Oakland

Oakland is a town often misunderstood. As someone who’s lived in the city and still spends a ton of time there, I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly.

And yet, there’s no place like it.

People who know the real Oakland — the ones who’ve explored neighborhoods from Chinatown to Fruitvale to Temescal, who’ve caught sunsets over the entire Bay from the Oakland hills, who’ve admired art in downtown and watched films at the historic Grand Lake Theater — will tell you there’s so much more to “The Town” than it gets credit for. During her post-Olympics homecoming at Frank Ogawa Plaza, figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu summed up Oakland with one word: “Soul.” Locals beamed. With her unapologetically funky style, zen-like confidence and YOLO mentality, this athlete had clearly been shaped by the city.

Located on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay, Oakland is a midsized city with an outsized reputation, having long served as a pressure cooker for grassroots activism. The Black Panther Party, the hyphy subgenre of hip-hop, official U.S. wildlife refuges — they all started in Oakland. Visit the city and you’ll find that it’s slower-paced than San Francisco but has all the cultural diversity. Its food scene is endlessly innovative — try the handcrafted zaru soba at Soba Ichi or some of the best Indigenous food on the West Coast at Wahpepah’s Kitchen. And for those wanting to explore the outdoors, there’s Lake Merritt in the center of town and redwood forests in the hills.

Oakland is far from perfect; while crime is reportedly down, it’s important to be street smart (or as locals say, to “keep your head on a swivel”). But I’ve seen many changes to the town over the years and have a renewed appreciation for its vibrancy. Here’s just a sampling of ways you can enjoy the cultural bounty from this city by the Bay.

May 17 (UPI) — Three people were killed and five others were hurt late Saturday when a vehicle struck and killed pedestrians and cars in Oakland, Calif., authorities said.

Three of those injured were hospitalized in critical condition as a result of the 11:45 p.m. incident, the Oakland Fire Department said in a social media post.

Two others, including the suspected juvenile driver, sustained minor injuries, police told local media.

Surveillance video footage from the corner in East Oakland obtained by KGO-TV showed what appears to be a pickup truck driving onto a sidewalk at high speeds and hitting multiple pedestrians.

One witness told the station the driver first hit several vehicles in the street, then sped up and jumped the curb, where they plowed into a group of pedestrians.

The suspected driver then allegedly ran from the truck.

As of Sunday afternoon the Oakland Police Department had yet to issue an official statement on the incident, but Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee sent condolences to the victims’ families and voiced praise for the first responders.

“Oakland is mourning the lives lost in last night’s tragic crash at International Boulevard and 85th Avenue in East Oakland,” she said in a statement issued to media outlets. “Our hearts are with the victims, their families, loved ones, and all of those impacted.

“Thank you to the Oakland Police Department, Oakland Fire Department, and our first responders.”