Enter Alameda: A mere 2-3 minute ride through the Webster Tube reveals a world apart. Known for its safety, tranquility, and welcoming atmosphere, Alameda has emerged as the new go-to for Asian cuisine enthusiasts. The city's commitment to community policing and an engaged, tight-knit community feel have made it a safer and more attractive option for families, food lovers, and visitors from across the Bay Area.
Emerging from the Webster Tube, visitors are greeted by an environment that celebrates diversity and community, marking Alameda as a compelling destination for those seeking the rich flavors and cultural experiences once found in Oakland's Chinatown. In this new hub, the promise of safety combines with a rich array of dining options, drawing those eager to explore without concern.
Alameda's culinary scene is a vibrant testament to the richness of Asian cuisine, offering a diverse journey beyond the familiar. With over 19 Chinese and 17 Japanese restaurants at its core, the city presents an expansive menu that spans from the complex flavors of Burmese and Cambodian dishes to the delicate harmony found in Vietnamese, Korean, and Thai cuisines. The presence of specialty Boba shops, along with establishments serving Laotian, Indian, and even Hawaiian flavors, underscores a thriving interest in both traditional and modern Asian culinary practices. Alameda's food landscape is further enriched by various Asian fusion restaurants, where traditional flavors are reimagined with contemporary techniques, inviting diners into unique gastronomic experiences. This blend of authenticity and innovation, coupled with the city's commitment to safety and community, positions Alameda as a true celebration of Asian culinary diversity and a magnet for food enthusiasts across the Bay Area.
Within Alameda's rich culinary landscape, several restaurants stand as beacons of Asian cuisine, each offering distinct flavors and experiences. Burma Superstar immerses diners in the world of Burmese cuisine, with dishes that skillfully blend spice and umami for a memorable taste experience. For those drawn to the communal joys of Korean dining, Ohgane KBBQ x Vons Chicken provides an authentic Korean BBQ and crispy fried chicken experience that's hard to forget. Sidestreet Pho, meanwhile, captures the essence of Vietnamese cuisine with its aromatic broths and fresh ingredients, offering an authentic slice of Vietnam.
In the realm of Chinese cuisine, Wild Ginger presents a diverse menu that spans the spicy flavors of Sichuan to the delicate touches of Cantonese dishes, catering to a wide range of palates. East Ocean Seafood Restaurant, known for its dim sum, stands out as a popular destination for a mixed audience, providing a lively setting perfect for those new to dim sum or looking for a familiar taste. Conversely, establishments like Chef's Wok and Pacific Lighthouse tend to attract more Asian clientele, offering traditional dishes that resonate deeply with those seeking the authentic flavors of their heritage. This diversity in dining options underscores Alameda's status as a vibrant hub for Asian culinary exploration, appealing to both adventurous foodies and those seeking the comfort of traditional Asian dishes.
Alameda's emergence as the "new" Oakland Chinatown signifies a shift towards inclusivity and diversity in the culinary scene. It stands as a testament to the Bay Area's evolving demographics and changing tastes, making it a true haven for food enthusiasts and a beacon of cultural celebration. In essence, Alameda embodies the spirit of Oakland's Chinatown, with a modern twist that makes it uniquely its own.
Name ▲▼ | Cuisine ▲▼ | Address ▲▼ | Highlight Review ▲▼ |
---|---|---|---|
Burma Superstar | Burmese | 1345 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “I feel so lucky to live near a Burma Superstar.” |
Ohgane KBBQ x Vons Chicken | Korean | 2211 S Shore Ctr Ste 160 Alameda, CA 94501 | “I think it's safe to say it's my favorite KBBQ spot now.” |
Bowl’d BBQ Alameda | Korean | 2201D S Shore Center Dr Alameda, CA 94501 | “they all felt authentically Korean.” |
Sidestreet Pho | Vietnamese | 2304 Encinal Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “The food was flavorful and as close to authentic as you can get without it coming out spicy.” |
Wild Ginger | Chinese | 1239 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “We stumbled upon Wild Ginger from an Instagram video saying they had the best noodles in the bay, and it was honestly true.” |
Tasty Point | Chinese Fusion | 2412 Santa Clara Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “large portion and yummy hot pot with mix of meat, veggies, ramen, egg, etc.” |
WAKI Japanese Cuisine | Japanese | 1403 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “I would like to take a minute to congratulate the staff for taking the time to understand how to produce the food of another culture. “ |
Bhan Mae Vane | Laotian | 1511 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Our mouths were watering from simply reading the menu.” |
The Noodle Lover Club | Asian | 1700 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Fantastic find in Alameda! The food was amazing. The service was great. The ambience is comfortable and chill.” |
SAGA Kitchen | Asian | 1707 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “SAGA Kitchen is a pan-Asian food hall in East Bay that serves delicious Japanese and Chinese cuisine including sushi, ramen, udon, and dim sum.” |
Phnom Penh House | Cambodian | 1514 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “This is a family owned restaurant and that is the exact vibe you are going to get when you eat here. They serve delicious authentic south east asian food.” |
Yojimbo | Japanese | 1221 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Despite shrinkflation and rising cost of goods nearly everywhere you look, there is one thing that hasn't changed: the chicken teriyaki bento box here is still the biggest plate of food I've ever seen in the Bay Area.” |
Kowloon Station 1 | Chinese | 1708 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Honestly, I thought it was a Chinese restaurant. But one look at the menu combos will tell you, this place offers healthy options with asian inspired flavors.” |
Monkey Thai Restaurant & Bar | Thai | 2210 S Shore Ctr Unit H Alameda, CA 94501 and 1930 Main St, Alameda, CA 94501 | “Wow! This is one of the best Thai restaurants in the Bay Area.” |
Pho Nation | Vietnamese | 1511 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “So it's Pho Nation pho the win! ...Sorry couldn't resist.” |
Lao and Sushi Bistro | Laotian | 1305 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “I have tried to bring everyone I know here and come as often as I can because the food here is SO GOOD!” |
Monkey King Pub & Grub | Asian Fusion | 1315 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 and 1708 Park St, Alameda, CA 94501 | “f you want to watch a game, and get down with food and drink this is the spot for you! The space has many chairs and tables set-up for large groups and couples. There are tables are outside! Wonderful place! Families welcomed!” |
Hang Ten Boiler Alameda | Vietnamese Fusion | 2315 Santa Clara Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Asian Fusion and Cajun Boil at its finest! Since this establishment opened its doors in this little island town, it has provided many Alamedans and East Bay foodies a spot to satisfy their cravings.” |
Hashi Gawa | Japanese | 2661 Blanding Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “This place is a good lesson in not judging a book by its cover/a restaurant by it's location in a strip mall peppered with chains like Wingstop or Round Table.” |
Utzutzu | Japanese | 1428 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “I have to say that I truly appreciate the level of care and the service provided. Every dish was really tasty and prepared in presented in an elegant and artful manner.” |
May Thai Kitchen | Thai | 1319 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “I had called weeks in advance, arranged our reservation date/time with "PP" the chef and she was extra amazing. Additionally she listened to all my requests for family style kind of setting.” |
EOS Sushi | Japanese | 1711 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Everything felt like it was slightly elevated from your typical sushi restaurant, while still being comfortable for families.” |
Roll & Bowl | Asian | 2302 Encinal Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “We ordered Beef Bone Marrow Soup and Spicy Beef Bone Marrow Soup. Both are so delicious! Very rich and big portions. My husband is not a big fan of noodle soup, but he finished everything. Good service too. We will be back.” |
Poke Salad | Poke | 2680 5th St Alameda, CA 94501 | “As many many reviewers have mentioned, Poke Salad is an incredible value. While the amount of protein probably matches the amount of that at Poke Koma, Poke Salad is extremely generous with all its toppings.” |
KoKoLo Donburi & Grill | Japanese | 1518 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “The food is dependably good and the ambiance is relaxing. Whomever's playlist was audibly drip, drip, dripping through the inconspicuously black, mesh grill of the speakerboxx has great taste.” |
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant | Chinese | 1713 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “I don't get around these neck of the woods too often, but maybe I really should. A Chinese buddy treated us to lunch here, and man, it was so so good.” |
India Palace | Indian | 737 Buena Vista Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “India Palace is like a warm hug. After such a rainy/cold winter, it has been such a great find!” |
Rang Dong Restaurant | Vietnamese | 660 Central Ave Ste C Alameda, CA 94501 | “I've gone here many many times throughout the past 3 years and this is my absolute favorite pho spot on the island!” |
Honolulu BBQ | Hawaiian | 845 Marina Village Pkwy Alameda, CA 94501 | “We will definitely come back here for more large platter needs!” |
Ramen Hiroshi - Alameda | Japanese | 1241 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “It's always a great time for Ramen in Alameda...and delicious ramen at that!” |
Mandro | Chinese | 1321 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “We love their Bingsoo and Mochi/Grass jelly bowls! Service is great too. Sitting area is very clean!” |
Koja Kitchen | Korean | 2680 5th St Ste D Alameda, CA 94501 | “Koja Kitchen is comfort food done right!” |
Toomie's By Thai Golden Rice | Thai | 1433 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “My favorite dish was the glass noodle pad thai. It almost tasted like egg noodles. The tofu tasted soft and the chicken was tender. The bean sprouts gave it this crispy taste while the ground peanuts gave it this crunchy taste. When you mix the noodles and everything together with the sauce, it blended nicely and it was delicious.” |
Sushi House | Japanese | 2375 Shoreline Dr Alameda, CA 94501 | “This place is super great for sharing! My family of 6 came to this location and we all picked out rolls and shared. The rolls themselves are quite large and super filling.” |
Koharu Japanese Cafe | Japanese | 1707 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Alameda is starting to open up more Japanese curry restaurant, and I'm LOVING it.” |
Poke Koma | Hawaiian | 1354 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Best poke in Alameda! Always super fresh fish and generous toppings! This is our go-to dinner when no one feels like cooking or it's too hot outside.” |
Sushi & More | Japanese | 1245 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Love the food and the fresh fish Service was impeccable and ambiance convivial I will go back for sure” |
Orchid Pavillion Cafe | Chinese | 1540 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “My favorite Chinese take-out in Alameda!” |
Little Joe's Express | Chinese | 1410 Encinal Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “My husband and I get take out from Little Joe's almost once a week- it's that good! “ |
Shirasoni Japanese Restaurant | Japanese | 2660 5th St Ste A Alameda, CA 94501 | “Shirasoni Japanese Restaurant, you had me at teppanyaki! And when the cuisine is so lovingly crafted on a live and hot hibachi grill as it was at our most recent visit to Shirasoni Japanese Restaurant then you have us as loyal customers for life!” |
Ark Chinese Restaurant | Chinese | 1405 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Hand-pulled noodles, dumplings & other Chinese favorites provided in a simple, cozy dining room. One of my favorite restaurants in Alameda. I'd go with my mom, my husband, and friends. Nothing has or should ever change because it is so lovely!” |
Sachi Sushi | Japanese | 1707 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “ummy yummy yummy. One of the best places for Sushi in Alameda, and don't forget there's three other restaurants(together it's named Saga Kitchen) with it too!” |
Kitchen Of Alameda | Chinese | 1727 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “When it comes to dim sum in alameda, I think this place is better than chefs wok and east ocean.” |
Spice I Am | Thai | 1353 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Every time I visit downtown Alameda this is my go-to restaurant.” |
BB Bowl | Korean | 2601 Blanding Ave Ste B Alameda, CA 94501 | “BB Bowl is really the dark horse of Korean food on Alameda. Koja and Bowl'd BBQ get the buzz because they're expanding from successful Oakland spots, but BB Bowl and Jong Ga House are our consistent winners for local Korean restaurants.” |
Mint Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant | Vietnamese | 831 Marina Village Pkwy Alameda, CA | “This place was a surprise! My regular Pho restaurant was closed down the street, so the group suggested Mint Leaf down the street. To my surprise, I now have a new regular Pho go to spot in Alameda.” |
Bucket O' Crawfish- Alameda | Vietnamese Fusion | 1919 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “With big hot saucy grins and belly full of beer, we assured her we would be back with the rest of the gang. I hope this place does well because this Asian/Cajun fusion in Alameda could become a monthly destination for us.” |
Yue Club | Chinese | 1707 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Yummy! I've literally been craving dim sum for weeks and Yue hit the spot. I ordered the shrimp balls, Hong Kong Har Gow, and potstickers. Everything was cooked to perfection and despite the fact that I was about 45 min late to pick up my order, everything was still piping hot.” |
Yo Sushi | Japanese | 807 Marina Village Pkwy Alameda, CA 94501 | “The place has a large selection of rolls ! Probably the largest selection I have seen compared to other alameda sushi spots. |
Up 2U Thai Eatery | Thai | 1405 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “My wife, who just moved from Thailand 4 years ago after 30+ years of living in Bangkok, and I pick-up regularly from Up 2U. In the last few weeks, we probably do pick-up at least once a week, sometimes twice a week.” |
Hong Kong City Restaurant | Chinese | 1425 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Growing up, I always thought Chinese Food was ALWAYS better in Oakland, than Alameda. Seems times have changed... 12 of us ordered 12 main entrees, and we finished nearly all of it!” |
Shanvi Indian kitchen & Grocery | Indian | 2536 Santa Clara Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “The smell of Indian spices was intoxicating even after a full meal. I scurried into the store to explore what was inside. Right when you enter you find yourself in an Indian market with the kitchen straight ahead.” |
Xing Yuan Chinese Restaurant | Chinese | 839 Marina Village Pkwy Alameda, CA 94501 | “A small little humble Mom & Pop Chinese restaurant located on the west end offering consistent delicious meals through the years. I can't believe I haven't left a review prior. So glad I'm doing this now as the reviews are long over due.” |
Chong Qing Noodles House | Chinese | 1635 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “The broth here is the real star of the show. The meat is braised to make the soup and the flavor is so rich and delicious. We added their chili oil in and it made it even better. “ |
Bacogai | Vietnamese Fusion | 2651 Blanding Ave Ste E Alameda, CA 94501 | “This place has been sitting in my bookmark but I guess they're all over IG now. Let me tell you, they were boooooomb! Such a refreshing take on Vietnamese cuisine.” |
Dragon Rouge Bistro Alameda | Vietnamese | 2337 Blanding Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Overall - outside dining was perfect with the Park Street Bridge and the estuary as a backdrop. Beautiful August evening in the 70s also helped. Tasty reasonable food and excellent service.” |
Fikscue Craft BBQ | Asian Fusion | 1708 Park St Ste 120 Alameda, CA 94501: | “'ve waited many hours in many lines for BBQ joints in Texas and Cali and this one takes the cake for me. Fikscue is the ultimate culmination of Bay Area - fusing American BBQ with an Indonesian twist. How could you not love this? “ |
Gim's Chinese Kitchen | Chinese | 2322 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Their menu says since 1953- and I can tell you from this ohana generation - it's perfected and on point with freshness, presentation, quantity and a great price point- that I am sold on ordering from here from now on!” |
Chefs Wok | Chinese | 1821 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “There are a few dim sum lounges in Alameda but this location is, for me superb. I knew the food was going to be great because there is always a line to get in and the parking lot would be full.” |
Kobe-Ya | Japanese | 2300 Encinal Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Hands down best bento box place! “ |
Yellowtail Japanese Bistro | Japanese | 1332 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “This review is long overdue--5 stars for service, food quality & menu options.” |
Pho Anh Dao Alameda | Vietnamese | 1919 Webster St Alameda, CA 94501 | “As an Alameda resident, this place has stood the test of time for me and my family. Plus, the Pho is an extremely good value compared to many other Pho bowls on the island.” |
Vietnam House | Vietnamese | 1529 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “BTW, local people eat here not tourists....many are AAPI/Vietnamese.” |
Genghis Khan Kitchen | Chinese | 1540 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “This is now my favorite Chinese restaurant in Alameda. Huge portions, extremely tasty food! “ |
Pho Sinh | Chinese | 1434 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Actually a very great bowl of (I think) Northern style pho :) Ive been back here many times over the years, and now live in the Westminster/Garden Grove area down in Southern California where there are MANY pho restaurants; very few of them compare to the unique taste here at Pho Sinh.” |
Sushi King | Japanese | 1650 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “Sushi King restaurant is one of the BEST sushi spots I've eaten at in many, many years! It's clean and cozy, and their service is repeatedly satisfactory; the staff is always friendly, and their menu selections are one-of-a-kind. “ |
Dragon Village | Chinese | 642 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “You know what people say about those hole in the wall type places: some of the best food you will eat come from these type. Please try them.” |
Pacific Lighthouse Restaurant | Chinese | 1051 Pacific Marina Alameda, CA 94501 | “Service is great, so is the food. Never a wait. My favorite local Dim Sum spot.” |
Bluefin Sushi Thai | Thai/Japanese | 3211 Encinal Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “Being able to get a little Thai and a little Japanese is amazing, and the food is delicious. Service is fantastic and the ambiance very relaxing. Love Bluefin!!” |
i-Tea | Boba | 1626 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | “This milk tea is better than any milk tea that I drank in Taiwan.” |
Top Up | Boba | 650 Central Ave Ste G Alameda, CA 94501 | “What do you do when you spend a day in Alameda and you rarely go to Alameda? Find the best boba spot in town obviously! I had heard great things about Top Up and was delighted to find that it lived up to the hype. Why? Service as great, menu is diverse with unique offerings, and their drinks are delicious!” |
Sakura Restaurant | Japanese | 2408 Santa Clara Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | “All the food was so scrumptious and it came out pretty fast no waiting for us and the service was nice and attentive. Definitely recommend if you want a nice quiet dinner. Also, it's kid friendly as well.” |
Panda Express | Chinese | 2630 Fifth Street 40 Alameda, CA 94501 | The food was hot and flavorful as always. I was impress by how quick the service is. The place is quick and affordable now. Prices in Bay Area is high so I gotta that that into consideration. |
Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea | Boba | 409 S Shore Ctr Alameda, CA 94501 | My favorite boba on the island! The toppings and drinks are always consistent and the variety YF offers in general is almost unparalleled. |
Bober Tea & Coffee | Boba | 825 Marina Village Pkwy Alameda, CA 94501 | “Very pink when I first stepped in and it felt like a tea garden which was pretty cool. I love the quotes they have around the shop, it was nice to read while waiting.” |
Ding Tea | Boba | 1342 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | Overall, service was great and drinks came out fast. The store is HUGE and so cute!! Love the white interior and chandeliers! Reminds me of Christmas ahaha. |
RareTea | Boba | 2670 Fifth St Ste C Alameda, CA 94501 | My husband loves this little spot! He likes there brown sugar boba with the Thai tea. He's been stopping here pretty often when we shop in the area. |
Gong Cha | Boba | 1501 Park St Alameda, CA 94501 | My go-to spot for consistently good bubble milk tea. They use quality ingredients and their tapioca boba pearls are cooked/made just right, with the perfect bouncy texture. |
Happy Lemon | Boba | 2321 Santa Clara Ave Alameda, CA 94501 | This is one of the nicer Happy Lemons I've been to. It's a bit hipstery, a bit happy happy. Lots of wood and nice finishes on the walls and tables and stuff. Feels airy--nice place to relax unlike many packed boba places. |
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Homeskillet is a gem in Alameda's breakfast crown, a place that marries the art of the savory with the sweet. Rooted in a family tradition that traces back to a Southern California donut shop, Homeskillet represents not just a nod to the past but a full embrace of it. It's here that the humble donut is elevated to an art form, with a dazzling array of choices that could tempt even the most discerning sweet tooth. From classic glazed to inventive new flavors, each donut is a round testament to the joy of family baking done right.
