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A walk around the lake

In Oakland.  Not exactly the type of town we would venture into.  Largely because of the cliches and the news about what goes on there.  There are some parts one could wander into and not return or so we thought.  It is true in part.

But today with our offspring off at a competition the Saturday lay before us like a large chasm waiting to be filled.  With something.  So the better half and I decided to loiter in Oakland.  No particular plan but hit a few things we had heard in passing mentions as a must see.

Why not?  So we went to Lake Merritt.  Named for a former surgeon and one time mayor of the City of Oakland circa early 19th century.  He cleaned up what was once a sewer for the city and created a space that now houses a man made lake with drainage to the bay.
Gazebo at the north end of the lake

The circumference we googled was 3.5 miles which was an important metric before deciding to leave the safety of the automobile on one end and venture out for the hike.  But that is what we did.  Partly because we actually found parking.  Right by the lake.  It was a pleasant experience with the weather holding at a balmy 70 degrees.  Here is what I observed -


  • Some scenery around the water's edge is turn of the century (as in the 20th) with old buildings in spanish style motif and decorations, an old courthouse etc. 
    Alameda county courthouse (1934) along the south shore of the lake

  • Some parts of the landscape are dotted with churches - we visited one.  It was called the 'Cathedral of Christ the Light'. 

Inside looking up - Cathedral ceiling and assembly hall

Reflecting with Jesus - view of cathedral and lake
 It is modernistic architecture that resembles a bunch of sails inside and out and also brings in lot of natural light with all the glass paneling on its roof.  Designed by a large architectural firm that also designed the famous high rises in Chicago it was opened in 2008.

Not too busy this Saturday

  • Other parts along the shore contain green spaces and parks for kids to play or birds to poop; gnarled trunks of oak and large eucalyptus to lend fragrance to the air.
  • A couple of boat clubs complete the scenery - one is for sail boat enthusiasts while another offers a dock to get your narrow racing sculls out to water.

After having burned a good amount of calories our journey took us to a food truck by the rail road tracks where we sampled some Chicken Shawarma made by an Egyptian cook with a twist on the original idea.  His had copious quantity of goat cheese and barbequed chicken vs the traditional spicy kind cooked on a spit.
spot the Shawarma - it is in the foil

That dinky generator on the hood cooked our food

That done we drove through some not so scenic parts just to check them out and then headed home - in one (but large) piece (due to the oversize food portion) .
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