Fruitvale

The morning was cold and overcast but that did not deter the many adventurous souls who showed up for the monthly Oakland Museum of California Sunday bike ride. The docents offered three tours this week downtown Oakland, Brooklyn or Fruitvale. I opted for the Fruitvale tour since I don't know much about the neighborhood. Fruitvale is one of the most densesly populated neighborhoods in the country, and one of the most diverse. New efforts to bring in green space include Union Point park, which features a high overlook with a fun spiral path to the top. The landscaping is almost finished and it's nice to see progress in making the waterfront areas accessible. Fruitvale was the site of an early cotton mill. Some of the brick buildings are still standing, now convereted to lofts and office spaces, but a cotton gin still sits outside the original mill building. The Peralta Hacienda is in the process of being fixed up as a historical site and community park. The Peraltas once owned most of the East Bay - 44,800 acres so the house should make for an interesting historical point. The Fruitvale district is full of history, including an old telephone switching station and the first railroad passenger depot in the East Bay. unfortunately the area has a bad reputation and much of it is disrepair. The work that has been to restore green space and preserve historic sites seems to keep in mind that these are spaces for the community, where people will come to picnic, to play on playgrounds, and encourage public access. It's always fun to discover new areas of Oakland and learn more about the history of the area. The Oakland Museum has been leading historical bike tours for over thirty years, even though I've taken some tours more than once I learn something new every time.