But Homeskillet's culinary prowess doesn't stop at donuts. Their robust breakfast menu boasts hearty classics and innovative creations alike. With offerings like the "Bird's Nest," featuring house-ground beef scrambled with mushrooms, onions, spinach, and Jack cheese, and a variety of Eggs Benedicts and omelets, there's a plate for every palate. And for those on the go, the "Commuter Breakfast Sandwiches" provide a quick yet satisfying start to any day.
While Cafe Jolie has also expanded the breakfast narrative in Alameda with a neighboring donut shop, Homeskillet holds its own with an atmosphere that's all about warmth, comfort, and a sense of belonging. It's a place where every bite comes with a story, every sip of coffee feels like a homecoming, and every donut is a sweet piece of family legacy.
In the heart of Alameda, where breakfast reigns supreme, Homeskillet offers a delicious reminder that sometimes the simplest things—like a donut fresh from the fryer—can bring the greatest joy.
At Cafe Jolie, the story of Alameda's breakfast scene unfolds with a distinctively French-American flourish. Here, the passion for local, sustainable, and organic ingredients is not just a philosophy but a way of life. With a menu that features the charm of Parisian cafes, diners are invited to indulge in a symphony of flavors, from the classic croque monsieur to the savory delight of a spinach and mushroom omelet. The French onion soup, simmered to perfection, and the array of benedicts, each with a French twist, are testimonies to the cafe's culinary finesse.
And then, there's the sweet side of Cafe Jolie, a harmony of pastries and desserts that speak of French indulgence. Whether it's a delicate pastry or a robust chocolate ganache, the experience is akin to a leisurely stroll through the Marais. This is complemented by a selection of handcrafted beverages, from a rich and aromatic espresso to a soothing matcha green tea latte, each sip promising a moment of relaxation and refinement.
But Cafe Jolie's experience extends beyond its cuisine. With offerings like the Mimosa Bar featuring a classic mimosa, a peach mango bellini, or a strawberry mimosa, brunch transforms into a celebratory affair. And for those who prefer the subtlety of tea, the lavender lemonade is a refreshing twist that captures the essence of Alameda's serene mornings.
In the heart of Alameda, Cafe Jolie stands as a culinary beacon, showcasing the sophisticated simplicity of French-American dining. It's a place where each dish is a brushstroke of flavor, painting a picture of a community that appreciates the art of a good meal shared in good company.
Cafe Jolie recently expanded to include Cafe Jolie Petit on Bayfarm Island.
Cape 7 Cafe and Mosley's Cafe each add their unique flavors to Alameda's breakfast tapestry. Cape 7, with its nautical décor, and Mosley's, with its serene waterfront views, offer diverse dining experiences that speak to Alameda's maritime heritage and its present-day vibrancy.
Lazybird Coffee modernizes the breakfast game with all-day options catering to contemporary tastes, from gourmet croissants to inventive breakfast burritos, demonstrating Alameda's culinary innovation.
Among this culinary diversity, Neptune's stands out as a beacon of the farm-to-table movement. Emphasizing locally sourced ingredients and Filipino-inspired cuisine, Neptune's offers a dining experience that not only tastes good but feels good, grounding diners in the richness of local agriculture and culinary creativity.Newcomers like The Preacher's Daughter and Ceron Kitchen enrich Alameda's breakfast scene with their stories and flavors. The Preacher's Daughter, honoring familial legacy and artisanal coffee and wines, offers a cozy haven for weekend brunch enthusiasts. Meanwhile, Ceron Kitchen elevates the morning meal with sophisticated dishes that blend international flair with local freshness.
Each of these establishments, from the historic to the contemporary, plays a crucial role in Alameda's breakfast narrative. They offer more than just meals; they provide experiences that weave together the threads of community, tradition, and innovation.
So, whether you're drawn to the nostalgic charm of Ole's Waffle Shop, the farm-to-table authenticity of Neptune's, or the sophisticated brunch at Ceron Kitchen, Alameda invites you to discover why it's heralded as the Breakfast Capital of the Bay Area. Here, every morning offers a new story, a fresh flavor, and a warm welcome, making it a must-visit for anyone exploring the culinary landscapes of the San Francisco Bay Area.
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]]>AC Transit is the backbone of Alameda's public transportation, offering extensive bus services that connect residents to key destinations within the city and beyond. This includes the invaluable O bus lines, a direct and efficient route for those who commute to San Francisco. These lines provide frequent service with early morning to late-night runs, catering to a wide range of schedules and ensuring minimal wait times. With a relaxing ride across the Bay Bridge, commuters can enjoy stunning views of the San Francisco skyline and bay waters before arriving at key downtown locations.
Alameda's 51A and O bus lines are essential connectors to the BART system, providing residents with efficient transit to the 12th Street Oakland City Center and Fruitvale stations. From these hubs, BART extends throughout the Bay Area, offering routes to major destinations including the San Francisco International Airport and deep into the East Bay to Antioch or Dublin/Pleasanton. For those heading to the South Bay, BART reaches all the way to North San Jose.
While BART serves both local airports, many opt for ride-sharing services when traveling to the closer Oakland Airport due to its convenience. Regardless, having these options makes Alameda a strategically placed home base for both local and extended travel.
Alameda's ferry services are a crown jewel in the Bay Area's transit system, providing not just transit solutions but a way of life that embraces the bay's beauty. With three of the six total ferry terminals in the Bay Area, Alameda is a central hub for maritime commuters:
Alameda Main Street Terminal: Here, you can catch ferries for Oakland and Downtown San Francisco, offering year-round service that caters to both weekday and weekend travelers. For the working professionals, the South San Francisco route provides a year-round weekday commute service. Sports and event enthusiasts can take advantage of the seasonal, reservation-only services to Oracle Park and the Chase Center, making game days and events an easy play.
Alameda Seaplane Terminal: This terminal features a year-round weekday service to Downtown San Francisco, perfectly suited for the daily commuter.
Harbor Bay Terminal: Residents in the Harbor Bay area enjoy a direct, year-round weekday commute service to Downtown San Francisco, simplifying the journey to work in the city.
The decision by SF Ferry to establish their maintenance yard on Alameda is a testament to the city’s pivotal role in the region's ferry operations. This facility not only serves as a critical support point for the fleet but also underscores Alameda's importance in the maritime transportation network of the Bay Area.
These comprehensive services underscore Alameda's unparalleled access to water-based transportation, making the city a desirable location for those who seek a commute that is as stress-free as it is scenic.
Alameda stands out as the most bike-friendly city in the Bay Area, and it's no surprise why. Our island's exceptionally flat terrain makes it not just possible, but an absolute pleasure to bike the entire city. You can pedal from the tranquil shores of Crown Beach to bustling Park St and everywhere in between without breaking a sweat.
This ease of travel encourages a lifestyle where families can often be seen cycling together. Unlike the steep hills of San Francisco or the busy streets of Oakland and Berkeley, Alameda's calm and flat roads offer a sense of safety that is unparalleled, making it common to see parents comfortably riding with their children, even the littlest ones in tow. It's a testament to the city's commitment to being a safe haven for cyclists of all ages.
The city’s dedication to promoting this eco-friendly mode of transportation is evident in its comprehensive Alameda Bicycle Plan. The plan aims to enhance and expand the existing infrastructure, ensuring that cyclists have access to well-maintained bike lanes and paths. Local biking events and community groups further enrich the experience, creating a vibrant culture around cycling and providing ample opportunities for social interaction and community engagement.
Whether for commuting, running errands, or simply enjoying a leisurely ride along the scenic coastline, biking in Alameda doesn't just get you to your destination; it's a way of life that offers health benefits, environmental advantages, and a connection to the community. So, grab your helmet and join the many residents who understand that the best way to appreciate the beauty of Alameda is on two wheels.
Driving in Alameda offers a sense of ease and safety that is hard to match in neighboring cities. Our commitment to a family-friendly environment is underscored by speed limits: almost the entire island is a 25 mph zone. Drivers also benefit from convenient access on and off the island via the Posey and Webster Tube, as well as four bridges that connect Alameda to the mainland. These thoroughfares are essential for efficient travel and contribute to the overall accessibility of the city.
Alameda's focus on safety is further exemplified by the network of 35 cameras at 14 strategic locations, complementing those mounted on police vehicles. These tools help monitor the island's safety and have been widely accepted by residents as a valuable asset in maintaining our low crime rate, particularly in response to the uptick in crime seen during the post-COVID period.
Parking in Alameda is refreshingly straightforward. On bustling evenings along Park Street, the heart of our city's nightlife, parking is as easy as a leisurely walk a few blocks from the action. The absence of the frustrating search for parking that plagues larger cities is a small but significant part of what makes Alameda special. Metered parking, found only on main streets like Webster and Park Streets, is often just a block or two away from your destination, and walking a little further can mean parking is completely free.
This mindful planning for driving, parking, and overall safety reflects Alameda's values and dedication to the well-being of its community. Whether you're making your home here or just passing through, the ease with which you can navigate our streets is a clear indication that in Alameda, we put people first.
Alameda's flat terrain and compact size make it an ideal city for walking. Many neighborhoods, especially around the main street and downtown areas, are highly walkable, offering easy access to shops, restaurants, and parks. Safety is a priority, with pedestrian-friendly crossings and zones ensuring a pleasant walking experience.
Choosing the best transportation mode can significantly impact your daily routine and overall satisfaction with city life. Consider factors such as your workplace location, daily activities, and lifestyle preferences when exploring Alameda's transportation options. Utilize apps and websites for real-time public transportation schedules, traffic updates, and route planning to make informed decisions and streamline your commute.
Navigating Alameda's transportation landscape is a journey in itself, offering a blend of convenience, efficiency, and scenic beauty. By familiarizing yourself with the various commuting options available, you can enjoy all that Alameda and the greater Bay Area have to offer with ease. We invite you to share your commuting tips, experiences, or questions in the comments below—let's make traveling in and around Alameda a breeze for everyone.
]]>Exploring the safety landscape, let’s break down the 2023 crime statistics for Alameda and compare them directly with Oakland, using both raw numbers and per capita rates:
Homicides:
Robberies:
Burglaries:
Auto Thefts:
In the high-stakes arena of Bay Area real estate and education, Alameda stands out for its relative affordability. While the median single-family home price in Alameda has decreased by 8.1% to $1,102,500, this adjustment starkly contrasts with the price trends in nearby Fremont and San Ramon. In these cities, median prices have surged to $1,625,000 and $1,680,000, respectively, marking substantial year-over-year increases of 25.0% and 10.8%. This divergence underscores Alameda's position as a significantly more affordable option within the Bay Area, offering considerable value amidst a backdrop of escalating housing costs.
This contrast in the housing market is mirrored in the educational achievements of local high schools. Alameda High School boasts a UC Berkeley acceptance rate of 10.2%, and Encinal Junior/Senior High School is close behind at 10%. These rates are not only impressive on their own but even more so when compared to Fremont’s Irvington High School, which has a 9.8% acceptance rate, and American High School at 7.9%. San Ramon's Dougherty Valley High School, with a 12.3% acceptance rate, is the only school surpassing Alameda's rates. However, considering the significant difference in housing costs, Alameda's combination of accessible real estate and high-quality education provides unmatched value, making it a smart choice for families prioritizing both excellent schooling and affordable living.
As an Asian American, I cherish the diverse cultural fabric of our school communities. This diversity is exceptionally personified within Alameda’s educational sphere. Alameda High, with its student body of 1,802, and Encinal High, with 1,158 students, are not just smaller in size compared to their counterparts but also exemplify a richly diverse environment. Alameda High's student population is composed of 29.1% Asian, 17.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 30.4% White students, while Encinal High has a mix of 23.2% Asian, 19.8% Hispanic or Latino, and 25.4% White students. This stands in remarkable contrast to the larger student bodies of Dougherty Valley High in San Ramon and Irvington High in Fremont, which enroll 3,255 and 2,207 students, respectively, with more than 70% Asian representation in each.
There is something undeniably special about Alameda's blend of cultures. Not only does it reflect a community that embraces a multiplicity of voices, but it seems to align with the values of institutions like UC Berkeley. Data suggests that UC Berkeley may look favorably upon students who have thrived in diverse educational settings, as evidenced by the robust acceptance rates of Alameda's high schools. This speaks volumes about the importance of a multifaceted student body, suggesting that the interplay of various cultures in a student's educational journey can be a pivotal element of success in higher education admissions. It’s a testament to the fact that diversity is not just a buzzword in Alameda; it's a lived experience that enriches learning and fosters the kind of inclusive perspective sought after by premier universities.
But the allure of Alameda doesn't stop at its educational prowess or its tranquil lifestyle. The city's transportation network is a hidden treasure, offering seamless connections to San Francisco and beyond. Alameda's comprehensive public transit system, including AC Transit and the ferry services, provides residents with efficient and enjoyable commutes. The O bus lines and ferry terminals at Alameda Main Street and Harbor Bay cater to a wide range of schedules, ensuring that getting to and from work is the least of your worries. Furthermore, the city's dedication to bike-friendly pathways and pedestrian-friendly streets encourages a healthy, eco-conscious lifestyle that's hard to find elsewhere.
For those who prefer the scenic route, Alameda's ferry services offer unparalleled views of the Bay Area, making the journey as rewarding as the destination. This blend of accessibility, sustainability, and beauty reinforces Alameda's status as not only a smart choice for Bay Area living but also a lifestyle choice for those who value community, diversity, and connectivity.
In conclusion, Alameda stands out as a beacon of opportunity in the Bay Area real estate and educational landscape. Its unique mix of safety, affordability, high-quality education, and commuter-friendly infrastructure makes it an ideal location for families and professionals alike. As we look to the future, Alameda's blend of cultural richness, educational excellence, and accessible living is more than just appealing—it's a model for what Bay Area living should be.
]]>But, I know there are plenty of Asian parents who are willing to relocate, thinking they are moving into a great school district. I'm writing this because I know for a fact a lot of Asian parents are choosing certain cities because of how great they believe the school system is. Unfortunately, it may have been true at one point in time, but the most current data shows that some very popular high schools, such as those in Fremont, San Ramon, Danville, and Walnut Creek are actually not as great as one would hope, especially considering the price tag of living in those cities.
First, let me explain why I believe the schools below are extremely overrated. My methodology is actually pretty straight forward, but fairly logical. I looked at 2022 admissions data for UC Berkeley for all public high schools in California. Even though UCLA is now the most sought out campus, UC Berkeley is truly where the UC system wants to place California's best and brightest.
I filtered this list to only include high schools with higher than average Asian applicants, which is 41.52. Finally, I simply looked at the average acceptance rate for Asian students at those schools, which is 11.80%, and looked at all the high schools below that average.
