As you consider where to head this coming weekend to kick off the holiday shopping season, put Bella Vita at the top of your list. Owner Jennifer Viale has created and curated a space filled with beautiful goods for the women and children on your list, all displayed in a whimsical setting full of vintage detail. She truly is the “Purveyor of Lovely Things”.
Fall colors and flavors were in full force last Friday in Old Oakland. The brightness of summer has given way to the warmth of fall, visible in the deep oranges, purples, and greens on display at the Old Oakland Farmer’s Market. The seasonal flavors were abundant in dishes being served from the dining hotspots tucked into the revitalized Swan’s Market at 10th & Clay.
We are deep into fall. Thanksgiving is upon us, with the thought of Christmas already present. The air has gone cool, the heat is turned on, and socks are always on as I putter around the house. The oven avoidance that is common in our house during the summer months is long gone and the season of roasting and baking is here. Squash has always been one of those things I have been unsure of, the idea of a plain and slightly mushy slice of roasted squash has no appeal. It used to be that the thought of squash meant a beeline for butternut, but nowadays you can find all sorts of sizes, shapes and colors with intriguing names such as delicata and kabocha.
As I mentioned in my Part 1 Post about Idora Park, during my research I came across reference to the fact that Idora Park was well known for their “Crispy Sour Milk Waffles”. As you may be able to tell by now, I am a breakfast fan, and I am never one to turn down its sweet offerings like french toast, pancakes and waffles. So my curiosity was peaked.
This is a historical tidbit about Oakland that I just recently learned and couldn’t wait to share. In North Oakland, tucked between Shattuck Ave & Telegraph Ave from 56th St. to 58th St., sat Idora Park, an amusement park that offered everything from roller coasters to roller skating, all in the name of Victorian Era fun from 1904 to 1929.
I was recently playing around on Etsy and came across a listing for some old library checkout card pockets. Remember those? The little manila slots that the library checkout cards were tucked in to? Those were the days prior to scanning bar codes, when searches were done by card catalog and book checkout consisted of the librarian stamping a date next to your name on one of the cards inserted into a pocket inside the cover. I have a soft spot for this type of nostalgia. It is odd to think that my kids aren’t going to know anything other than a computer search and a zap with a scanner on the way out the door.