A Whistlestop Tour

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Entry posted by GingerBlokey · August 20, 2009

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1 A Whistlestop Tour

This is just a quick whistlestop tour since I've not yet completed the city so I've concentrated on the main tourist attractions.

1.1 The Safeway Center

The Safeway Center is a large convention center located just off the AC Mayer Bridge. It hosts several major events and at the moment is hosting the 2009 meeting of vmworld. Safeway has a large link to the town as it was the location of the first Safeway store on the West Coast and the company has it's California headquaters in the 303 Market Street building just across the way from the convention center.

1.2 Riverside Stadium

Formerly known as the Staples Stadium but renamed after the sponsorship deal fell through. It is home to the Oakwood Tigers baseball team and can often see capacity crowds on a hot, summers day. Located right next to the river the stadium also incorporates a park. The Equity Building was built in 1977 to house Equity Insurance and as a result of it's proximity to the Riverside Stadium there are often arguments inside as to who gets the desks nearest the north windows.

1.3 Civic Center

Home to the 1940s City Hall and Federal Tower built in 1933 the Civic Center area houses the Courthouse, Assembly Rooms, City Hall, Archives Center and the heart of the transit network; the City Hall / 11th St Transit Center which crosses every metro line and most bus lines. As such the area is often packed to capacity during rush hour. As a result the area was recently redeveloped to accomodate a large new office building with a retail arcade and a 'cultural center' as well as the new Archives Library.

1.4 Portland Place

One of Daniel Liberskind's first projects was the pavillion in the center of Portland Place. Comissioned by the Bank of America in 1988 it is one of the nicest spots in the city to hang out. Recently there has been outrage at plans to build a kiosk for a Peet's Coffee in the plaza but locals have argued it would ruin the aesethics of the whole square.

1.5 NBC Center

The central media center home of KCRA NBC the local network television station as well as the Oakwood Examiner the city's free daily paper. It was built in 2003 on the site of the former police station and also incorporates a Tully's Coffee, Jamba Juice and Quizno's Sub. Santa Cruz Plaza is home to many free, public events usually sponsored by NBC including the recent Concerts on the Plaza series which saw a number of open-air live music events.

1.6 Delaware Neighbourhood

Delaware is the hipster capital of Oakwood and there is no better place to find hipsters than Sam's Records. A vast emporium of vinyl, CDs and DVDs which often hosts in-store gigs for music fans. The neighbourhood is linked by metro, bus and Amtrak to the city center. It was the heart of the hippy movement in the city during the 60s but has grown up to follow whichever trend is current and today is populated by second-hand bookshops, record stores and independent coffee stores.

1.7 Foggy Day

Fog. Drifting in up the Clare River and down from the surrounding mountains into the center of the city fog is an all-to-frequent occurance in the city.

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