School | Asian | Admitted | Corrected_Acceptance_Rate | City |
---|---|---|---|---|
ADRIAN C WILCOX HIGH SCHOOL | 109.0 | 8.0 | 7.339450 | Santa Clara |
AIMS COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL | 48.0 | 5.0 | 10.416667 | Oakland |
ALAMEDA HIGH SCHOOL | 120.0 | 13.0 | 10.833333 | Alameda |
ALISO NIGUEL HIGH SCHOOL | 53.0 | 6.0 | 11.320755 | Aliso Viejo |
AMERICAN HIGH SCHOOL | 270.0 | 21.0 | 7.777778 | Fremont |
ANDREW P HILL HIGH SCHOOL | 33.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Jose |
ANGELO RODRIGUEZ HIGH SCHOOL | 42.0 | 4.0 | 9.523810 | Fairfield |
ANN SOBRATO HIGH SCHOOL | 32.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Morgan Hill |
BENICIA HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Benicia |
BOLSA GRANDE HIGH SCHOOL | 61.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Garden Grove |
BRANHAM HIGH SCHOOL | 58.0 | 6.0 | 10.344828 | San Jose |
BREA OLINDA HIGH SCHOOL | 56.0 | 4.0 | 7.142857 | Brea |
CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL | 169.0 | 8.0 | 4.733728 | San Ramon |
CANYON HIGH SCHOOL | 56.0 | 5.0 | 8.928571 | Anaheim |
CAPUCHINO HIGH SCHOOL | 32.0 | 3.0 | 9.375000 | San Bruno |
CASTRO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 132.0 | 13.0 | 9.848485 | Castro Valley |
CLAYTON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 28.0 | 3.0 | 10.714286 | Concord |
CLOVIS EAST HIGH SCHOOL | 29.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Clovis |
COLLEGE PARK HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 3.0 | 8.108108 | Pleasant Hill |
CULVER CITY HIGH SCHOOL | 35.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Culver City |
CUPERTINO HIGH SCHOOL | 273.0 | 29.0 | 10.622711 | Cupertino |
CYPRESS HIGH SCHOOL | 79.0 | 9.0 | 11.392405 | Cypress |
EASTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL | 41.0 | 3.0 | 7.317073 | Chula Vista |
EL CAMINO REAL CHARTER HIGH SC | 39.0 | 4.0 | 10.256410 | Woodland Hills |
FOLSOM HIGH SCHOOL | 84.0 | 5.0 | 5.952381 | Folsom |
FOOTHILL HIGH SCHOOL | 190.0 | 13.0 | 6.842105 | Bakersfield |
FOUNTAIN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 141.0 | 10.0 | 7.092199 | Fountain Valley |
FRANKLIN HIGH SCHOOL | 99.0 | 4.0 | 4.040404 | Elk Grove |
FREMONT HIGH SCHOOL | 86.0 | 8.0 | 9.302326 | Oakland |
GABRIELINO HIGH SCHOOL | 109.0 | 12.0 | 11.009174 | San Gabriel |
GAHR HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Cerritos |
GRANADA HIGH SCHOOL | 33.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Livermore |
GRANADA HILLS CHARTER HIGH SCH | 132.0 | 15.0 | 11.363636 | Granada Hills |
HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL | 46.0 | 3.0 | 6.521739 | Brentwood |
HUNTINGTON BEACH HIGH SCHOOL | 52.0 | 5.0 | 9.615385 | Huntington Beach |
INDEPENDENCE HIGH SCHOOL | 98.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Jose |
INDERKUM HIGH SCHOOL | 42.0 | 3.0 | 7.142857 | Sacramento |
IRVINE HIGH SCHOOL | 126.0 | 8.0 | 6.349206 | Irvine |
IRVINGTON HIGH SCHOOL | 282.0 | 29.0 | 10.283688 | Fremont |
JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL | 51.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Daly City |
JOHN A ROWLAND HIGH SCHOOL | 71.0 | 8.0 | 11.267606 | Rowland Heights |
JOHN C KIMBALL HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 3.0 | 8.108108 | Tracy |
JOHN F KENNEDY HIGH SCHOOL | 150.0 | 13.0 | 8.666667 | La Palma |
JOHN MARSHALL HIGH SCHOOL | 50.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Los Angeles |
LA QUINTA HIGH SCHOOL | 78.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | La Quinta |
LAGUNA CREEK HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 3.0 | 7.692308 | Elk Grove |
LAS LOMAS HIGH SCHOOL | 46.0 | 4.0 | 8.695652 | Walnut Creek |
LIVERMORE HIGH SCHOOL | 27.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Livermore |
LOS GATOS HIGH SCHOOL | 72.0 | 7.0 | 9.722222 | Los Gatos |
MARINA HIGH SCHOOL | 41.0 | 4.0 | 9.756098 | Huntington Beach |
MARK KEPPEL HIGH SCHOOL | 137.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Alhambra |
MIDDLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL | 42.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Los Angeles |
MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL | 192.0 | 21.0 | 10.937500 | Milpitas |
MIRA MESA HIGH SCHOOL | 51.0 | 3.0 | 5.882353 | San Diego |
MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL | 333.0 | 33.0 | 9.909910 | Fremont |
MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | 287.0 | 32.0 | 11.149826 | Cupertino |
MONTEREY TRAIL HIGH SCHOOL | 53.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Elk Grove |
MOUNTAIN HOUSE HIGH SCHOOL | 103.0 | 12.0 | 11.650485 | Mountain House |
NATOMAS PACIFIC PATHWAYS PREP | 27.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Sacramento |
NEWARK MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Newark |
NORTHGATE HIGH SCHOOL | 45.0 | 4.0 | 8.888889 | Walnut Creek |
NORTHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | 200.0 | 16.0 | 8.000000 | Irvine |
OAK GROVE HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Jose |
OAK RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 3.0 | 8.108108 | El Dorado Hills |
OAKMONT HIGH SCHOOL | 27.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Roseville |
OLYMPIAN HIGH SCHOOL | 35.0 | 4.0 | 11.428571 | Chula Vista |
PACIFICA HIGH SCHOOL | 30.0 | 3.0 | 10.000000 | Garden Grove |
PALISADES CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL | 41.0 | 4.0 | 9.756098 | Pacific Palisade |
PIEDMONT HILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 124.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Jose |
PLEASANT GROVE HIGH SCHOOL | 55.0 | 4.0 | 7.272727 | Elk Grove |
PROSPECT HIGH SCHOOL | 42.0 | 3.0 | 7.142857 | Saratoga |
RANCHO BERNARDO HIGH SCHOOL | 73.0 | 5.0 | 6.849315 | San Diego |
RAOUL WALLENBERG TRADITIONAL | 45.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Francisco |
REDONDO UNION HIGH SCHOOL | 38.0 | 4.0 | 10.526316 | Redondo Beach |
RIVER VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Yuba City |
ROCKLIN HIGH SCHOOL | 31.0 | 3.0 | 9.677419 | Rocklin |
RONALD E MCNAIR HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Stockton |
SAGE CREEK HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Carlsbad |
SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL | 72.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Gabriel |
SAN JUAN HILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 30.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Juan Capistrano |
SAN RAMON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 32.0 | 3.0 | 9.375000 | Danville |
SCRIPPS RANCH HIGH | 85.0 | 7.0 | 8.235294 | San Diego |
SHELDON HIGH SCHOOL | 48.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Sacramento |
STOCKTON EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY | 26.0 | 3.0 | 11.538462 | Stockton |
SUMMIT PUBLIC SCHOOLS SHASTA | 41.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Daly City |
TESORO HIGH SCHOOL | 51.0 | 3.0 | 5.882353 | Rancho San Margarit |
TORRANCE HIGH SCHOOL | 53.0 | 4.0 | 7.547170 | Torrance |
TRABUCO HILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 43.0 | 4.0 | 9.302326 | Mission Viejo |
UNIVERSITY CITY HIGH | 39.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Diego |
UNIVERSITY PREP ACADEMY | 30.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | San Jose |
WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL | 121.0 | 14.0 | 11.570248 | Fremont |
WEST HIGH SCHOOL | 79.0 | 5.0 | 6.329114 | Bakersfield |
WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL | 31.0 | 0.0 | 0.000000 | Rocklin |
WOODBRIDGE HIGH SCHOOL | 129.0 | 15.0 | 11.627907 | Irvine |
YORBA LINDA HIGH SCHOOL | 60.0 | 7.0 | 11.666667 | Yorba Linda |
I'm sure many will be surprised that all of Fremont's public schools are below the average with even Mission San Jose, considered one of the elite high schools in the United States, performed worse percentage wise versus Irvington and Washington High. You'll see that's true with California High in San Ramon, CA, Cupertino High School, and plenty of other school districts popular with Asian families.
Even Dougherty Valley High School, which is known for getting the most students into UC Berkeley, is only slightly above average at 13% acceptance rate into UC Berkeley for Asian applicants.
As you can guess, I also have a list of those high schools that are both above average in terms of Asian applicants and acceptance rate. As you can see, ignoring Van Nuys High School, which really seems like a kind of an outlier, the upper limit really seems to be around 35% acceptance for Asian students. Schools like Gretchen Whitney High School in Cerritos, CA and San Marino High, which both have very high number of Asian students, really seem to live up to their reputation more so than high schools in Fremont, San Ramon, Danville, and parts of San Jose.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, there is no true "underrated" high school where there is a majority Asian population in the SF Bay Area and located in a 'relatively' affordable and safe city; just schools that are at or slightly above the average. The ones well above the average are mostly in Southern California and in cities where you'll pay the premium for that school's performance.
I have another study here looking at this data from a slightly different perspective. It includes the total Asian student body size and their chances of getting into UC Berkeley and seeing how machine learning can predict the acceptance rate for that high school. It also supports how Fremont, San Ramon, and certain schools are actually very over-rated for Asian families in terms of believing these schools are giving them an edge into UC Berkeley admissions.
School | Asian | Admitted | Corrected_Acceptance_Rate | City |
---|---|---|---|---|
VAN NUYS HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 17.0 | 43.589744 | Van Nuys |
SANTA MONICA HIGH SCHOOL | 47.0 | 17.0 | 36.170213 | Santa Monica |
OAKLAND CHARTER HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 9.0 | 36.000000 | Oakland |
GRETCHEN WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL | 91.0 | 32.0 | 35.164835 | Cerritos |
SEQUOIA HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 9.0 | 34.615385 | Redwood City |
SAN MARINO HIGH SCHOOL | 105.0 | 36.0 | 34.285714 | San Marino |
CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL | 55.0 | 18.0 | 32.727273 | Bakersfield |
CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL | 55.0 | 18.0 | 32.727273 | Corona |
LOS OSOS HIGH SCHOOL | 77.0 | 25.0 | 32.467532 | Rancho Cucamonga |
CLEVELAND HIGH SCHOOL | 53.0 | 17.0 | 32.075472 | Reseda |
LA CANADA HIGH SCHOOL | 63.0 | 20.0 | 31.746032 | La Canada |
CORONA DEL MAR HIGH SCHOOL | 29.0 | 9.0 | 31.034483 | Newport Beach |
WESTLAKE HIGH SCHOOL | 55.0 | 17.0 | 30.909091 | Westlake Village |
CHINO HILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 62.0 | 19.0 | 30.645161 | Chino Hills |
NORTH HOLLYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | 56.0 | 17.0 | 30.357143 | North Hollywood |
C K MCCLATCHY HIGH SCHOOL | 31.0 | 9.0 | 29.032258 | Sacramento |
CLAREMONT HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 11.0 | 28.205128 | Claremont |
FAIRFAX HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 11.0 | 28.205128 | Los Angeles |
FLOYD B BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 10.0 | 27.027027 | Clovis |
PALOS VERDES HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 10.0 | 27.027027 | Palos Verdes Estate |
ROBERT A MILLIKAN HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 7.0 | 26.923077 | Long Beach |
REDWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | 38.0 | 10.0 | 26.315789 | Larkspur |
REDWOOD HIGH SCHOOL | 38.0 | 10.0 | 26.315789 | Visalia |
LA JOLLA HIGH | 27.0 | 7.0 | 25.925926 | La Jolla |
MENLO ATHERTON HIGH SCHOOL | 27.0 | 7.0 | 25.925926 | Atherton |
SHERMAN OAKS CTR ENRCHED STDS | 27.0 | 7.0 | 25.925926 | Reseda |
ARAGON HIGH SCHOOL | 89.0 | 23.0 | 25.842697 | San Mateo |
LA CENTER ENRICHED STUDIES | 35.0 | 9.0 | 25.714286 | Los Angeles |
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 10.0 | 25.641026 | Bakersfield |
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 10.0 | 25.641026 | Torrance |
CLOVIS NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | 51.0 | 13.0 | 25.490196 | Fresno |
HERCULES HIGH SCHOOL | 28.0 | 7.0 | 25.000000 | Hercules |
CALIFORNIA ACAD MATH & SCIENCE | 49.0 | 12.0 | 24.489796 | Carson |
WEST RANCH HIGH SCHOOL | 82.0 | 20.0 | 24.390244 | Valencia |
DOWNTOWN MAGNETS HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 9.0 | 24.324324 | Los Angeles |
OTAY RANCH HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 9.0 | 24.324324 | Chula Vista |
RUBEN S AYALA HIGH SCHOOL | 111.0 | 27.0 | 24.324324 | Chino Hills |
UPLAND HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 6.0 | 24.000000 | Upland |
HILLSDALE HIGH SCHOOL | 38.0 | 9.0 | 23.684211 | San Mateo |
MIRA COSTA HIGH SCHOOL | 68.0 | 16.0 | 23.529412 | Manhattan Beach |
SANTIAGO HIGH SCHOOL | 64.0 | 15.0 | 23.437500 | Corona |
SANTIAGO HIGH SCHOOL | 64.0 | 15.0 | 23.437500 | Garden Grove |
ELEANOR ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL | 82.0 | 19.0 | 23.170732 | Eastvale |
RUTH ASAWA SCHOOL OF THE ARTS | 26.0 | 6.0 | 23.076923 | San Francisco |
SKYLINE HIGH SCHOOL | 26.0 | 6.0 | 23.076923 | Oakland |
ORANGE COUNTY HS OF THE ARTS | 87.0 | 20.0 | 22.988506 | Santa Ana |
RANCHO CUCAMONGA HIGH SCHOOL | 57.0 | 13.0 | 22.807018 | Rancho Cucamonga |
DOS PUEBLOS HIGH SCHOOL | 27.0 | 6.0 | 22.222222 | Goleta |
EL CERRITO HIGH SCHOOL | 45.0 | 10.0 | 22.222222 | El Cerrito |
F BRAVO MEDICAL MAGNET HS | 27.0 | 6.0 | 22.222222 | Los Angeles |
NEWBURY PARK HIGH SCHOOL | 36.0 | 8.0 | 22.222222 | Newbury Park |
WEST COVINA HIGH SCHOOL | 27.0 | 6.0 | 22.222222 | West Covina |
MILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 95.0 | 21.0 | 22.105263 | Millbrae |
SANTA CLARA HIGH SCHOOL | 68.0 | 15.0 | 22.058824 | Santa Clara |
DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL | 227.0 | 50.0 | 22.026432 | Diamond Bar |
MIRAMONTE HIGH SCHOOL | 50.0 | 11.0 | 22.000000 | Orinda |
DESIGN TECH HIGH SCHOOL | 32.0 | 7.0 | 21.875000 | Redwood City |
UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL | 200.0 | 43.0 | 21.500000 | Fresno |
UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL | 200.0 | 43.0 | 21.500000 | Los Angeles |
UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL | 200.0 | 43.0 | 21.500000 | Irvine |
MT CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL | 42.0 | 9.0 | 21.428571 | San Diego |
TAMALPAIS HIGH SCHOOL | 28.0 | 6.0 | 21.428571 | Mill Valley |
DE ANZA HIGH SCHOOL | 33.0 | 7.0 | 21.212121 | Richmond |
GLEN A WILSON HIGH SCHOOL | 66.0 | 14.0 | 21.212121 | Hacienda Heights |
BERKELEY HIGH SCHOOL | 71.0 | 15.0 | 21.126761 | Berkeley |
PHILLIP & SALA BURTON ACAD HS | 74.0 | 15.0 | 20.270270 | San Francisco |
ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL | 184.0 | 37.0 | 20.108696 | Los Angeles |
ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL | 184.0 | 37.0 | 20.108696 | San Francisco |
ABRAHAM LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL | 184.0 | 37.0 | 20.108696 | San Jose |
ADOLFO CAMARILLO HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 5.0 | 20.000000 | Camarillo |
ARMIJO HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 5.0 | 20.000000 | Fairfield |
ASPIRE BENJAMIN HOLT COLG PREP | 25.0 | 5.0 | 20.000000 | Stockton |
LONG BEACH POLYTECHNIC HS | 60.0 | 12.0 | 20.000000 | Long Beach |
SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY | 25.0 | 5.0 | 20.000000 | Encinitas |
STOCKDALE HIGH SCHOOL | 45.0 | 9.0 | 20.000000 | Bakersfield |
VISTA DEL LAGO HIGH SCHOOL | 71.0 | 14.0 | 19.718310 | Moreno Valley |
VISTA DEL LAGO HIGH SCHOOL | 71.0 | 14.0 | 19.718310 | Folsom |
OAKLAND HIGH SCHOOL | 62.0 | 12.0 | 19.354839 | Oakland |
ACADEMY OF THE CANYONS | 26.0 | 5.0 | 19.230769 | Santa Clarita |
EL CAMINO HIGH | 47.0 | 9.0 | 19.148936 | South San Francisco |
LOS ALAMITOS HIGH SCHOOL | 47.0 | 9.0 | 19.148936 | Los Alamitos |
PIEDMONT HIGH SCHOOL | 37.0 | 7.0 | 18.918919 | Piedmont |
OAK PARK HIGH SCHOOL | 59.0 | 11.0 | 18.644068 | Oak Park |
THOUSAND OAKS HIGH SCHOOL | 27.0 | 5.0 | 18.518519 | Thousand Oaks |
CERRITOS HIGH SCHOOL | 136.0 | 25.0 | 18.382353 | Cerritos |
LEIGH HIGH SCHOOL | 49.0 | 9.0 | 18.367347 | San Jose |
ARNOLD O BECKMAN HIGH SCHOOL | 191.0 | 35.0 | 18.324607 | Irvine |
ROSEMEAD HIGH SCHOOL | 55.0 | 10.0 | 18.181818 | Rosemead |
WESTMONT HIGH SCHOOL | 50.0 | 9.0 | 18.000000 | Campbell |
GREAT OAK HIGH SCHOOL | 39.0 | 7.0 | 17.948718 | Temecula |
CAPISTRANO VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 34.0 | 6.0 | 17.647059 | Mission Viejo |
ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL | 74.0 | 13.0 | 17.567568 | Albany |
TORREY PINES HIGH SCHOOL | 104.0 | 18.0 | 17.307692 | San Diego |
WESTMOOR HIGH SCHOOL | 52.0 | 9.0 | 17.307692 | Daly City |
MOUNT EDEN HIGH SCHOOL | 29.0 | 5.0 | 17.241379 | Hayward |
CAMPOLINDO HIGH SCHOOL | 41.0 | 7.0 | 17.073171 | Moraga |
PALOS VERDES PENINSULA HS | 147.0 | 25.0 | 17.006803 | Rolling Hills Estat |
WESTMINSTER HIGH SCHOOL | 59.0 | 10.0 | 16.949153 | Westminster |
GARDEN GROVE HIGH SCHOOL | 65.0 | 11.0 | 16.923077 | Garden Grove |
LOWELL HIGH SCHOOL | 367.0 | 62.0 | 16.893733 | San Francisco |
LELAND HIGH SCHOOL | 167.0 | 28.0 | 16.766467 | San Jose |
PORTOLA HIGH SCHOOL | 215.0 | 36.0 | 16.744186 | Irvine |
SAN MATEO HIGH SCHOOL | 79.0 | 13.0 | 16.455696 | San Mateo |
LOS ALTOS HIGH SCHOOL | 134.0 | 22.0 | 16.417910 | Hacienda Heights |
LOS ALTOS HIGH SCHOOL | 134.0 | 22.0 | 16.417910 | Los Altos |
WALNUT HIGH SCHOOL | 129.0 | 21.0 | 16.279070 | Walnut |
EL DORADO HIGH SCHOOL | 31.0 | 5.0 | 16.129032 | Placentia |
EL DORADO HIGH SCHOOL | 31.0 | 5.0 | 16.129032 | Placerville |
SAN MARCOS HIGH SCHOOL | 56.0 | 9.0 | 16.071429 | San Marcos |
SAN MARCOS HIGH SCHOOL | 56.0 | 9.0 | 16.071429 | Santa Barbara |
HOMESTEAD HIGH SCHOOL | 200.0 | 32.0 | 16.000000 | Cupertino |
LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 4.0 | 16.000000 | Bakersfield |
LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL | 25.0 | 4.0 | 16.000000 | Brentwood |
GALILEO ACAD OF SCIENCE & TECH | 144.0 | 23.0 | 15.972222 | San Francisco |
EDISON HIGH SCHOOL | 44.0 | 7.0 | 15.909091 | Fresno |
EDISON HIGH SCHOOL | 44.0 | 7.0 | 15.909091 | Huntington Beach |
KIPP KING COLLEGIATE HIGH SCH | 38.0 | 6.0 | 15.789474 | San Lorenzo |
PATRICK HENRY HIGH SCHOOL | 38.0 | 6.0 | 15.789474 | San Diego |
AMERICAN CANYON HIGH SCHOOL | 32.0 | 5.0 | 15.625000 | American Canyon |
MARTIN LUTHER KING HIGH SCHOOL | 32.0 | 5.0 | 15.625000 | Riverside |
HENRY M GUNN SENIOR HIGH SCHL | 173.0 | 27.0 | 15.606936 | Palo Alto |
GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL | 52.0 | 8.0 | 15.384615 | Granite Bay |
VILLA PARK HIGH SCHOOL | 33.0 | 5.0 | 15.151515 | Villa Park |
PALO ALTO SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL | 139.0 | 21.0 | 15.107914 | Palo Alto |
MIRA LOMA HIGH SCHOOL | 34.0 | 5.0 | 14.705882 | Sacramento |
SARATOGA HIGH SCHOOL | 184.0 | 27.0 | 14.673913 | Saratoga |
SOUTH PASADENA HIGH SCHOOL | 75.0 | 11.0 | 14.666667 | South Pasadena |
AMADOR VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 192.0 | 28.0 | 14.583333 | Pleasanton |
TEMPLE CITY HIGH SCHOOL | 165.0 | 24.0 | 14.545455 | Temple City |
EVERGREEN VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 264.0 | 38.0 | 14.393939 | San Jose |
SAN LEANDRO HIGH SCHOOL | 56.0 | 8.0 | 14.285714 | San Leandro |
BURLINGAME HIGH SCHOOL | 64.0 | 9.0 | 14.062500 | Burlingame |
