Tahd Frentzel Portfolio

I grew up about 20 miles east of Oakland in what was once the small town of Walnut Creek. Growing up there we children heard the horrors of Oakland – crime, poverty, dilapidated buildings, etc… and I, like most of my white suburban fellow-children believed it.

I’d been to the zoo, and I’d been to Fairyland, and truth be told, despite seeing the glamorous museums from the City, the Oakland museum was the first museum I actually enjoyed. But those were my only experiences.

Until I became an adult and discovered that despite some less-than-savory places, Oakland was full of delights. Speaking of savory, it was here that I discovered Ethiopian food, which forever changed my palate and opened the doors to the many wonderful cuisines of the world.

Last week, I decided to take a little jaunt to this city so overlooked and snap a few pictures that shows some of the lesser known pleasures one might find here.

First stop – the Laurel District! Home to a number of cute shops and some amazing restaurant finds! Like the tap house, Degrees Plato Tap Room and Bottle Shop, a gorgeous indoor/outdoor space with a wonderful array of beer selections, a tasty Mexican-inspired food menu, that will satisfy any dietary restrictions, and live events! There’s an old school barbershop (which I considered going into and saying “just a little off the top, please”) that uses parking meters to advertise (love the innovation!) as well as a patisserie, a hardware store, and a number of other restaurants.

Next stop, Merritt College! I’ve long heard the name, driven past it many times, but never took the time to explore the campus. It’s in the hills, with beautiful views, and feels far away from the city life. The Barbara Lee Science & Allied Health Center is a gorgeous modern building, especially dramatic against an overcast September sky.

Onward, and literally upward, I then drove up to the Oakland redwoods to visit Chabot Space & Science Center just to look around. I’ve been here a few times, recently to watch the Trust the Universe: Immersive Dome Show, which was fantastic and forced me to trust the universe, even in these trying times.

While there, I happened to come across a working payphone! I couldn’t believe it when I picked up the receiver and saw that it was still working!

It’s rare you hear anyone talking about the views from the Oakland Hills, but people should. On one of the windy streets off of Skyline, I saw a lone park bench between some houses with an amazing view of Mt. Diablo.

Traveling back down the hill, I hit up Montclair Village, which I often forget is part of Oakland. It’s got some amazing restaurants, like Daughter Thai Kitchen, which is one of my favorite Thai restaurants – the red curry is amazing. I love their inviting entryway:

I also became a fan of the hidden wall gardens you can find strewn about. Perfect for a florist:

And pretty sweet on the side of the Red Oak Realty

Even in the more suburban area of Montclair, you’ll see gorgeous street art:

In Temescal, I parked near the Little Frog Park, which I must admit, kind of melted my heart. It’s so cute that I felt pangs of regret that I never took my son there when he was a wee child. It’s small, but it reminded me why Linus from Peanuts always thought his pumpkin patch would attract the Great Pumpkin: because it was the most “sincere” one. And this micro-park is exactly that. Wooden structures, a General Store, a slide, and even a cute little stream with flowing water.

Finally, I stopped by The Red Sea — the place that opened my mind to the diversity of food, and helped me to realize that the city of Oakland is an amazing wonderland of a little bit of everything, where parking isn’t so difficult, and the people feel authentic (sorry SF!).