Site #7: -122 Degrees, 16 Minutes, 17 Seconds
Our arrival at the Amtrack platform on tandem bike attracted a lot of attention. There was a small group of kids waiting for the next train. As soon as we took out our stenciling materials and prepared to mark the longitude, every one of those kids clustered around us. Of course they all wanted to know "What are you doing?" Once we explained the purpose of our work, they wanted to know, "But why?" We are sure that this will be a common question as we continue our research. We want to pursue this project because it is easy to operate out of habit and assumptions. We want to give the people who live in Oakland the chance to give their own descriptions of West and East Oakland. And we want to make sure that their voices are heard.

After the kids had boarded the train, an Amtrack employee approached. We were certain that he would reprimand us for defacing private property. Instead, he was curious and interested in our project. And he had a lot of questions about the tandem. The bike is definitely a conversation starter and an excellent metaphor for our work: steady collaboration.