CRESCENTA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 108.0 | 15.0 | 13.888889 | La Crescenta |
OXFORD ACADEMY | 102.0 | 14.0 | 13.725490 | Cypress |
ARROYO HIGH SCHOOL | 89.0 | 12.0 | 13.483146 | El Monte |
ARROYO HIGH SCHOOL | 89.0 | 12.0 | 13.483146 | San Lorenzo |
ALHAMBRA HIGH SCHOOL | 104.0 | 14.0 | 13.461538 | Alhambra |
ALHAMBRA HIGH SCHOOL | 104.0 | 14.0 | 13.461538 | Martinez |
COSUMNES OAKS HIGH SCHOOL | 52.0 | 7.0 | 13.461538 | Elk Grove |
ENCINAL HIGH SCHOOL | 30.0 | 4.0 | 13.333333 | Alameda |
WESTVIEW HIGH SCHOOL | 128.0 | 17.0 | 13.281250 | San Diego |
EL TORO HIGH SCHOOL | 38.0 | 5.0 | 13.157895 | Lake Forest |
YERBA BUENA HIGH SCHOOL | 61.0 | 8.0 | 13.114754 | San Jose |
DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL | 161.0 | 21.0 | 13.043478 | San Diego |
ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL | 261.0 | 34.0 | 13.026820 | Arcadia |
TROY HIGH SCHOOL | 200.0 | 26.0 | 13.000000 | Fullerton |
LYNBROOK HIGH SCHOOL | 263.0 | 34.0 | 12.927757 | San Jose |
DOUGHERTY VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL | 457.0 | 59.0 | 12.910284 | San Ramon |
CARLMONT HIGH SCHOOL | 125.0 | 16.0 | 12.800000 | Belmont |
JAMES LOGAN HIGH SCHOOL | 141.0 | 18.0 | 12.765957 | Union City |
SANTA TERESA HIGH SCHOOL | 71.0 | 9.0 | 12.676056 | San Jose |
SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL | 79.0 | 10.0 | 12.658228 | Bakersfield |
SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL | 79.0 | 10.0 | 12.658228 | Torrance |
VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL | 166.0 | 21.0 | 12.650602 | Placentia |
VALENCIA HIGH SCHOOL | 166.0 | 21.0 | 12.650602 | Valencia |
DUBLIN HIGH SCHOOL | 279.0 | 35.0 | 12.544803 | Dublin |
BALBOA HIGH SCHOOL | 88.0 | 11.0 | 12.500000 | San Francisco |
SILVER CREEK HIGH SCHOOL | 112.0 | 14.0 | 12.500000 | San Jose |
WEST CAMPUS HIGH SCHOOL | 48.0 | 6.0 | 12.500000 | Sacramento |
GEORGE WASHINGTON HIGH SCHOOL | 162.0 | 20.0 | 12.345679 | San Francisco |
CANYON CREST ACADEMY | 179.0 | 22.0 | 12.290503 | San Diego |
SUNNY HILLS HIGH SCHOOL | 147.0 | 18.0 | 12.244898 | Fullerton |
MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL | 100.0 | 12.0 | 12.000000 | El Monte |
MOUNTAIN VIEW HIGH SCHOOL | 100.0 | 12.0 | 12.000000 | Mountain View |
OAKLAND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL | 75.0 | 9.0 | 12.000000 | Oakland |
PIONEER HIGH SCHOOL | 50.0 | 6.0 | 12.000000 | San Jose |
PIONEER HIGH SCHOOL | 50.0 | 6.0 | 12.000000 | Woodland |
DAVIS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL | 84.0 | 10.0 | 11.904762 | Davis |
MONTE VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | 126.0 | 15.0 | 11.904762 | Danville |
MONTE VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | 126.0 | 15.0 | 11.904762 | Spring Valley |
As a graphic artist, I've found that I can create something completely original from the darkest recesses of my mind and not sell a single print of that work. Meanwhile, when I create something, such as my Fox Theater Oakland Print, it keeps selling year after year because more and more people develop a connection to that music venue. I created that print for the same reason, I have been to so many great shows there and, while being relatively new, is now a staple of the Oakland/East Bay California culture.
In this day and age where everything is online, one would be surprised to learn that most of my sales happen in person with customers right on my mom's porch. The benefit of this is that I usually get to have a nice five minute conversation (I've actually had an hours long conversation with some) with many of those buying my prints. And I can tell you one thing, it's very rare that I hear people choose something only because it fits the aesthetic of the room they are decorating. Almost all of the time, it's because it invokes a positive memory that simply makes them happy.
I recently sold my San Francisco Bay Bridge & Harrison St print to a family who literally lives right at the location where the artwork is inspired from. Some might find it odd to want artwork of a scene they see daily, but for this family, it symbolizes their love and pride for their neighborhood, illustrating a profound connection.
In a different lifetime, I use to sell fast fashion, similar to Forever 21. It was only until years later did I realize how disposable the clothes were. While fortunately I don't think much art goes into the landfills as clothing, I think emotionally disposable artwork is also a tragedy. Artwork chosen because it fits a certain aesthetic or artwork that happens to be the right color, to me that's emotionally disposable art. Unfortunately, when I look at platforms like Etsy, I feel a lot of the best sellers, which many are mass printed in China, are filling only aesthetic needs.
When you choose your next piece of art, I really hope you don't approach it from the view of "I need to fill this wall with something that matches this paint color." Rather, I hope you reflect and think what are some memories that result in positive thoughts. Was it a trip to Yosemite or New York City. Is it a love for music or food. Is it a love for animals or nature. Is there a certain era of art (impressionism, pop art, street art) that makes you fantasize about a different world.
The possibilities of finding something you connect with are endless so while I know it's tempting try and choose something that simply "fits" a room, I will always suggest people to choose something that they feel connected to.
For my part, I'm greeted daily by a large print of one of my blue bulls as I work. This piece holds a special place in my heart and kitchen – it's a constant reminder of my love for animals and my commitment to a meat-free lifestyle. As someone of Chinese heritage, this artwork also resonates with me because of its significance in Chinese Feng Shui, symbolizing strength and stability. Moreover, it bears a personal milestone: this blue bull was the first 24 x 32" print I sold as a professional graphic artist, marking the start of my journey in this field. It's more than just a print; it's a collage of my values, heritage, and professional achievements.
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California is set to be the 4th largest economy in the world, which means the state of California will have a larger economy than Germany and the United Kingdom. I'm quite liberal, but after a while when you read what our liberal politicians say versus what's going on in the state, I can't help but think that California is just one big playground for the rich.
]]>By far the easiest trick I found to creating a more unique space was through wall art, but I don't mean the wall art you find at discount big box retailers like, Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc or even at stores like Cost Plus World Market. I can't tell you how many times I've seen those mass manufactured wall art hung up at mom and pop restaurants trying to do their best job at decorating.
In our case, because I was a serious hobbyist photographer, we printed large prints from my own library and framed them. In another room, I retrieved vintage oil paintings that my mom and dad sold in 1970s that fortunately were timeless in nature and I still haven't seen elsewhere.
A clean and minimalist space is generally "good enough" to providing a positive guest experience, but using art is by far the easiest way to add personality to your Airbnb space. Art can be an excellent tool to make a room more unique and add a personal touch to the space. Here are a few ways you can use art to transform a room:
Create a focal point: Hang a large painting or photograph on a wall to create a focal point in the room. This can be a great way to draw attention to a particular area and add visual interest.
Use color: Incorporate colorful artwork to add a pop of color to the room. This can be particularly effective in spaces with neutral or monochromatic color schemes.
Mix and match: Experiment with different types of artwork, such as paintings, sculptures, and photographs, to create an eclectic mix that reflects your personal style.
Play with scale: Use oversized art pieces to make a statement in a room. This can be particularly effective in large, open spaces.
Incorporate personal touches: Use art to showcase your personality and interests. This could include hanging family photographs, displaying your own artwork, or incorporating pieces that relate to your hobbies and passions.
Overall, art can be a powerful tool to make a room more unique and reflective of your personal style. Experiment with different types of art and find pieces that speak to you and make you happy.
Be sure to check out our original art prints & posters to help make your Airbnb stand out from the rest.
]]>I wrote a very lengthy blog about what I've done in my life to get to where I am and you can find that here. I think everything I wrote in that post is important, but that blog post got quite out of hand in length. So, I wanted to write a new post choosing one piece of advice to give someone who hasn't yet reached a level of stability with their disease; fight the inflammation.
For this blog, I originally wrote about trying to sleep on a normal schedule because that's the safe answer, but the truth is that I lived for years with episodes and still had a terrible sleep schedule. I finally did actively work on having a normal sleep schedule and I do believe that has helped my health, but that was really more of an icing on the cake for me.
But, in my personal/anecdotal experience, it was when I started fighting inflammation in my body did I stop having episodes. Again, I'm not a scientist or doctor and everybody is different. It's possible sleeping on a normal schedule for 7-9 hours is your key and the inflammation is a secondary component.
For me, it was when I stopped from eating an all red meat diet, this was when South Beach Diet was a thing, to becoming a pescatarian. A pescatarian is a person who follows a diet that includes fish and seafood but avoids other types of meat such as beef, pork, and poultry. Pescatarianism is a type of semi-vegetarianism, which means that while pescatarians exclude certain types of meat from their diet, they still consume animal products such as eggs and dairy.
I was still eating processed food, which is terrible for inflammation, but I guess just stopping the red meat and switching to seafood, which is rich in Omega-3, Vitamin D, and Vitamin B6/B12, was really the change I needed to essentially change my life. I ultimately did stop eating processed foods and really started adding plenty of vegetables and fruits into my diet, but that was years after I stopped having major episodes.
I don't want to ramble on too much, so I'll stop here, but here's a link to what a low inflammation diet looks like: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
Good luck and I truly believe you can get better. I'm honestly amazed I lived past 25-26 years old. Today, I'm in my early 40s with a wife and a 2 years old that we adore.
]]>"Advocates are troubled by injustice, and they typically care more about altruism than personal gain." I mean, it sounds great, but I've also spent a lot of time in misery and haven't financially done well. So, when I heard Elon Musk was going to acquire Twitter, being the person that I am, I deleted my Twitter account.
I wasn't particularly active, so there wasn't much to lose, but the question that kept bugging me was there's Parler, Truth, and now Twitter seemingly wanting to cater to the a certain segment of the population, which doesn't make much sense financially since it ultimately feel niche, where is the inverse? How come there isn't a social media Twitter clone that basically does the opposite of those platforms and does it un-apologetically?
And no, it's not META/Facebook, remember Cambridge Analytics? It's certainly not TikTok who more likely than not is proving information to the Chinese government. BTW, I'm Asian so this isn't some anti-Asian thing, it's about how governments and information work. Finally, to be honest, I don't know enough about Snapchat to give an opinion one way or the other.
The closest, from the very limited research I've done, is Mastodon. It's an open-source (wait isn't that what Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey was hoping Twitter would be), non-profit, decentralized, and from what I can tell, ad-free. Full disclosure, I have very little experience on the platform, but decentralized social media feels like the future. FYI, I never owned a single crypto in my life and never shilled it. I'm talking specifically about decentralization and social media where a single company can't influence what you see.
Don't get me wrong, there will be users and companies trying to "penetrate" the platform in hopes to "influence" users, but at least its up to individuals and communities rather than a single corporate entity deciding how to deal with it or not deal with. From what I can tell, one could set-up a server dedicated to utter misinformation and conspiracy theories, but as a user, from what I believe, you can decide to be cut off from that community. It turns out the far-right social media platform, Gab, tried to use Mastodon, but administrators and users coordinated to isolate them until they gave up and went the route of a centralized platform like Facebook.
While I can't 100% vouch for the platform since I'm so new to it, it's certainly worth a look.
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A few years ago, I started trading foreign exchange (FOREX). Fortunately, very early on, I was lucky enough to listen to a podcaster interviewing a trader who sells an online course and he was talking about how becoming a trader was like learning how to become a lawyer or even a doctor. That one doesn't became a lawyer or doctor overnight, but only after years of studying. So luckily, I never put in more than $300 in my trading account and so far I haven't lost that money.
When the "COVID-19 Era" started, I found nearly 100% of my income gone in a flash. That's because almost all our income was dependent on the travel industry. So, as you can guess, I started to get more serious about trading.
My brilliant acquaintance, after he graduated from LBS, got probably one of the most sought out jobs anyone can get, energy trader. He was so successful that after a few years, he quit and literally traveled the world for I believe the next three or so years before starting his studies in Germany. He didn't travel in luxury, but I don't think there are a lot of people who could afford to do what he did.
I decided to reach out to him via messenger to see if he could advise me on study materials, such as books, videos, websites, etc. During our conversation, he asked me why I wanted to trade. I told him to so that I could maintain our lifestyle of staying home, working and basically just surviving. Remember, the pandemic had basically rendered me unemployed with zero income and our business was never booming so we basically had less than $2k in saving.
The reason he asked me this is because, in his opinion, the only reason to trade is for "intellectual curiosity." As I already mentioned, this was coming from someone I regard as being maybe the most intelligent person I've ever met. So, obviously, it made me think for a moment.
Ultimately, despite how highly I regard him, without a doubt in my mind, I know that my friend is wrong. While intellectual curiosity has driven people like Einstein and many great minds in human history, there is probably no greater motivation than being poor.
Every day, there are people killing, cheating, stealing, or risking their own lives because of money. If there's one thing that COVID-19 has shown, then it's that essential workers aren't going to work and risking the health of themselves and their family out of intellectual curiosity, but because of basic survival. While I'm sure there are those who do it out of "intellectual curiosity," and maybe those are the most successful at whatever they do, I would argue that it's pretty rare and those are essentially outliers.
Oddly enough, I ended up enrolling in an online trading course from a former M.D. who quit to become a full-time trader. In a couple of interviews, he talks about the reason he became a doctor is because he hated being poor. Nonetheless, he received his MD from the University of Chicago and even was a professor at Emory University, despite knowing he wanted to be a professional trader since he was young. Quiet literally, his motivation to become a doctor was money, basically to not be poor, and he certainly achieved a certain level of success from that motivation.
Comedian Ronny Chieng does a whole bit about how the motivation for Asian parents to push their children into medicine has nothing to do with helping or saving people, but one hundred percent about the money and social status. While the world would be better if helping people was the only reason people became doctors, to say that money has nothing to do with it, especially in capitalists societies, would be fairly naive.
Life lesson, don't let anyone tell you what your motivation for your actions should be. Or, probably more accurately, don't let people tell you that there's only one reason for why you should do something. And above all, don't let people tell you that you can't be successful because you don't share their motivation.
]]>I was a bit shocked since I'm very familiar with the inspiration of the song. I remember watching Eric Clapton perform it on MTV's Unplugged decades ago and seeing that there was some true emotion there. It was only more than a decade later when "googling" became a thing where I found out the inspiration of the song.
Released in 1991, Tears in Heaven was inspired by maybe the most horrific tragedy that any parent could think of. On March 20, 1991, Eric Clapton's 4 year-old-son, Connor, accidentally fell to his death at his mother's New York City apartment after a window was left open after janitorial work. It's such a tragic story that it's hard to even think about, but you can read more about it on biography.com.
That being said, a wedding song is between the two people coming together and so what's ultimately important is what the song means to them and not anyone else.
But, if you are reconsidering, then here are a few suggestions:
Anne & I's unoffical wedding song: The Hollies "The Air That I Breathe." It's a certified love song and longing for family. Albert Hammond, who co-wrote the song, moved to Los Angeles to be with a woman he fell in love with. He didn't quiet like Los Angeles. The "air" that's being sung about is the Los Angeles smog. He also missed his family back in London. Nonetheless, the song talks about how he doesn't need cigarettes, sleep, light, sound, food, and books as long as he's with this woman.
John Lennon's "Oh My Love": While there's a certain generation who is against John and Yoko Ono's union, there's no way to deny that they were really deeply in love and connected on a level that a lot of people don't. BTW, John Lennon, in interviews, credited Yoko Ono as being a co-writer of Imagine. Anyway, "Oh My Love," is basic and raw, simply talking about the love between two people and how that makes one see and sense things for the first time because of that.
The Beatle's "In My Life": Goosebumps, that's all I can say. It's been a while since I listened to this song and I just got goosebumps listening to it. It's a simple song talking about wonderful memories, but the best is yet to come since "they" are not together.
