Goodbye And Thank You!

Thank you for my readers who have been checking in on this blog, I want to formally sign off. It is a bittersweet decision that I have made. Through juggling two different colleges and volunteering work, I came to the conclusion that I will not have the time and patience to continue writing this blog. Therefore I have decided to write this last blog because it would not be fair to my readers if I were to leave without a proper farewell.

It has been a great pleasure updating this blog from day one because I have learned so many new things about myself, writing blogs and the history of the blogs I have posted.

From writing this blog, I learned that I can get very OCD when it comes to perfecting my blog posts. Normally, I am too lazy to proofread my work but now I will not post a blog until it has been perfectly proofread to the best of my ability. I also learned that I have gotten better at expressing my feelings toward a particular love for Oakland in my writing as time passes. Maybe I am getting comfortable with blogging or I have grown as a writer, I hope it is the latter but either way writing blogs have positive benefits.

Recently, every one has been talking about blogs and many people everyday are creating new blogs. With having the ability to create my own blog, I learned that blogs are very time consuming. From writing content to layout designs to publicity, having a blog is difficult to maintain. I give props to bloggers who update their blogs everyday because that shows dedication.

If it were not for researching amazing finds in Oakland, whether they are places to dine, shop, or explore, I have gain a lot of background knowledge on the different topics I have written. For instance, I never knew the history of Mountain View Cemetery until I have searched it up online. Nor did I know about the history of Bakesale Betty! Amazing the things I did not know coming into the blogging world. Now that I know, it will always be imbibed in my mind!

I want to formally apologize to my readers who have been consistently following my blog and I also want to thank you all for visiting. It has been a great pleasure writing this blog and I hope that you will find another blog that is worth your reading.

Farewell,

Terelyn Wong

P.S. Don't Forget About Oakland!

What Do You Know About Bakesale Betty?

Bakesale Betty

Where can you get the best-fried chicken sandwich in Oakland?

Bakesale Betty!

Located in 5098 Telegraph Ave of Oakland’s Temescal neighbor hood, Bakesale Betty is on the corner of Telegraph Avenue and 51^st street. Hours are from 11:30-2 PM depending on when they sell out their famous chicken fried sandwich. With no shop sign or any publicity, anyone can walk or drive right by without noticing the shop. I remember my first time; it took me 3 rounds around the store to actually figure out that I had passed by it all along. Just to give you an idea of what I mean, right below is a picture of the shop.

Front of the Store

Owners, Alision Barakat and her husband Michael Camp opened the shop in 2005. After quitting as a line cook at Chez Panisse, Bakesale Betty launched in 2002 as a bakery stand in Danville famer’s market. This is also the place where she met her husband. Together they managed the bakery stand for 1o years eventually opening the shop together in 2005.

Huffington Post proclaimed Bakesale Betty of having the fifth best chicken sandwich in the United States. With that said, many people from around the world come just to try their famous chicken sandwich.

Therefore, it should not come as a surprise if there is always a line from outside the door to the end of the street everyday. I have been in line myself many times but I assure you that the queue goes by very quickly and is definitely worth the wait. Last summer while I was in line, Alision, who was wearing the famous blue wig, passed out samples of lemonade and cookies to the customers.

Barakat in Her Blue Wig

It was also during her bakery stand when she started wearing the renowned blue wig, which is now the store’s signature logo. Barakat stated, “I wanted to get dressed up go around the market and sell baked goods. I wasn’t thinking of it as a marketing tool or something people would remember.”

Keeping it simple, there are only four items on the menu. The legendary fried chicken sandwich ($8.20), egg salad ($6.84), lemon ice ($2.75), and cookies ($1.25). However, there are actually more baked goods than cookies that are being sold. There are also strawberry short cakes, banana bread, scones, brownies, and lemon bars. If I have to pick my favorite, it would have to be the strawberry short cakes, its genuinely delicious!

Menu

I could devour the fried chicken sandwich in seconds if it weren’t for it being so big. The fried chicken is stuffed in an Acme torpedo roll with a great amount of coleslaw topped with jalapenos. Every time I get my hands on this sandwich, it does not disappoint. The chicken is crispy yet soft and juicy in the inside while the jalapeno plus coleslaw adds a little spicy kick to every bite. After half an sandwich, I am content so after a whole sandwich, I am always in some sort of a food coma.

I cannot wait till you get to try Bakesale Betty and tell me what you think about their famous fried chicken sandwich! Or if you find any of the other deserts beside strawberry shortcake that is amazing and think I would like, please leave me a comment!

What Do You Know About Oakland Art Murmur?

