From the Editor

Where Cultures Collide

    People who never venture forth from their own little neighborhoods are missing a ton of culture in Oakland.
    So to spotlight what’s out there for Oaktown homebodies, the editors
of Oakland Magazine hit the streets this issue, trekking to all sections of The Town to find out what makes Oakland so extraordinary in “Cultural Crossroads, 18 Defining Intersections.” Oakland teems with culture, history, personalities and commerce. It’s a bustling crossroads of societal and entrepreneurial diversity, with a character all its own, thanks to populated pockets of historic residential and commercial neighborhoods. The cityscape is an eclectic mix of bungalows, Victorians, artists’ studios, wine bars, taverns, restaurants, boutiques, cultural institutions, open spaces and more.
    The quintessential intersections catalogued here speak to the Oakland-ness of Oakland. Specific neighborhoods and their features—shops, restaurants, architecture, colorful characters—are the guiding forces into the corners of an exciting and vibrant city.
    Know what else makes Oakland vibrant?
    A recent addition to the Oakland skyline, the Cathedral of Christ the Light, the new $190 million soon-to-be home to the East Bay’s 600,000 Catholics. Designed by architect Craig Hartman of San Francisco’s Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the cathedral, one of the most expensive of its kind in modern times, is a gorgeous addition to the shores of Lake Merritt; Keith Gleason writes about its rise and its marvels in “Let There Be Light.”
    And Seventh Street, the once-lively business district that put West Oakland and blues music on the music map. Blues fans, thanks to clever Cal journalism and architecture students who have created an online game, Remembering 7th Street, can take a computerized stroll down Seventh Street, reliving the glory days when B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Aretha Franklin and the like performed at Esther’s Orbit Room and other jumping venues. Patsy K. Eagan leads the virtual tour in her article “West Oakland’s Summertime Blues.”
    And Ishmael Reed, the Oakland-based author, poet and social commentator whose distinct voice adds luster to Oakland. He’s also a blues lover, and in his observations for First Person, he champions the Blues Walk of Fame, a project to memorialize those heady days on Seventh Street. Reed also takes Oakland City Hall to task, praises David Nicolai of the Pardee Home Museum and Susan Hirshen of Festival at the Lake and waxes poetic about his favorite restaurants. In his musings, Read determines there’s plenty of there and here in Oakland. There’s simply no denying that.

Judith M. Gallman
judy@oaklandmagazine.com