Elton John's "Your Song": Not sure there's much to say about this song. It's the song that made Elton John, "Elton John." It's one of the most popular songs that Anne prints for her business and you can't fault any couple for choosing it.
Check out Anne Wesley's custom wedding vowel and song prints here.
]]>Of course, the COVID-19 era started and now, for me personally, it is not worth the risk to see a movie in a theater with strangers free to snack, drink, and essentially not wear a mask for 2 hours and 29 minutes. About a month into the pandemic, experts made a list, ranking the most risky activities from zero to ten, with zero being the least risky. Going to a movie theater is rated as an eight.
Here is another chart showing the risks of different activities. The creators of the index says you should feel free to download and share the graphic.
Facebook came on my radar when I was studying in London for my Master's Degree during 2007. All my classmates were on it and so I signed up. To be honest, I didn't care for it. Just like now, I didn't really see the point of it and when the news feed was introduced, I still didn't care. Don't get me wrong, I love connecting with friends and new people. After all, I'm also one of the first internet daters to exist. For me, at that time, I really enjoyed emails and text messages. I didn't really see how Facebook added to that and, for me, it still doesn't because it have never helped me connect with people in a meaningful way.
But my relationship with Facebook got more complicated. While I was in London, my now wife and I, started an online clothing store. Holy Moly, relatively speaking, we were probably at the tail end of the first wave of online efashion retailers. Shopify, BigCommerce, and other shopping cart platforms that are so popular now didn't even exist back then. When I moved back from London to the San Francisco Bay Area, I decided to continue the business and I spent thousands of dollars on building a following for a Facebook page.
While that business was never successful, to a certain level, I was able to make money from Facebook. I think that also means I'm in the first-generation of users to make money from Facebook ads. As you can guess, my opinion quickly changed. I went from, "I really don't see the point of Facebook," to "Facebook and social media is the future."
Through Facebook, I was able to get a consulting job with a public traded company in Thailand that paid me back for any money I ever lost running old Facebook ads and help pay off 1/3 of my student loans. During that time, I even had two investors willing to invest a total of $500K-$750K in the business, though I turned both investors down. Nonetheless, that all happened in a large part due to Facebook.
But, and of course there is a but, things started to change. I eventually closed that fashion business down because it never really made enough money and I was basically on Facebook as a "normal user." Maybe it was because I was transitioning from a failed business and even the next business venture I had failed, but my relationship with Facebook and the internet took a pretty bad turn. Not surprisingly, this was around 2012 or 2013.
Maybe like many people in their 20s, I was a real optimist. I really thought I could do something good in this world by building a business and helping people around me. I remember having thoughts about how if I ever made enough money that I would just give my friends a million bucks and basically just take care of the people around me.
Not that I'm not empathetic now, but I really felt the pains of the world and it really bothered me. Even when Bush won his second-term, things still never felt like the world was going to end. Terrible things were happening that made me incredibly sad, but here's the thing, I was never really truly angry.
I would say that around 2012 and beyond, I started getting truly angry at people and the world. I know this sounds nuts, but around this time, it was when reality tv and social media influencers started taking over everything on the internet. I remember one of my reoccurring thoughts was, "how could people keep spending money to be like the Kardashians, while we have children dying in Syria, global warming, and overall suffering happening across the world?"
Honestly, it's still a thought I have today, but that thought went from frustration to real anger after a while. And, as you can guess, the 2016 election only brought everything to a boil and the pot is still boiling over. Compared to the Iraq war, where I certainly didn't care to be around people who supported it. I actually ended a friendship with someone who said that the Iraq War was a "sunk cost." I didn't have complete animosity and have a hard time getting through my day because of them.
On a side not, while social media is helping divide and polarize this country even more, it's just amplifying the divide that has always been there since the history of man. Because, you know, the Civil War happened without computers or social media.
It was definitely the 2016 election that I started to realize how unhappy the news and social media was making me. Since then, like an addicted "user," I've taken steps to basically quit this abusive and addictive cycle of social media and news feeds.
While I definitely have improved my relationship with social media, it's still a work in progress, but below is a list of things I doing for my "recovery."
1. I quit using Google News
The biggest detriment to my mental health is probably when I read upsetting news. This really became an issue when I discovered Google News and the iOS app. With Google News, no matter how often I told it that I didn't want to read about Trump, Politics, murders, etc, it would constantly show these news articles at the top of my daily briefing.
While one could argue that Trump is the headline of the day, though I can't see why Trump Tweets should be in the headlines, the last straw for me was when Google started showing me homicide stories from across the US that weren't national news. Unfortunately, certain type of homicides happen every day, but for some reason Google News wanted to keep pushing those stories on me even when I told it that I wasn't interested.
It didn't take me long to realize how abusive Google News was. It was really trying to trigger such an emotional response to keep me as a "user." What Google didn't realize is that what made me addicted to Google News was simply knowing what real life changing events were happening. For example, for me, real news, before COVID-19, was an article about when autonomous driving could be the standard. Having an idea of when people in the US would be traveling by self-driving cars to me is real news, not when Trump, Elon Musk, or Kanye West sends out a tweet. That's not real news, that's literally tabloid news. The same type of news one would have read in the National Inquirer.
I was willing to stay in this abusive relationship with Google News so that I could always be on top of what real world changing event were happening. But the problem is that just reading the headline, without even reading the article, is enough to set me off. At this point, most people don't need to read the article to know what's in it. For example, one recent article is titled, "‘He’s a small child’: Utah police shot a 13 -year-old boy with autism after his mother called 911 for help". Without even reading the article, most empathetic people should be upset just by reading the title.
While it's hard to argue against Google search results when looking up news on a specific topic, I had to quit the iOS app. Now, I'll only use Google news on a browser searching for specific news topics that I want to dive deeper into.
2. I don't read news pushed onto me, I go find news from reputable news sources (AP News, Reuters)
Fortunately, unlike my Google News addiction, it didn't take me long to realize that some news being shared on the Facebook Feed was complete trash. Especially after the 2016 election, I made it a point to not read any news being pushed on me from social media. Instead, every day, well several times a day, I visit what I believe are reputable news sources, such as the Associated Press for world news and Reuters for more business and economic news. Unfortunately, all news agencies are truly obsessed with Trump, which is one reason he won the 2016 election, but it's at least a bit muted compared to CNN or Fox News, which are basically on the extreme end of the biases. I find even National Public Radio can be too obsessed with Trump and political news that I've minimized my visits to their website.
BTW, if you think Associated Press is "fake new," then you really should quit social media and the internet as a whole and look to truly define what a fact is to you and test to see if that definition always holds true.
Unfortunately, for local news, it's literally impossible to escape click bait news. The movie, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, is a perfect movie on why local news is generally so terrible. Have you noticed how news anchors can go from looking so serious when talking about a grizzly murder, to so happy when talking about a viral video. And why is the "news" showing viral pet videos? It's basically like watching a bunch of sociopaths pretending to have human feelings. As you can guess, I don't watch local news. I read it like the rest of my news. Nonetheless, local news can be pretty important, especially during COVID-19 so I scan headlines for what's important from my free local news site.
3. I use Facebook only for to sell old junk and even then I still use a pseudonym
During the George Floyd protests and when Mark Zukerberg refused to do anything about certain Trump posts, combined with how Facebook shaped the 2016 election by letting fake news spread like our California Wildfires, I decided to truly minimize my use of Facebook and the information it has on me.
For example, I don't use my real name, birthday, list my location, or basically provide any profile information. I unfriended everybody and unfollowed/unliked all pages, which includes music, bands, movies, books, that I've liked in the past. If I'm actually shown an ad, I mark it as not interested.
There was a day when people posted a blacked out profile picture to support the Black Lives Matter movement and I just decided to stick with that.
Basically, I have the minimum of what could be considered a profile on Facebook. I use it because my wife is still on there and I think it's a decent way to log-in to other websites, especially when all the information Facebook has on me is either incorrect or non-existent.
4. I minimally use Instagram and barely use Twitter
In a different life, I would have love to been a photojournalist, so I do enjoy posting my photos on Instagram and I still can't get away from seeing how many "likes" a photo gets. Fortunately, for the same reason why I essentially quit Facebook, I haven't really posted much on Instagram. In the explorer tab, Instagram is very responsive to when I say I'm not interested in a certain post. Generally, when I say I'm not interested in a political post, TikTok dancing videos, etc, it'll remember that and very rarely show me those photos again.
I've never been a big Twitter user. I literally only follow three account, California Earthquake, City of Alameda, and Alameda Power. I skip the explore tab completely because it's usually junk news or trends to keep users engaged.
5. Other social media platforms, don't know them, don't want to know them
My generation is basically the Myspace and Facebook Generation, so I never got on TikTok, Snapchat, or whatever else is out there.
6. My Youtube feed doesn't know what to suggest
My Youtube feed really only suggests maybe 5, at most 10, different channels that I've watched in the past. Just like Instagram, I proactively mark when I'm not interested in certain channels and topics. I think I've done it to the point where Youtube doesn't actually know what videos to suggest, so all they can do is suggest videos from channels that I'm already watching.
As you can guess, I avoid the explore tabs all together, especially the news tabs. Those are literally all Trump news videos. If I want to see news on a specific subject, then I'll search for it myself and make sure I'm watching it from a real news source.
7. I use Firefox and stopped using Google search
Tor browsers are probably the most private internet browsers, but earlier versions were very slow so I just settle with Firefox and use a minimal tracking search engine, such as DuckDuckGo or Startpage. While I still use Google Mail because of its Spam filters, to a certain degree, I've cut off a big chunk of what Google wants, which is to track just about everything you do online. Gmail scans your emails, Google remembers all your search queries and clicks, and, through Youtube, knows what videos you're watching. By not using google search, it takes a big chunk out of what data they're tracking and storing on you.
8. I usually just stick with the same handful of website that I always visit
When I'm not researching for a blog post, I only have a dozen or so websites that I visit and I stick with them. Sticking within these "walls" helps me to stay sane and be less angry with the world. I'm 100% sure I'm missing out on something in the vast world wide web, but I honestly don't mind at this point.
So far, these steps have really help me get back on a healthier track with technology and the internet. Fundamentally, I try to minimize my exposure to platforms that depend on serving ads and in many ways I'm just trying to go back to "old school" technology of emails and direct messages to communicate with people. As I mentioned before, it's all a work in progress because my wife and I make our living online, a small living, but a living nonetheless. So, for us to literally unplug isn't realistic at this point.
Best of luck to you and hopefully you have or will have a healthy relationship with social media platforms.
]]>Spoiler: Purple Air Map using the LRAPA Conversion on a short-time interval
For those of us living in the San Francisco Bay Area, October 2017 was the beginning of a "new era" in terms of wildfires. In 2018, Northern California experienced the deadliest wildfire and in 2020, we are in the middle of the largest combined wildfire in California history. Jake Hess, Cal Fire Unit Chief for Santa Clara, says we're now living in an era of "mega-fires."
For those of living Alameda, we're quiet lucky because the risk of death or damage by these fires is probably non-existent, but it doesn't mean we are free of potential health risks; air pollution. This especially applies to children and teens, seniors, and/or those with lung disease. A John Hopkins study found that children exposed to outdoor coarse particulate matter (PM10-2.5), were more likely to develop asthma and need emergency room or hospital treatment for it.
For those who have children or even pets that are treated like children, it's not realistic to stay indoors all the time, especially when there are windows in the morning, late afternoon, and evening when the air quality is moderate enough for some outdoor exposure. But to choose the right time, we need to know which Air Quality Map, Monitor, or App is best to make that decision.
On August 24, 2020 at 12:32pm, here are the US AQI readings for my Central Alameda location from what I believe are the most popular sources:
AirNow.gov App & Website: 153 (unhealthy). Side note, ten minutes ago it was showing reporting 98 (moderate). That's a huge jump in just ten minutes, I'll tell you why in a bit.
Airvisuals: 181 (unhealthy)
Purple Air Map (closest sensor LRAPA conversion showing real time): 154 (unhealthy)
While the AirNow and Purple Air are showing very similar readings, that's actually more coincidental than anything else.
As I "spoiled" at the beginning of this post, I choose Purple Air's Website using the LRAPA conversion. Here's my reasoning.
AirNow is definitely using the most accurate equipment at their stations. From what I've read, these are $20K stations. The problem is how they report. AirNow, for Alameda specifically, uses information from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD). BAAQMD feeds Airnow with an hourly average from two hours before, choosing the highest number among the West Oakland, Laney College, and East Oakland stations.
Hence, that's the reason why at 11:59am, Air Now can be reporting an AQI of 98 and in the next minute an AQI of 153. Not only that, but 98 and 153 are readings from 9am and 10am, respectively, which is two hours before. This obviously isn't very helpful if you step out the door to let you children play at 11:59am, thinking that it should be okay for the time being. In reality, you're making decisions using somewhat outdated information.
Also, surprisingly, the AQI can vastly differ from mile to mile. For example, using the BAAQMD readings, the AQI 7am average was 90 at Laney College and 52 in West Oakland, which is about a five minute drive. That's a 73% increase between the two sites. Using the Purple Air map, my closest Purple Air sensor shows an AQI of 147, while Ballena Bay is showing an AQI of 63. That's a huge difference for a location only 1-1.5 miles away.
While Airnow has the most accurate information in term of technical readings, but relatively speaking, it's outdated and not very useful if you're not right next to the stations.
Moving on to AirVisual, the app combines official government and Purple Air as sources. Between 2-3pm, AirVisual is reporting an AQI of 144 for all of Alameda. Unfortunately, they don't discuss exactly how they get that number, though they do cite the sources. From what I can tell, it is an hourly average from the previous hour, but from how many and which monitors is unknown. Once again, not very helpful in making decisions.
For example, right now at 2:59pm, Airvisuals last updated "Alameda" at 2pm, while I can go to the Purple Air Map and see that the real time data shows an AQI 66 with the LRAPA conversion for the closest station to me, Sherman St. Using the AirVisuals data, I'm still stuck in my house, using the Purple Air data, I can confidently leave the house.
Why can I be confident? Because the EPA, South Coast Air Quality Management Department (SCAQMD), Berkeley Labs, Lane Regional Protection Agency (LRAPA), are among some of the agencies studying the accuracy of Purple Air Sensors. While almost all agencies say that Purple Air over reports PM2.5 levels, which is what is most important during the wildfires, according to Berkeley Labs, "the relative changes correlated well with both the regulatory and professional monitors." The South Coast AQMD also found this correlation for PM1 and PM2.5, though the correlation is not very good at PM10.
Berkeley Labs found that if they multiplied the reading by 0.48, it gave similar readings as their institutional equipment. Not surprisingly, the 0.48 multiple is very close to the LRAPA conversion given on the Purple Air website. From what I've read, this conversion is most useful when the pollutant is basically from wildfires.
With multiple agencies validating the Purple Air Sensors correlation with regulatory and professional monitors, which is mostly corrected using the LRAPA conversion, it's hard to argue against using the Purple Air Map on Alameda. On Alameda, there are 11 outdoor sensors feeding data covering most of the island, though one or two sensor seems to be an outlier at times. Unless you're staring right at Laney College, these sensors are much more applicable for those on Alameda.
Finally, the Purple Air map gives you an option of seeing real time data, so you're not basing decision from an hourly average one or two hours ago.
At 3:30pm, AirNow is reporting and AQI of 159, based off a reading two hours ago at the East Oakland station, Airvisuals an AQI of 91, last updated 30 minutes ago and based off of some unknown modeled data from stations that may or may not be near me, and Purple Air is showing me an AQI of 50 from the closest sensor to my location, the "Sherman St Station," with the LRAPA conversion applied.
Knowing that the Purple Air sensors have been well studied for correlation accuracy against regulatory and professional monitors, using the LRAPA conversion, and looking at the sensors closest to me, I can confidently take a step out of my house while those looking at AirNow or even AirVisual are waiting for better readings.
]]>Update: April 2, 2020, Trump admin moves toward promoting broader use of face masks
For the first time in our blog, I'm writing somewhat politically charged posts, but I've realized how important it is to help people funnel through the information that's out there. First, let me present some fact and then I'll give you what I think is pretty much the most logical conclusion on face masks.
On February 27th, 2020 the CDC tweeted: "CDC does not currently recommend the use of facemasks to help prevent novel #coronavirus"
On March 1, 2020, the Surgeon General said "They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!"
On March 3, 2020, a senior official with the Strategic National Stockpile said that the "department intends to purchase as many as 500 million respirators and face masks over the next 18 months."
On March 4, 2020 the Department of Health and Human Services stated that they only have 1% of the "required respirator masks that would be needed for medical professionals if the COVID-19 outbreak were to erupt into a pandemic here."
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a pandemic.
On March 11, 2020, a bill is drafted to put give face mask manufactures "blanket liability" so that they do not have to fear lawsuits in quickly producing face masks.
Conclusion:
I hope you can see that there is a logical conclusion here. If not, then let me break it down for you. The USA is well understocked for face masks and respirators for healthcare professionals. In fact, only 1% is available. Therefore, the Strategic National Stockpile is planning to purchase up to 500 million respirators and face masks in the next 18 months. The government needs to speed up production so much that they are potentially freeing all manufacturers of face masks of all legal liability, or "blanket liability."
I hope there isn't any doubt that the government NEEDS the face masks to protect healthcare workers from COVID-19. Let me put it to you in another way, healthcare workers are humans and face masks protect them from COVID-19.
So, why would non-healthcare workers, who are also human, not be protected by face masks? Simple answer, the surgeon general and CDC knows that the majority of people will not know the correct procedure of putting on masks, which include fit/seal testing, the correct procedure to take off a face mask, and finally the correct procedure of disposing of a face masks. Unfortunately, there is a lot of truth in that and honestly I can't argue that.
For example, people in the San Francisco Bay Area are OK with wearing N95 masks during the wild fires, but in this situation they are afraid that people will think they are sick. So, OK to wear a face mask during wildfires, not OK to wear a face mask during a viral pandemic. That's the pure level of stupidity we're dealing with.
Professionals are trained on the topic, but guess what. It's literally not rocket science. 3M, the manufacturer of most of the face masks, has instructional guides on youtube.
Anyway, that's my conclusion and my prediction is that when we get deeper into this pandemic, which is only going to get worse according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, people who were making fun on those wearing masks are going to change their minds just as quickly as they were to make judgement on those wearing them.
