1. Where To Find The Telephone Pole Gnomes
First of all, a non-Oaklander reading this probably wouldn’t know what the hell I’m talking about. But you, dear Oakland local, not only know that gnomes are alive and well, you know just where to find them.
They’re mostly clustered on the eastern side of Lake Merritt, in the hilly neighborhood of Cleveland Heights. They are only about 4-5 inches tall, and like to congregate at the bottom of telephone poles. They also like pizza. And speaking of which…
2. Oakland Has Better Deep Dish Pizza Than Chicago Itself
True story. Just ask anyone at Zachary’s Chicago Pizza in Rockridge and they’ll tell you the same. Well, they’ll probably say something like “DISCH ISCH SCHO GOO, TRY DA CHI…NOM, NOM, NOM…” Which roughly translates to, “this is so good, try the chicken, garlic, and mushroom deep dish pizza, it will change your life.”
3. And The Tea Leaf Salad At Burma Superstar Deserves Some Kind Of Holiday
Seriously. Did you know that there is a New Home Owners Day? A No Pants Day? And a National Star Wars Day? OK, that last one is pretty sweet, but if these things all get a holiday, the tea leaf salad at Burma Superstar should too.
This paradigm shifting salad, is prepared tableside from Burmese tea leaves, romaine lettuce, dry shrimp and assorted nuts and veggies. It bursts with flavor and texture and will have you dreaming about salad in a way you used to reserve only for the most decadent of desserts.
Who knew that a salad could be so delicious? Oaklanders. That’s who.
4. You Know Where To Find the Hidden Staircases… And You Keep Finding More
From Mount Oakland’s Oakmore stairs to the hills of Upper Rockridge, Oakland is filled with hidden staircases—an urban hiker’s dream come true.
Just like the gnomes in Cleveland Heights, though, these hidden staircases have a certain magic about them, in that, they just keep appearing. You think you know where they all are, and then, Harry Potter style, another one just appears one day that you’ve never seen before. Is Oakland…Hogwarts?
5. The Awesomeness That Is The New Parkway Theater
When I first moved out here I was super bummed to know that there was not (yet) an Alamo Drafthouse Movie Theater in the Bay Area. But then I learned about the new Parkway Theater, a community-based theater with couches for lounging, food for munching, and booze for consuming.
Plus, Oaklanders know how to post- and pre-nosh at Boot & Shoe Service. One word: pizza.
6. That Temescal is Hipster Paradise
Temescal is getting to be so hipster, it’s becoming less and less of an Oakland secret and more just common knowledge.
I mean, just take a walk around the area—there’s the Temescal Alley Barber Shop for all of your greased-back hair needs. Homeroom, an insanely delicious mac and cheese specific restaurant which has put a gourmet twist on the cheese and pasta favorite. Then there’s Manifesto Bicycles a fixie focused bike shop. And of course the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, bliss in recycled form for any crafty hipster.
Is it any wonder that hipster kind flock to this part of Oaktown?
7. That Gentrification Is Super Controversial Here
There are those Oaklanders who are excited about the gentrification of the city, and there are those who’d like to tell you where you can put your yuppie-ass Lululemon.
No matter which side of the issue you’re on, though, there is one thing that most Oaklanders can agree on…
8. Oakland Is Blue Collar, And Damn Proud Of It
Compared to San Francisco, you might think of Oakland as more of a hands-on kind of place; more of a “doing” city and less of a “sit on your butt all day in front of a computer” city.
Oakland is filled with artists, manufacturers, builders, creators. Not that SF isn’t… their canvases are just more often in Photoshop.
9. That Turning The Keys At Fairyland Is A Rite Of Passage
As a parent, you know that turning the keys at Oakland’s Fairyland Amusement Park is a big deal—but as a child, you know that turning the keys at Fairyland is a freaking rite of passage.
There are two kinds of Oaklanders: someone who has turned the keys, or someone who has brought a little someone along to do the turning.
10. And Finally, You Know That Oakland Is Its Own City, Thank You Very Much
I used to hear that Oakland was the “new Brooklyn to San Francisco’s Manhattan.” Well, it’s not. Not at all. Oakland is its own city. It has a completely different vibe than San Francisco and Brooklyn—in a good way.
It is real, it is creative, it has flavor, and yes, it can be a little gritty sometimes, but hey, that’s what the gnomes are there for.
If you are from Oakland, you are proud of it. And really, it’s no wonder why.
Feature Image Source: Flickr user Allan Chatto 
