Choosing Our Route:

While we were deciding on our route at City Hall, we spoke to a few people. It still surprises us, after many weeks of hanging out at Frank Ogawa Plaza, how eager and curious people are. We assumed that during the week business folks would breeze on by us with only maybe a slight glance. We spoke at length with one woman who was very excited about our project and extremely pro-Oakland. She was glad that we were doing something “that would make people really think about our city.” In her survey, she stated: “Oakland’s people all feel like extended family!”

It would be impossible for us to ride up in the hilly area of what some have called the ‘true’ East Oakland: our trailer weighs about 80 pounds. That’s a lot of extra weight to tow! We opted instead for some moderate hills: we would aim for the Laurel District. We hadn’t yet ridden on MacArthur Boulevard, a major city bike lane. On many surveys, this street was indicated as both a border and landmark of East Oakland.