Update (March 31, 2020): No surprise, but my prediction that I made over 2 weeks ago seems like it's coming closer to being true. Dr Anthony Fauci, as well as the CDC, is slowly backtracking about wearing face masks. My next prediction is that once there are enough face masks for health care workers, all americans will be advised to wear them from Fauci and the CDC. BTW, the stock ticker symbol for 3M is MMM.
South Korea's version of Dr. Fauci is Dr. Kim Woo-Joo and in this interview he did with the YouTube Channel "Asian boss," he understands why the US and European countries are not suggesting face masks (limited supply), but he also believes it's a mistake to say that face masks do not help.
Please stay safe and healthy and good luck.
]]>I generally hate to express strong opinion pieces on our company blog, but I thought it's necessary because my wife and my mom were just listed as most at risk of "serious Covad-19" by the Center for Disease control. The list included underlying conditions that are of no surprise, such as asthma, which my 69 mom has and was hospitalized in 2019 due to simple air pollution. But, what I'm hoping is the real game changer is that the CDC lists "Currently and recent pregnancy in the last two weeks"
The link to the CDC Bulletin is here and the full list is at the bottom in Appendix A. So, even if you don't care if grandma or grandpa or your aging parent is going to battle something like pneumonia, then hopefully people will care about their pregnant wife and their unborn child going through something like that.
My mom was lucky enough not to have pneumonia last year when she was admitted to the hospital twice, but even without it, she looked in frightening shape. I cannot imagine how bad it would have looked if she did have it. Now, imagine your wife who is already going through something physically demanding suffering from pneumonia, feeling like they cannot breathe, and needing to be hooked up to a ventilator.
I haven't discussed this, but Anne & I have been going through the IVF Process in the very busy city of San Francisco, California. Two hours after we transferred the embryo, I read the CDC Bulletin, which is practically buried with all the other coronavirus news. So, I went from worrying just about my mom getting sick to now my potentially pregnant wife and unborn child.
Anyway, that is my argument for why people should be taking the coronavirus way more serious than I've seen. People call the news "fear mongers," but I can tell you from my personal situation that I have literally everything to lose and for the most part is because of some weird lackadaisical attitude towards the coronavirus. Maybe it's a defense mechanism where people think coronavirus just exists on TV and not in real life, but this is really happening. I almost can't believe it's happening, but I cannot afford to pretend it's not happening and so I'm up-to-date on all information regarding COVID-19.
I think it's important to keep up-to-date, as well as managing the stress of the situation, which I'm trying to learn how to do, but it's a lot of information to process. I believe it's true that preparation is the only thing that makes you feel like you have some control of a seemingly uncontrollable situation.
OK, to all those who are in risk of serious COVID-19 or have family members, which should be many people, stay safe and healthy. Good luck.
Underlying medical conditions that may increase the risk of serious COVID-19 for individuals of any age.
•Current or recent pregnancy in the last two weeks
•Blood disorders (e.g., sickle cell disease or on blood thinners)
•Chronic kidney disease as defined by your doctor. Patient has been toldto avoid or reduce the dose of medications because kidney disease, or isunder treatment for kidney disease, including receiving dialysis
•Chronic liver disease as defined by your doctor. (e.g., cirrhosis, chronichepatitis) Patient has been told to avoid or reduce the dose ofmedications because liver disease or is under treatment for liverdisease. 6
•Compromised immune system (immunosuppression) (e.g., seeing adoctor for cancer and treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation,received an organ or bone marrow transplant, taking high doses ofcorticosteroids or other immunosuppressant medications, HIV or AIDS)
•Endocrine disorders (e.g., diabetes mellitus)
•Metabolic disorders (such as inherited metabolic disorders andmitochondrial disorders)
•Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease, congestive heart failureand coronary artery disease)
•Lung disease including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease (chronic bronchitis or emphysema) or other chronic conditionsassociated with impaired lung function or that require home oxygen
•Neurological and neurologic and neurodevelopmentconditions [including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheralnerve, and muscle such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy (seizure disorders),stroke, intellectual disability, moderate to severe developmental delay,muscular dystrophy, or spinal cord inju
]]>Update March 11, 2020: It's only been one day since I posted this blog post and the situation is escalating quickly in the USA. While my advice below still stands, avoid San Francisco (really any big city) if you can.
I'll start by saying that I'm actually taking the coronavirus situation probably more seriously that most people because I have a 69 year old mom who was hospitalized in 2019 for asthma, something that she's battled for 40+ years. With her age and underlying health condition, she's in one of the higher risk profiles. Luckily, Anne & I work from our home in Alameda and have been Amazon Prime Members since its inception and basically limit our time spent outside of house to a minimum. We all live in the same house, so it basically means if Anne and I get the coronavirus, then my mom is almost certainly to get it.
While I am not a health professional, and I'm not here to argue whether or not you should or shouldn't come to San Francisco, but I did want to give my advice to those visiting San Francisco on how to minimize your risk of being exposed and hopefully exposing others if you have the coronavirus and don't know it.
A recent article from the South China Morning Post detailed a case study of how coronavirus spread during one particular bus ride in China, which had closed circuit security cameras. The study showed that the virus can infect someone up to 4.5 meter, almost 15 feet, linger in the air for more than 30 minutes, and survive for days on certain surfaces.
Generally, this means that any visit to San Francisco means you should avoid the most crowded tourist spots, such as Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, the wonderful museums, most shopping areas, sporting events, and basically any place where you can't practice social distancing. While the official recommendation is about 6 ft., the study linked above says it should be more than 15 ft.
But, as you can guess, if you stay outdoors with plenty of space between you and other people, then the risk should be greatly reduced, except for crowded events, which should be avoided. Fortunately, there are so many things to see without being around the crowd.
Obviously, the Golden Gate Bridge is perfect. If you're being extra caution, then I would suggest not to walk the span because it can be crowded, also to avoid the popular spots to view the bridge. Instead, consider getting a view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach. I've been to Baker Beach on several occasions and there's always plenty of distance between people. More crowded, but still less so than the popular viewing points is around Torpedo Wharf near Crissy Field.
Other great spots without the crowd:
This is literally the only time I've ever advised this, but in this scenario, you're best off renting a car, making sure to clean the handles and interior yourself. I always tell people to take public transportation, but in the time of COVID-19 it's a riskier proposition.
Even if you're not in the same bus, muni, or BART as someone who has the coronavirus, then you're still at risk if you're touching the poles, handrails, etc. Especially if it's true that the virus can linger in the air for 30 minutes and survive on surface for days. In 2018, approximately 631K people per day used SF public transportation, according to the city website.
Meanwhile, if you're renting a car, then you only have to worry about the people who used it before you, as well as the people working with the car before being handed off to you. Remember though, if you're being super paranoid, then 30 minutes still applies to your rental car if the person dealing with the car before you has the coronavirus. So, take your time getting your car and air it out.
In the same line of thought as the rental car, a hotel sees a lot of travelers from all over the world and staff that service travelers from all over the world. An Airbnb or VRBO, you generally just have to worry about the guest before you and the host. In most cases, you only have to worry about atwo or four story unit, instead of a massive hotel with hundred of guests and staff. And, of course, in a hotel, you'll generally have to be in an elevator serving hundreds of people a day.
In either case, I would probably want to clean and disinfect the space myself, at least the most common touch points.
Another benefit is that you can cook your own food, rather than always having to be in restaurants. South Park Cafe in San Francisco just closed because an employee tested positive.
According to the WHO and CDC, they do not suggest people without symptoms to wear a face mask because they are in short supply and should be saved for caregivers.
That being said, it also basically means that if you want to prevent contracting the coronavirus, then you should probably wear a mask when in crowded and/or enclosed areas. In South Korea, the government wants everyone to wear masks to help stop the spread, has banned exporting masks, and is trying to increase manufacturing.
South Korea is also the most progressive in terms of how many people are tested, with 196,000 tested as of March 9, 2020 versus 4,384 in the USA. The US Population is almost 100 times bigger than South Korea and the USA isn't even remotely close to testing the same percentage of the population. While the number of cases in both cases should be under counted, it's even more so in the USA. As of March 10, 2020 there are only 14 confirmed cases in San Francisco, but it's safe to say that is a significantly major under count. You can't count the number of cases if you don't test for it.
There are some officials saying that wearing a mask can be more dangerous and that's because they know most people will not learn how to put on and take-off a N95 mask properly. Thankfully, the internet exists and it's certainly not rocket science. If you get a 3M mask, then the company posts instructional videos for specific models, but the concepts are the same for all masks.
Most restaurants have taken a big hit, so in a weird way you don't actually to worry about crowded restaurants and of course it's best to avoid them for those restaurants lucky enough to still have a crowd. Still, if you can't prepare your own meals, then in these times you'll want to check the health score before sitting down and eating a meal at any restaurant.
While the list is a little dated, the San Francisco Chronicle made a list of restaurants with perfect 100 health scores. But every restaurant must post their score and you shouldn't eat at any place that doesn't display it. While a 100 health score doesn't mean you're safe from the cornavirus if you eat there, it's hard to argue against going to a restaurant that follows health codes strictly versus one that doesn't.
As I mentioned at the top of the blog, you should visit the WHO and CDC website before going through my list, but I'm still going to mention hand washing. Watch the World Health Organization video on washing your hands. Right now, this is the best protection you have.
]]>I believe the owners also own the very popular Cafe Jolie, which is also grammatically incorrect, and I'm sure there is a good reason, most likely legal, for the adjective swap because they're certainly no dummies.
Alameda's West End is already home to Lee's Donuts and Hometown Donuts, which are both very similar in style in regards to not only their donuts, but also interior "vibe." They remind me very much of the Fosters Family Donut shop my mom regularly brought me to in La Crescenta, CA over 20 years ago. In my mind, Lee's and Hometown is what most Americans would consider a traditional donut shop.
Donut Petit has decided to carve its own niche with gourmet donuts. While you can still pick-up a regular glazed donut for $1.50 and a Bearclaw for $2.50, they have creative offers such as the Creme Brulee and Strawberry Flat Donut at $3+. To set themselves further apart from Lee's and Hometown, there is also a selection of Vegan and Gluten Free Donuts.
Anne & I decided to do a traditional Bearclaw, Creme Brulee, and Vegan Lemon Donut. We actually wanted to also try the regular glaze, but I think the sales associate got a bit confused during our ordering. For us, the Creme Brulee donut was the star out of the three, even though I did get a bite of really burnt sugar that gave me second thoughts. In fact, I will probably ask for a donut with minimal charring the next time around to make sure I get my $3.00 worth.
This was actually our second time trying a Vegan Donut, but honestly the first time was about two years ago and so its hard to compare how it stands up to other vegan donuts. The Vegan Lemon Donut is in the style of a classic cake doughnut. The decoration is top-notch, but other than being vegan, it's not as remarkable as the Creme Brulee donut. But I suppose that if you can't tolerate, which is my case, or are allergic to dairy, then there's not much option. Fortunately, it's certainly a solid option.
The Bear Claw is also fairly traditional in the sense that it doesn't necessarily stand above any other Bear Claw i've had before, but it's certainly not bad and there's nothing wrong with it. There's just not much to write about...
Those visiting Donut Petit will most likely need to splurge and go for the more specialty gourmet doughnuts, such as the Creme Brulee donut, to get a more remarkable experience. If you're vegan or have a gluten allergy, then Donut Petit will most likely be your "go-to" in Alameda. There is also plenty of seating available and so is a great alternative to West End Crepe if you're looking for a dessert or snack while you're on the West End of Alameda.
For those looking just for a traditional donut, then they'll best be served at Lee's or Hometown. Donut Petit is definitely more of a special treat spot for us. In fact, we popped in on Valentine's Day. As crafters, artists, and creatives, we don't have a lot of money and so Lee's Donut and Hometown are the more economical and really equally satisfying choice. Safeway and Lucky's donuts are probably even cheaper, but are terrible in my opinion and nearly a waste of money.
There's no doubt a place for Donut Petit on the West End of Alameda. My only hope is that they actually expand to traditional French Croissants and Baguettes. If they don't, then you never know, someone may take the spot of the recently closed Albert's Cafe to open a French Bakery. (This is my sneaky way of "scaring" the owners of Donut Petit into action)
Update: I'll be honest, the one thing that really bothers me about Petit Donut is that they always seem to park their company car in public parking spots without paying the meter. In my opinion, and this is just an impression, I do feel like the owners of Cafe Jolie and Petit Donut get a weird level of preferential treatment from the city. It's just a feeling, not fact, but my hunches are more often right than wrong.
]]>Washable paper leather is advertised as a substitute for leather, as well as PU faux leather. The manufacture states that it's greener than vinyl and of course more animal friendly compared to leather. It is a cellulose-based product with a small amount of synthetic latex. According to Merriam-Webster, cellulose comes from plant wall cells. Additionally, the pulp used to manufacture the washable paper leather is FSC certified, which means that the pulp met the requirements of the Forest Stewardship Council.
Is it a substitute for leather? Yes and no. It doesn't feel like any leather that we've ever worked with. It doesn't handle like any leather we've ever used. It doesn't have the same "soft-touch" as most bovine leather.
But does it look like leather? You know what, it kind of does, at least for those who don't work with leather day in and day out like we do. We only showed our handmade washable paper leather wallet samples to a few people and at first sight they thought it looked like leather.
As you can see, I was able to make a washable paper "leather" bifold wallet with the material and using nearly the same techniques I would if I was making it with vegetable tanned leather. From what I've seen, people have been able to make large totes, bags, dopp kits, etc with the material.
Essentially, to the untrained eye, it looks like leather. It can also be used to make wallets, bags, totes, etc. While it doesn't work or feel like leather, in my opinion, I think washable paper leather is a legitimate substitute to leather...in the same way that plastic, canvas, nylon and other materials can be substituted for leather in making wallets, bags, etc.
For the craft person who defines a "leather substitute" as something that looks and feels like leather, without actually being made from flesh, then you'll be disappointed. Washable paper isn't the perfect clone of leather; not even close.
But, if you accept it for what it is, a cruelty free product that actually kind of looks like leather, then you'll probably love it as much as I do. If everything goes to plan, then I will not be making any new designs with real leather in the future. I'll only use washable paper and other new vegan, cruelty free leather substitute materials accessible to small makers.
On a side note, I found it way easier to make a bifold wallet with the washable paper than vegetable tanned leather because of the more rigid structure of the washable paper. Of course, you're trading off suppleness, but I believe that you can put it in the washing machine and it'll actually feel more supple like leather.
]]>Happy New Year! It's January 2020, just in case you're reading this in the far future. There's been two big changes since my last post in July 2019 that I thought warranted an updated.
First, I'm actually a real vegetarian now. If you didn't read before, I was actually a pescatarian, overindulging in fish and seafood, but skipping meat and poultry, for over ten years. I'll get a lot of eye-rolls for this, but the biggest reason I finally switched to full vegetarian is because of the Game Changers documentary that was playing on Netflix. I personally believe that the way we farm and fish seafood is just not sustainable enough. Additionally, my cholesterol test had shown that I was borderline high, probably from using too much butter and of course eating seafood high in cholesterol. When looking at other data concerning living a longer, healthier life, it just made sense. I actually was trying to go Vegan for a week or two and most of my meals are vegan, but i found it nearly impossible to be 100% vegan 100% of the time.
At the same time that my wife and I started our vegetarian diet, we also realized we needed to limit our spending by not eating out as much. There was a period of two months where we were taking out food at least 4 times a week. Because we're on a tight budget, we could only afford to take out from a handful of places and quiet honestly we were getting bored of eating the same take-out. But also, when going to more affordable restaurants, as well as being vegetarian, we found our options pretty limited. It's pretty surprising being in the SF Bay Area, but it's not easy being somewhat cash poor, vegetarian, and eating out.
It all lead to us cooking almost all meals at home. My wife found a great app with mostly great vegetarian recipes and it's really helped us make the full transition to our new diet. After a month of cooking at home with mostly whole foods and grains and then finally taking out food from one or two of our favorite restaurants, we find that we really don't enjoy restaurant food that much at all. It's just not as good as what we're cooking by ourselves.
As a nice bonus, I actually lost about six lbs during a one month period, after already losing 20 lbs from intermittent fasting. For those who struggle with weight and want to lose weight, I would highly suggest intermittent fasting, only eating 8 hours a day with bigger meals earlier in the day, and eating vegetarian with whole foods and grains. One of the biggest mistakes new vegetarians make, including myself when I first went pescatarian, is turning into a "carbatarian." Essentially, you can eat potato chips and fries all day and still be a vegetarian. It's an easy trap to fall into, but if you keep reminding yourself that whole foods and grains is actually the key to a healthy diet, then you're headed in the right direction.
The second big change is that Anne Wesley now offers cruelty-free vegan leather goods! For a good part of 2019, I was feeling pretty demotivated to do any work with the business because it got harder and harder to make items out of leather. Some days it's easy to separate the business with my personal feeling, especially when we really need the cash, and then other days it's nearly impossible.
I had been looking into cow leather alternatives, which of course led us to tilapia and salmon skin leather goods, but after learning the possible cons of farmed fish, it was obvious I needed to look further. I am not interesting in PU leather at all because there is a major lack of durability and basically the item turns into waste years before other materials. Then there are all these cool new vegetable leathers being created, but these companies are essentially all in the research and development phase and not accessible to small makers.
Finally, I learned about "washable paper leather." To my surprise, it's been around for a few years already, but of course it hasn't really made it into the mainstream yet. According to the manufacturer that we use, "it is greener than vinyl, clearly more animal friendly than leather. It is a cellulose-based product with a small amount of synthetic latex." Depending on your recycling plant, it can be 100% recyclable and the pulp used to manufacture the paper is FSC Certified. The major con is that it is manufactured in Germany, which means a lot of carbon emissions from all the transporting, but right now a price I'm willing to pay to move away from leather.
In many ways, we're still in an experimental phase with it, but the results are very good so far and has me extremely excited and motivated. To be honest, I don't believe I'll need to design a new product made of cow leather every again, at least that's my hope. Because the company that manufactures the washable paper is small, we're considering the idea that they may not exist in the future and so still looking at more cruelty free materials, but it's here for now.
We haven't sold anything yet, which is why financially it's impossible for us to toss all the leather designs away, but hopefully something will happen that helps washable paper leather catch on and this will be part of the new cruelty free future of Anne Wesley.
]]>Up until last month when I turned vegetarian, I was a "pescatarian" for over 10 years and the fish taco was my go-to dish at any Mexican taqueria. I'll probably eventually do a post about the best Veggie Burrito in Oakland-Alameda, but for now I'll give you my opinion on the $5 Fish Tacos on Alameda, CA.