Oakland Art Murmur

On November 2, my friend and I went to our first Oakland Art Murmur. Also know as “First Friday” because it only happens the first Friday of each month.  The art walk is located at the intersection of 19^th avenue and Telegraph Avenue from 6 PM to 9 PM. Even though the event begins at 6 PM, the place gets crowded at around 8 and many people usually stay longer till around 11 PM.

Artist Mobilus

What started as a simple gallery walk in 2006 between a couple of galleries turned out to include 21 galleries, 9 mixed-use venues, street performances, food trucks, and many art related attractions. As of 2012, First Friday attracts as many as 20,000 people from around the bay area to downtown Oakland.

The mission of the Oakland Art murmur is to support and showcase art and cultural venues in Oakland. Considering the popularity of First Friday, I believe that the mission has been accomplished.

Map of Oakland Art Murmur

With so many people gathering downtown, it makes parking hard to find but definitely not impossible. Another option is by taking Bart to the East Bay and getting off on 19^th and Broadway. Since my friend and I were driving, we knew that we would have to park further away from the event so we bought our scooters. Since it was our first time, we expected the event to be two to three blocks. Instead, it turned out to be 8 blocks of amazing art attractions.

Exactly 8 blocks, the police blocked off intersections from 19^th avenue to 27^th avenue. At the intersection of 19^th and 27^th, there were a lot of police directing traffic and patrolling the streets. Always paired in doubles, police were everywhere, almost in every block. During my visit, it was safe to say that the area was well protected in case a riot breaks out.

Art Mobilus

There were so many attractions two weeks ago. There were about 20 different food trucks, an artist mobile, people on the streets dancing, bands playing, etc. The most intriguing performance I saw that night was an outdoor comedy club. I was not expecting it to be funny at all but the jokes blew me away. I wish I could remember some of the jokes but I cannot. However I do remember that I was laughing so hard that my knees were hurting because I was slapping it too hard.

Favorite Painting of the Night

First Friday offers so much more than just art. It brings diversity and a vibrant atmosphere to Oakland. It is an inexpensive Friday night activity that any one, young and old, can go to. My night there was fantastic and I am definitely going to bring my friends here when they are back from College in January!

P.S. Next First Friday is on December 7^th! Come and bring your friends!

What Do You Know About Mountain View Cemetery Part II?

Panoramic View 

Besides just visiting tombstones and monuments, many people like to visit Mountain View Cemetery to enjoy or relax. Mountain view cemetery is really not one of those scary looking cemetery that is flat and creepy, instead it is a 226-acre land filled with twisting pathways, winding roads, roundabouts, fountains, bridges and fertile hills that go on for miles.

View of the City

With many of these components, minus traffic lights and cops, make for a real-world driving situation. This is a very popular area where many of my friends come to practice their driving skills. My father actually took me on my second ride here after I got my first driving lesson from my licensed instructor. At the cemetery, I did not have to worry about making close contact with other vehicles; all I did was practice and concentrate on how to maneuver the car. 

One can do a lot of things on a sunny afternoon than to visit the dead at Mountain View Cemetery. Whenever I go, I find people cruising in their cars, jogging, walking their dog, basking in the sun, hanging out, picnicking, going on dates, and checking out the panoramic view of the bay.

Golden Lotus Mountain

My friends and I are quite the visitors at this cemetery. I would like to say that we know of many places to hang out in the cemetery but we cannot because this cemetery is always expanding and renovating. Just a couple years ago, the cemetery sectioned off a place to build the area called “golden lotus mountain”.

My friends and I like to call it the “cubicles” because this area is filled with multiple walls connecting that look like cubes. We like to sunbathe behind the cubicles and just hang out. We also like to sit on top of the cubicles while overlooking the horizon with the view of the bay. Sometimes I find myself sitting alone doing my homework while sipping on some Starbuck’s coffee. There is not a limit to what we can do at the cemetery except of course keeping everything we do legal.

Friends At Golden Lotus Mountain

Sometimes that is not even the case. Since this place is such a frequent hang out spot, every student in my high school know a lot about this place. Like how to sneak in, where to hang out, and what area has the best view. I know it is wrong but since the gate closes at 7 P.M., which is really early especially over the summer, people tend to climb over the walls that surround the cemetery in the residential area and sneak inside. People just want a glimpse of the sunsetting over the bay area.

Mountain View Cemetery is one of a kind and contains many memories I have made in the last couple of years, especially when I was in high school. There is so much to do here, alone or with friends and family, so that no one can really get tired of it. Pictures that I have posted on here do not make this place justice; you must come to this cemetery and experience it for yourself.

P.S. In case you forgot, here's the address.....again (5000 Piedmont Ave Oakland, CA 94611)