asked if I would like to join her and a friend on a hike in Joaquin Miller Park, [...]

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Yesterday, my wife and I had a great time at the first annual “Oktoberfest in the Dimond.” By the look of the crowd, it was a major success.

MacArthur Blvd., between Fruitvale and Dimond Avenue, was closed off to traffic and turned over to the festivities. Two stages presenting musical entertainment were set up at either [...]

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In 1850, California was the 31st state admitted to the Union. The following year Oakland’s first post office opened. It was located in the Oakland House on Broadway, Oakland’s first hotel. Mail was addressed to “Contra Costa” until 1855, when the name Oakland was accepted by postal authorities. For earliest photo of Broadway, taken in [...]

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