Calafia Taqueria is likely the most popular taqueria style mexican restaurant on Alameda Island. To be honest, I'm super surprised that they have a 3.5 Star Yelp review after 466 reviews. There are so many great things about this location, including the outdoor back patio, salsa bar, private function room, and newly launched dessert cart.
The baja style fish taco, which is actually $3.50, is a straight forward fish taco that holds its own. Because of the open salsa bar, there is no signature creme sauce like some of its competitors, which can either be a pro or con depending on your preference. The fish is well battered and fried, the slaw is fresh, and served on street style corn tortilla, which I generally prefer. The presentation could probably improve for "the gram," but that's obviously not too important when it comes down to it.
Cholita Linda is located on the much more crowded Park St., which can be a bit of a negative for someone who likes easy parking. When you also consider that Alameda High School has open campus for lunch, it can makes coming here for lunch a bit of a hassle. The interior is brand new and has great natural lighting that makes the space feel inviting.
The fish taco at Cholita Linda is also priced at $3.50 and feels like the smallest of those available on Alameda Island, but at the same time it's also probably one of the best. Unlike Calafia Taqueria, Cholita Linda add their own signature creme and salsa. In addition to the slaw, every fish taco is presented with a slice of radish. It's presented beautifully and it really tastes as good as it looks. I'm not sure what it is, but there is a sense of freshness to it, despite the fact that it's a deep fried piece of fish, which goes to show how great this taco is.
El Caballo Wraps is literally a block and a half from where we live and if it wasn't for our lack of finances we'd probably take out at least once a week. I'm not Mexican, so there is no way I could every qualify a taqueria as being "legit," but I do know that this place is actually frequented by spanish speakers. Every lunch, you can see "roughnecks," not the oil version, chowing down on one of El Caballo's hearty soups.
El Caballo's fish taco is quiet different than the other on the island. First, they're pan frying a large piece of seasoned fish, possibly tilapia. At about $5/taco it's one the most expensive on the island, but you're also get a half of tilapia fillet, guacamole, pico de gallo, and their signature sauce served on usually a flour tortilla. It's arguably a better deal than the $3.50 tacos because for an extra $1.50 your getting a lot more.
If you asked me if I prefer Cholita Linda to El Caballo Wraps, then I would say it just depends on your mood. They are truly two different types of tacos, seemingly occupying their own niche. But, honestly, I hold the fish taco at El Caballo Wraps in high regards.
On a side note, the salsa verde at El Caballo Wraps is also the best, bar none. Up until recently, my wife and I actually used to order just fresh chips and salsa verde to bring back home. The only reason we stopped is because it is a bit pricey and we're trying to eat a bit more healthy, though salsa, other than the salt, is actually a pretty healthy dish.
I don't really know a lot of people, almost none to be honest, but my one Mexican-American friend said that La Penca Azul Taco Bar was "mediocre at best." Yes, that's as harsh as it gets, but with 4.5 stars on Yelp after 143 reviews, I had to see for myself.
I have to respectfully disagree with my friend. While I understand that he's not a fan of non-authentic Mexican food, taking for what it is, Mexi-Cali food, I think this place is great.
La Penca Azul Taco Bar stands out for a variety of reasons. One is the freshly made corn tortillas. That is pretty rare for any place I've been. Additionally, other than for fish tacos, you can stack up tacos with all types of toppings until it basically becomes sort of a taco salad. With a side of free chips, it becomes an incredibly affordable meal.
I believe there are actually two types of fish tacos. I opted for the baja style with mango slaw, salsa verde, and served on their handmade corn tortilla. With the corn tortilla and mango slaw, it really separates itself well from the very formidable Cholita Linda Fish Taco, which is only two blocks away. With the complimentary side of chips, which you have to ask for, it becomes a much better bargain than Cholita Linda.
Despite how much I enjoy Cholita Linda, I actually would go to La Penca Azul Taco Bar more often because it's a slightly more affordable meal. Also, even though it's just two blocks away, this part of Park St. is actually much easier to find parking.
I'm not going to lie, I love the plate that Taqueria Viva Mexico serves their fish taco on. I know, it's a bit corny and they're not in the best shape, but it's fun. Located right next to Alameda Theatre & Cineplex, as well as Alameda High School, Taqueria Viva Mexico is fairly popular and parking can be a bit of a struggle with such a prime location. The interior does feel a bit tired right now and probably could do with a renovation soon enough, but there is bit of charm to it and it seems to be a good spots for the high school students.
The fish taco at Taqueria Viva Mexico is closer in style to El Caballo Wraps. The fish is either pan fried or deep-fried without a batter, but rather coated in a really nice spice rub. Honestly, the spice rub is really the saving grace to a fairly simple fish taco. It's topped with iceberg lettuce, the house pico de gallo, and served on flour tortillas.
I believe the price is around $4.00 and unfortunately it's a bit in the middle of the pack. I certainly enjoyed it, but with Cholita Linda and La Penca Azul Taco Bar so close by, it's a bit difficult to see the pros of choosing the fish taco at Taqueria Viva Mexico over its competitors at the price.
]]>Like a lot of San Francisco Bay Area residents, my wife, mother, and I have thought about leaving the San Francisco Bay Area, more specifically Alameda, for a while. I consider us to be rather privileged and lucky. We live in a beautiful Italianate Victorian that was built in 1889 (one local historian says 1881), we share a brand new 2019 Subaru Forester, and Anne and I frequently attend events all over the Bay Area, such as Oakland Athletics Games, concerts at the Fox Theater in Oakland, and more.
Nonetheless, for a household of three adults, our gross annual income is about $90k, which is about $60k/year less than the average household of three adults in the City of Alameda. Per household, almost 60% of the city of Alameda makes more than $100k per year.
Like many people, we still have 25 years left on our mortgage, pay a crazy amount of property taxes, and probably one of the few households in the Bay Area who actually pays for Earthquake insurance. The concept of having savings is a pretty farfetched idea.
While we're able to survive day-to-day, the fear becomes about being able the maintain the beautiful house we live in. I've seen plenty of houses in terrible condition in Alameda, Oakland, and surrounding cities, it's a scary idea that our house will one day turn into an eyesore and our family will be living in pretty bad conditions.
For months, our family has been asking the big question about moving out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Destinations like Portland, Sacramento, and Salinas have come to mind or even the East Coast, such as Connecticut, New York, or New Jersey. For the most part, it's just talking and visiting real estate websites.
Fundamentally, it is the fear of the unknown that is probably stopping us from moving away; everywhere just seems so "foreign," even Sacramento. I was born and mostly raised in the SF Bay Area. Other than 7 years spent in Glendale, CA during my elementary school days and one year studying in London, I've been in the Bay Area for over 30 years.
I've come to appreciate most aspects of the SF Bay Area, even though sometimes I fear that the San Francisco Bay Area is becoming a failed example of liberal politics. BTW, I'm writing that as someone who's voted along Democrat lines for two decades. Anyway, other than crime, absolutely insane drivers, and what passes as customer service at the Home Depot in Oakland, I really love the diversity, weather, food scene, and the numerous activities the area has to offer.
During high school, I only lived about 30 miles from San Francisco; the Town of Danville. It might as well have been 300 miles. Even today, it is quite literally one of the least diverse and most Republican city in the San Francisco Bay Area. Even Marin County, which is virtually 90% white, is at least a stronghold for Democrats.
I spent nearly all my time trying to feel like I fit in. I know that's the struggle most high school students feel, but let me give you some quantitative proof of how much of an outsider I felt. My average Grade Point Average from Freshman to my Junior year was around 2.0-2.5. I even had to retake Algebra twice. Instead of studying, I was always self conscious about what people thought about me and desperately wanted to fit in. So much so, that I remember that I was willing to do a "chinese fire drill" during a improv sketch for drama class. The person who initiated the idea telling me, "it's really cool of you to go along with it."
During my Senior year, I was lucky enough to finally find a group of friends I felt really comfortable with. A group of true Sci-Fi geeks who loved the Matrix, X-Files, and Star Trek. I went from 2.0-2.5 to a 4.0 GPA, all while going out with my friends maybe 2 or 4 nights a week. I carried that 4.0 GPA to Community College at the much more diverse Diablo Valley College and nearly graduated with honors my last two year at the extremely diverse UC Berkeley. The biggest difference for me was because I didn't feel like I needed to fit-in anymore among mostly white peers.
As my wife and I try for our first child, one of the biggest goals I have is for my child not to grow up in a town like Danville. Statistically speaking though, it's pretty tough for any other part of the USA to be as diverse as the SF Bay Area, especially compared to Alameda, CA.
Before we moved to Alameda, we actually visited Portland and had a realtor bring us around. Portland is a gorgeous city with a cool vibe, but ultimately it didn't feel diverse enough and the idea of rain 50% of the year turned us off to the idea of moving there.
When I drove Uber/Lyft for 50 hours a week, I met a lot of people from the East Coast and nearly every single one of them talked about how they love the weather of the San Francisco Bay Area.
My wife and I were lucky enough to live in London for about a year as a graduate students. In fact, that's where we met. I arrived in Summer and the weather was perfect at around 70 degrees and mostly sunny. Fall and Winter came and it was a brand new experience from someone from the SF Bay Area with constant rain and near freezing temperatures. To be honest, I don't think I minded it so much just for the fact that my wife and I had just started dating and so it pretty much felt like we were living a story line from Love Actually.
But after returning to the San Francisco Bay Area, it has become pretty apparent to me that while I wouldn't mind visiting the cold, I would be extremely apprehensive about living in it for an extended period of time. On the flip side, having lived out in Danville where the summers reach 100 degrees, as well as being pretty familiar with S. California weather, I also don't enjoy hot, dry weather. And having spent plenty of time in Asia where it's hot and humid, I also know that weather isn't particularly enjoyable.
The weather we enjoy is certainly a huge reason why it would be hard to find a new place to relocate to. Other than Hawaii, the San Francisco Bay Area probably has some of the best weather that probably makes life simply more enjoyable. I see people on television attending professional sporting events in below freezing temperature and that's just something you don't have to worry about in the Bay Area.
I admit, I'm one of those people who talks and complains about how the area around Oracle Park (formerly AT&T Park) and Chase Center has changed, but the truth is that the constant change is what makes the area so exciting; we're definitely not a "one horse town."
A quick google search says there are 44 museums in San Francisco. I've probably only been to six so far and the ones I've been to are really enjoyable.
The Bay Area has Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, SF 49ers, Golden State Warriors, the San Jose Kings. There is a Women's Tennis Association event held every year at San Jose State University. Then there's collegiate sports that covers the spectrum.
For live music, we have the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, The Fillmore, Warfield, Fox Theatre, Chase Center, Levi's Stadium, Slim's, Great America Music Hall, The Independent, Bottom of the Hill, Oakland Arena, The Shoreline Amp, Concord Pavillion, and even more smaller music venues. If a band or artist doesn't come through the Bay Area, then it has 100% to do with the artist/record label and not a lack of available venues.
The Bay Area has a ridiculous amount of craft fairs, cultural events, festivals, conventions, farmer's markets, etc. For the outdoors, we have so many state parks within one hours drive. Marin county is basically all nature and of course we're by the Pacific Ocean. While I wouldn't get in the freezing water, the coast is an amazing place to be near. It's really hard to imagine living so far from the Ocean.
Even when we're short on cash, there's still a lot of things for us to enjoy in the Bay Area. I never realized how small other "big" cities were, until I visited places like Seattle, Portland, or even San Jose. Those cities seems like sleepy little towns compared to San Francisco-Oakland.
Even 30 minutes away from San Francisco-Oakland, I'm amazed at what passes for good "ethnic" food. We recently went to a Thai restaurant in Dublin, CA, which really isn't that far from San Francisco-Oakland. The restaurant has 4 stars on Yelp with over 700 reviews and it was literally the worst Thai food we've ever had. While we were there, there were other guests who seemingly really liked the food and it really dawned on us that they were working off a different standard. Mind you, my wife was born in Thailand and was living there up until six years ago, and of course I have visited Thailand many times as well. So, our standard is pretty high, but we've also been to restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland that made us very happy.
Especially now, my wife and I are vegetarians and quiet honestly restaurants have to be on top of their flavor profile to make vegetarian dishes standout. I could be wrong, but I'm sure you can only find Vegetarian Japanese Ramen in a city like San Francisco-Oakland, Los Angeles, or New York. I'm sure it's probably extremely rare in Japan.
Even when we get a bit tired of eating, we're able to order a huge variety of organic groceries, which is very important to us. Even in the SF Bay Area, huge supermarkets like Safeway and Lucky's have a seriously weak organic selection. I can't imagine how bad it would be in a city where the demand for organic groceries is low or non-existent.
I think money would be the number one reason why we may end up leaving. If we can't afford to see the last place Warriors play at the Chase Center, eat at all the new restaurant popping up, or visit museums, then those reasons for staying become invalid. Then in becomes a question if the weather and being in a diverse area is a big enough reason to stay.
But also, we might end up leaving because some people in the Bay Area are just really insupportable. We have wealthy people in the Bay Area basically pushing for "Not in my Backyard" policies at every possible chance. Then we have all minority groups who are essentially racist and target other minority groups. This all wouldn't be bad if we actually had some kind of sense of hospitality for strangers, but it rarely exists in the Bay Area.
Literally, San Francisco is blocking off one of the busiest streets in Downtown because of pedestrian accidents with vehicles. I've literally had a person who almost ran a red light and hit me in the middle off a crosswalk start to yell at me because...I have no idea why, but it was probably because he was drunk and belligerent. I've also had average looking young hipster drivers racing through crosswalks and almost hit me with their car and either look right at me or 100% percent try and pretend they don't see me.
In November 2019, the city of Alameda reported that seven children were hit by cars in a one or two month period. Basically, the level of shitty people in the Bay Area is hitting a pretty critical level.
As my wife and I very seriously start a family, the idea of moving away from the Bay Area seems to become more and more likely. If we every answer the questions of where, then I think it would be almost a done deal.
Update (2/17/2022): Anne and I are now parents to the cutest boy who just recently turned one years old. I originally wrote the above post before anyone really knew what COVID-19 was and while the San Francisco Bay Area has done a great job combating the virus compared to the rest of the country, it has failed miserably in terms of quelling violence.
While I completely understand that most likely things will only get better from here on out, it's not good enough and we've decided for the good of our son that we'll be moving well out of California.
There was really one turning point for us, the death of Jasper Wu. Less than 2 miles from our home, 23 month year old Jasper Wu was killed by stray bullet, most likely from local gang violence, while on the freeway. But, it hasn't stopped there, 3 more people, a mother of two heading to a job interview, an Alameda County Sheriffs Recruit, and a former UC Berkeley Basketball star, have been murdered all within a 2 mile radius on local freeways. Only one suspect has been caught.
While this happened after we decided to move, my 72 year old mother was walking in a crosswalk in front of the Alameda Kaiser and a driver rolled down their window and yelled at her, saying that she wasn't looking while crossing the road. The car actually didn't stop. They were yelling and driving through the crosswalk. If you're not a driver, then pedestrians have the right of way at all unprotected crosswalks in California and I would assume most parts of the USA.
But, I've had the same thing happen to me where a person almost sped through a red light and started yelling at me. Pedestrian accidents have been growing all across the country, but statistically Alameda is still an outlier. They say there are many reasons, such as distracted driving, but ultimately inconsiderate and reckless people are the root cause.
Besides pedestrian accidents and stray bullets, Alameda has had two incidents of street shootouts on our busiest commercial streets during the pandemic. Only by pure luck were no innocent bystanders killed or injured. According to Alameda Police Department, 50% of crime is caused by those coming from Oakland and right now Oakland is living up to its old reputation of violence with 133 homicides in 2021 and 587 non-lethal shootings.
Though I've grown up around big cities my entire life, I have never felt so unsafe in my entire life. It's probably because I have a 1 year old son to think about now, but it's also true that there are plenty of places that don't deal with this level of crime and violence. According to NeighborhoodScout, San Francisco/Oakland are in the bottom 1 percent in terms of safety and Alameda is now in the bottom 9 percent. So, it's not just my imagination, and quantitatively things have gotten pretty dire here. It's interesting because if you walk around town, you don't feel it, but once you start reading the Police Blotter or stay updated with the news, there are crimes in Alameda that just aren't happening even 15-20 miles in the suburbs.
Probably even more interesting is that many people here are becoming numb to it all and accept it as everyday life. For me, I see other options that I never realized before.
Around the same time of the Jasper Wu murder, the New York Times sent a newsletter advertising their: Where Should You Live? tool. Using their filtering tool on what's most important to me, the suburbs of Massachusetts and New York kept popping up. After researching further, I was astonished to see there are suburbs outside of Boston that have high schools sending 20+ students to Ivy League schools, houses for under $1mm, and property taxes roughly the same as California. Massachusetts also consistently ranks in the top for health care. Most importantly, these cities are safe; safer than 75% of other cities in the country. That is a far cry from Alameda's 9 percent.
The icing on top is that some of these cities are highly educated. In Lexington, MA 50% of residents have at least a Master's Degrees and around 80% of the population has a Bachelor's Degree. Also, one of my biggest fears has been moving to a city that lacks diversity. Lexington, MA is comprised of 40% minorities with almost 30% born outside of the USA.
Basically, there are cities outside of Boston and New York City that are safe, highly educated, extremely diverse, with great health care systems, have some of the best schools in the country, and are relatively more affordable than the San Francisco Bay Area. I understand the climate is extremely different than California, but I no longer buy into that being the big reason for staying.
I even went as far as to look at county data on metrics such as depression, suicide, and longevity and these county either match or beat Alameda county along all metrics.
It's only natural to have pride of one's hometown and, at a certain point in history, San Francisco deserved every bit of that pride. But the growing inequality and what can only be described as Liberal Hypocrisy is exposing California and the San Francisco Bay Area for what it is. I've voted Democrat my entire adult life, but even I can't defend what's going on in the San Francisco Bay Area anymore. We talk about equality and the needy, but the situation just keeps getting worse and worse and after a while we have to call San Francisco for what it is. A playground for the rich and everyone is just the help.
Except the rich isn't willing to accept that they might actually have to give "the help" affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, and good schools. So, in the end, "the help" gets not even one of those conditions and that's how you get the current wave of violence. While I understand why the San Francisco Bay Area is in the situation it's in, I also refuse to accept it and live with it for much longer. Ultimately, I'm waving the white flag. My family and I will still be here for a couple of more years while we prepare the house and hopefully COVID-19 truly moves into the endemic stage, but after that, we'll be exploring the other coast of the USA.
]]>Here are some quick tips for spending a quick day or weekend in Paris for non-locals.
Arrondissements translates into english as "districts." Paris is divided into 20 districts and depending on your personality/budget, you'll enjoy being in certain arrondissements more than others. For example, some people's ideal visit of Paris is being in the "heart" of it all, which is conveniently in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements. Others, want a more local experience and so will want to consider the 17th Arrondissement. The 17th basically has no real tourist attractions other than real Parisians living their normal lives.
No matter what district you choose to stay, then you'll most likely want to stay within 10 minutes walk of a metro station. The exception is if you're splurging and taking a taxi everywhere or if you're really just planning to spend all your time in the same arrondissement. Otherwise, if you plan on really exploring the city, then you'll be spending most of your time walking and on your feet. Walking even 30 minutes back and forth from your place to the metro can take a lot out of you, especially in cold weather. It's better to spend a little more to be near a metro station and save that bit of energy so that you can see more around the city.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's always a pretty big shock to me how cold or hot other parts of the state, country, or world can be. Paris in February is pretty much near freezing. The idea of being on the Eiffel tower wearing a gorgeous flowing red dress or formal suit is basically for actors in movies. You and your partner will need to pack in heavy coats, gloves, scarves, etc if you plan on not getting sick during your trip. But honestly, winter romance is always better than a summer romance.
I've been to Paris on 3 different occasions and I've experienced a strike on one of those occasions. Fifteen years later, Paris is still striking...Well, not exactly, but strikes are deep in the Parisian culture and there is currently a big transportation strike, which was what I experienced 15 years ago. So, always have a back up plan for getting to and from places, especially if it's to the airport or train station. I quite literally almost missed a flight out of Paris due to a transportation strike. I never had to worry about any violence, but it's something you must pay attention to.
Yep, the french can be rude, especially if you do not speak french. Just know that it's going to happen and the chances of you getting "your way" is slim-to-none and just move on. Chalk it up to a real Parisian experience and let it go. Whoever is being rude to you is probably rude to most people because that's just their personality, but it's just worse because you're not communicating in the same language.
There's really only three things you need to do in Paris to get the minimum experience. The first is ordering a baguette or croissant in the morning at a local bakery. "Bonjour, une baguette/croissant, s'il vous plait." The truth is that if you're walking around all day, then you're not going to want to carry a baguette, so most likely you should opt for the croissant.
Sometime during the day, you'll want to faire une pause-cafe, take a coffee break. Beyond Turkey and Italy, Paris is one of the "O.G." coffee cultures in the world. So, even for someone like me who doesn't drink coffee, you'll want to do so to get your full Parisian experience. But, seriously, research online about Parisian cafe etiquette. Otherwise, go to a cafe that you know is fairly popular with foreigners.
Finally, you'll want to grab a crepe from a vendor. I personally suggest a savory crepe. Some countries, especially in Asia, are really only familiar with dessert crepes, but back before I was a vegetarian, I would have choose a ham and cheese crepe over a sweet crepe a 100 times over.
Notice how the three quintessential Paris activities are food related. That being said..
What makes Paris different than the rest of the France, the same with most major international cities, is that there is influence from all over the world, including the food scene. Most people feel the pressure to experience french dinning. For me, it's always been a hit or miss experience. I've only had one spectacular experience, I believe in the Latin Quarter, and a couple of pretty disappointing french dining experiences. I've found that I enjoy other international cuisines, such as italian or middle eastern, more consistently. Of course, that's just me and my palette, but my suggestion is that you don't feel pressured to always have french food.
I'm not saying to skip the Louvre entirely, but maybe skip it on Valentine's Day specifically. The Louvre is like the Disneyland of Museums in the sense that it's just so crowded, including the line to get in. I'll be honest, one of the reasons I enjoy museums is because in a lot of cities they're not particularly very popular. The San Francisco Museum of Modern are is one of my favorite places in San Francisco because it's a real legitimate art museum, but it hardly ever feels that crowded. The Louvre feels crowded.
If you must visit a museum on Valentine's Day, then try your luck at the D'Orsay. It's still a popular museum, but it's just a more tamped down version
If you don't walk through one of the many Jardins in Paris, then you "done messed up." In San Francisco, we have Golden Gate Park and the Presidio, but apparently we just don't have the same green thumbs that the french do. As mentioned previously, it'll be cold, but walking through a Jardin in Paris is just as important as experiencing pastries and coffee.
I never realized that travel insurance for medical was a thing. Most US insurance will have some type of coverage, but it's always possible for the expenses to get out of control. Combine that with the whole strike issue, then travel insurance in general becomes a reasonable purchase. But be sure to research a reputable insurance company with good reviews.
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In high school, I elected to take Spanish as my foreign language because people said that it was the easiest of the offered languages. I failed Intro to Spanish. Once I managed to pass Intro to Spanish, I did actually got a A in Spanish II, but that was it for me and new languages for almost the next 20 years.
Then, a little over four years ago, I read about Duolingo.com through an online article. Before Duolingo existed, I think Rosetta Stone was and possibly still is the most popular form to learn a language outside of formal instruction. But, Rosetta Stone courses are expensive in my opinion and when I heard that Duolingo was essentially a 100% free version of Rosetta Stone, I signed up and started French.
While my reasons for starting French are a bit fuzzy now, I think it had a lot to do with knowing that Hermes was a French company. Working with leather, I made that connection and I suppose I went with French. I have visited France 3 different times in the past, but to be honest, I don't think that had anything to do with my decision because there are actually other countries, such as Japan, that I've visited almost a dozen times now.
Anyway, I am now four years in with on-and-off learning for the first 1.5 years and daily practice since then. I am pretty far from being fluent, but I'm also pretty happy in how far I've come. I can read a pretty formal news article in French and comprehend the majority of. I can write enough to chat with french natives and carry on some kind of "conversation." Listening is definitely a struggle and I'm pretty far from speaking it, but I can say I speak more French than Cantonese.
As you can guess, Duolingo is not enough to "get you there," in fact The Cut just published an article discrediting it, but I still think it's one of the best ways to start a new language with literally no financial or time commitment, assuming you're already online.
Here are a few quick tips to get you started in learning a new language in the new year:
Full disclosure, last year, after learning French for about three years, I started asking myself, "Why the hell did I choose French?" I was having a real hard time finding french language movies and television that I enjoyed, especially comedies. I keep on hearing about how people learned English by watching episodes of the American sitcom Friends. I came to a pretty big realization that I'm not really a big fan of most French movies and tv programming. For the most part, it's truly a cultural thing. The few movies that I do like are actually movies regarding the black experience in France.
I started having a whole language learning existential crisis. During my undergraduate years, I actually knew a few people who studied, lived and worked in France. They turned out to be some of my least favorite people. Then the few french speaking people I have met over the next 20 years more or less seem to clearly racist. I remember speaking to a French person on 4th Street in Berkeley for less than 5 minutes and somehow he managed to say very racist things towards Middle Eastern people in that short conversation. Naturally, I questioned whether there was much I liked about French culture in general.
So, after three years of pretty consistent studying, I started wondering if I had just been wasting my time. Should I just stop and maybe move on to a different language.
Ultimately, I kept on going and the saving grace was french language music, specifically two or three bands that I really enjoyed. Just like most English language music, I don't enjoy most popular music, but there are some bands that just speak to me and I can listen to their music daily. Because of those bands, I found myself still wanting to studying French.
I definitely wish there was more to inspire me, but for now it's enough. But as you can tell, it really helps if you find something about the language that you can get into, such as music, film, novels, food, business, etc, to help keep you going. Especially if you're using Duolingo, you'll need a lot of outside listening and speaking to really get somewhere because Duolingo will not get you there.
Just like a new exercise routine or diet, there needs to be some kind of self-commitment. I study at least 30 minutes a day and have done so for almost 2.5 years now. Some days it's a grind, other days I feel great about my progress and feel super motivated and study 2 or 3+ hours. It's really a never ending process, but you should make some kind of commitment if you want to show some kind of progress.
I study at least 30 minutes on Duolingo, but I'm also listening to french music throughout the day. Occasionally, I use an app called HelloTalk to find a french native to chat with. I also have french subtitles for everything I stream on my Netflix account.
I should(n't) boast, but I've managed to pass and ace subjects that in reality I had no business excelling in. But, I realized during my senior year in high school that the whole concept of practice makes perfect is absolutely true. I'm actually quiet terrible in mathematics, but I managed to get an A in all my quantitative courses in junior college and UC Berkeley, including calculus and economics, score in the 86 percentile in the quantitative section for the GMAT (mind you, this is going up against quantitative geniuses from all around the world who take the GMAT), and graduate with a B average for my Masters in Finance course at London Business School. I even got a B in a course in financial derivatives, which was an impossible quantitative course, but apparently I got the same grade as most of my classmates.
Despite all these courses, I still cannot do most simple mathematics without a calculator. Still, I was able to do A level work in undergraduate levels and B level work at the Masters level. That's all because of repetition.
To this day, over 20 years later, I tell people that the only way I got an A in calculus was just pure repetition. I barely had any understanding of calculus during the course and definitely have no real understanding of it now, but aced every test and assignment. That's because I did the same questions 10-20Xs. I didn't have to understand "why" step 2 came after to step 1, but simply that it did. After so much repetition, you start to see the patterns and know what comes next.
Answering "why" is great...for PhD students, but especially in language, the rules are made by other people and so do not necessarily make sense according to your own personal experience or what seems logical to you.
For example, siblings. The french doesn't have the word for it. So, in french you couldn't say, "i told my siblings that I couldn't attend." In French, they would have to say, "I told my brother(s) and sister(s) that I couldn't attend." When I learned this, I couldn't understand why they just didn't add the word to the language. They have words for computers, mobile phones, etc, but they didn't have time to add the word siblings. Point being is that to learn a subject, especially a language, you don't need to know "why," but rather just know what "is" and repetition is usually the key to getting there.
I have a continuous internal dialogue going on in my mind and I try and think in french whenever I can. You'll need to have built some sort of foundation before you can get to that point, but once I was able to start thinking in french, I noticed I was able to improve by leaps and bounds. My brain is mostly likely still translating from English-to-French, but the time between that translation is becoming so small that it really feels like I'm actually creating my original thought in French.
I believe once you make that breakthrough, then it's really just about experience with learning grammar and new vocabulary, but essentially the new language is part of you now.
Lastly, remember, no one really cares how fast or how much you've learned. Nobody I meet cares in the slightest bit that I've been studying french for a while now. I'm sure I'd have to learn like 2 or 3 more languages and be at native fluency before anyone actually took any notice. Point being, you're just doing it for fun so there's no pressure to progress at any pace other than your own. So, have fun with it.
]]>While there are actually five dim sum restaurants, that I know of, on the Island of Alameda, I'm going to focus on the "Big Three." East Ocean Seafood Restaurant, Chef's Wok, and Pacific Lighthouse. For the most part, there is no clear cut winner, though Anne and I do frequent one more than the other, but I believe the "right choice" has a lot to do with circumstance.
Quick note, Dim Sum is primarily served during lunch hours. Some restaurants may have some dim sum items you can order off the menu at dinner, but the largest selection of items is during lunch.
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant is easily the most recognizable of the three with a 4-star rating after 1,415 reviews. When we first moved to the island in 2014, we were amazed at the crowd waiting in front and were "forced" to head down the street to one of the smaller dim sum restaurants, which wasn't that great. When we finally tried it for the first time, we could tell why. The dim sum was absolutely delicious.
Before moving to Alameda, the only places we regularly had dim sum was around the Contra Costa County area. To be honest, for years, it started to feel like all dim sum restaurants were all the same. It was good and satisfying, but never truly outstanding. Fortunately, I was able to go to the original Tim Ho Wan during that golden period when they first got their Michelin Star, as well as other great dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong, and learn that dim sum can be outstanding. East Ocean Seafood Restaurant reminded me of that. It felt a little on the expensive side, but at the time it felt well worth it.
Over the next four years, this was our "go-to" dim sum spot. After all, we didn't feel like we needed to try anywhere else because it seemed perfect and the other main competing restaurant at the time, Chef's Wok, had pretty terrible reviews on Yelp. But, the mystique of the "perfect dim sum restaurant" started to slowly crumble around 2018 and 2019.
It seemed like every time I went, I knew I was going to get a stomach ache afterwards. For a while, the food was still good that I learned to accept my fate of an oily sour stomach. In the end, it wasn't worth it, the quality of the dim sum just wasn't holding up anymore.
At the time I didn't know it, but the long-time owners were in the process of selling the restaurant. Not surprisingly, this really was the same time period when I feel the quality of the dim sum declined. So far, I haven't been back, but I haven't given up completely. The last time I was there, the new owner had been there for maybe a little over a month. I left a review on Yelp, which he responded, and so I believe there is a possibility that there will be improvements, especially after the new owner has settled into the role.
Despite what I just wrote, East Ocean Seafood Restaurant is regularly the place that I recommend to non-Chinese speaking customers. Compared to Chef's Wok and Pacific Lighthouse, I believe their staff, especially with the original owners, were the best managed and most adept at serving non-Chinese clients. So, for those who want better service and willing to pay for it, East Ocean Seafood Restaurant should be your choice.
Pacific Lighthouse is the newest dim sum restaurant in town and it chose one of the nicest spots in Alameda for its location. It overlooks the Oakland Estuary, which of course isn't as nice as the open San Francisco Bay, but is a good runner-up. My mom was actually a notary for the owner and so she knows how long it took for them to build out and remodel the space before they finally opened.
I hesitated coming to Pacific Lighthouse for a long-time because of the initial Yelp reviews. Unfortunately, their overall reviews have only gotten worse, now at a dismal 2.5 stars with 312 reviews. But, after finding that East Ocean Seafood Restaurant wasn't meeting my expectation, I was open to trying it, especially since my mom had already given it her thumbs up.
I was really pleasantly surprised. The dim sum item that really got my attention was the lava bun. It oozed to perfect, wasn't too sweet, and in a perfectly steamed bun. Maybe it's the natural lighting coming from the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the estuary, but all the dim sum dishes look beautiful when you're in the "main" seating section. Sometimes, it's really hard to believe that we can come to this restaurant just about every week if we wanted because it's definitely the type of dim sum restaurant that San Francisco Bay Area residents would choose for a special occasion like Mother's Day "brunch."
But that's the caveat, I've actually been to Pacific Lighthouse on a holiday weekend and the dinning experience, including food quality, goes downhill when they're at maximum capacity. I believe that a lot of the complaints on Yelp are when Pacific Lighthouse are at maximum capacity on a busy weekend or hosting a banquet. While my mom has gone on the weekends and said it's fine, I actually don't take the chance and usually go on a weekday, but there's also an added benefit to that.
For a long time, Pacific Lighthouse basically had a secret weekday dim sum lunch special. For $50, excluding tax and tip, you basically could get a feast, which includes lobster noodles, 2 small dim sum, 2 medium dim sum, 1 large dim sum, 1 kitchen item, and a roasted pork dish. It's by far the best deal on Alameda if you're looking to spend that amount.
After I posted this special on Yelp, Pacific Lighthouse actually printed it in english, so it's no longer a secret menu item.
For me, Pacific Lighthouse is a notch above East Ocean, but only if it's not terribly busy and not hosting a banquet. Otherwise, East Ocean might actually be the more consistent.
Chef's Wok, the silent underdog. East Ocean and Pacific Lighthouse will always get the press, but Chef's Wok is where the local Chinese community go to eat most of the time and for good reason. Similar to Pacific Lighthouse, Chef's Wok has a fairly bad 3 star Yelp rating after 370 reviews. Of course, don't tell the massive crowd of Chinese people that.
The biggest different between Chef's Wok and the other two restaurants is the size of the dim sum pieces. For example, the chive dumplings are huge. A lot of times, that's actually a bad trait because most take-out dim sum shops, such as the hot food section at Ranch 99, are gigantic but essentially all tapioca dough and absolutely terrible. That's not the case at Chef's Wok. Their Chive Dumplings are stuffed to the max with shrimp, chives, and flavor.
Chef's Wok is extremely consistent on food quality because no matter if it's a Monday or a Sunday, this place is weirdly always crowded for Dim Sum and they're just pros at this point. Just like East Ocean, Chef's Wok has apparently also changed owners, but unlike East Ocean, everything is just as good as it was before.
The downfall of Chef's Wok comes to dealing with non-Chinese speaking customers. Most of the dim sum waitresses do not speak English and so it's pretty difficult for non-Chinese speakers to navigate service sometimes. On the other hand, I once say a single white male getting the white glove treatment compared to all the Chinese guests. It's a bit of reverse racism to be honest, but like I said Chef's Wok has a hard time understanding how it should treat non-Chinese speakings guests. If they want to give preferential treatment to someone, then look at the people with the camera (aka me). LOL.
A non-dim sum tip, the take out roasted duck, chicken and roasted pork is actually cheaper at Chef's Wok than even Oakland Chinatown. My mom always use to think she had to cross the Webster Street tunnel to pick-up a braised chicken, but now she can skip the tunnel.
Ultimately, these days when my mom says, "let's go eat dim sum," I assume she is referring to Chef's Wok or Pacific Lighthouse. When we know we want to spend $50+, we're off the enjoy Pacific Lighthouse's weekday dim sum special. If we're looking to only spend around $35-45, then we're at Chef's Wok.
I'll definitely give East Ocean another shot and I am hoping for the best, but right now the "big dog" is officially at the bottom of the list for me.
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If I think of something, then I’ll add on to the list. As you can probably tell, this actually ended up being pretty therapeutic for me and if you made it the end, then thank you for bearing through my rambling. Life can be pretty long and painful so who knows what will happen to my brain, but for now it’s doing pretty damn well and I think I’m building an arsenal of coping devices to help me deal with what’s to come.
Anyway, I wish you the best on your "recovery." As you can tell, this is far from a business blog post, so please don't email our business email address. If for some reason you would like to message me, then please do so through my Instragram @craigwesleysf Sorry, as I kind of mentioned, I'm not really into negativity so don't bother if you're interested in trolling. I mean, I guess you can do it if it makes you feel better, but I seriously will not read it and will not waste time responding, so try not to spend too much time on it. Hahaha.
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