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Minna Avenue is a quiet street and a loud street. There are a lot of older people that live along this street which makes it a good choice for retirement but it’s close location to High Street can make the noise unbearable at times. There are plenty of bars and a couple of nightclubs on High Street and there are always people that are passing through Minna Avenue to get to Allendale which leads straight to High Street. This road also offers an escape from the main roads when it comes to drinking and driving. The troublesome traffic and noise at odd hours of the night is certainly something that this street needs to consider. I have seen cops patrolled around the area a couple of times when I was driving home at night.

Oakland and Berkley both have a strong Afghan community. The presence of the Afghan community can be felt on Glen Park Road. Many families that live together are generation families and it is interesting seeing the contrast of old(er) family generations clash with those of the new young(er) generation. In the summer there are weekly bazaar gatherings or simply block sales in which many of the residents on Glen Park Road sell different types of items from afghans to specialized afghan food. There are also a few Afghan establishments in the area that offer a taste of Kabul. Afghan food is amazing. This is a great street that let’s you interact with people from a different part of the world. The true definition of America can be found on Glen Park Road.

Vista Avenue is a stack above the rest. A park gives the street so much energy, especially since it has a tennis court (one of my favorites.) I play tennis here with my sister at least once a week. It is hard to ignore the friendliness of the street. The people are always smiling. Old couples taking strolls or riding their go-kart through the trails of Havens Playground. Young mothers with their kids in strollers at the park. The perfectly lined up trees which are often adjacent with the extremely large houses. This street is middle class all the way but it feels like it is at the top of it’s class. This is my ideal kind of street.

There are so many streets in Oakland that are named after numbers. Eventually the counting becomes rather repetitious and the streets all become the same. I lived on East 17th Street for about a year. The street is a mix of city officials because of some important city meeting halls, older people, families and younger people. It certainly has a versatility in activities which is always a good thing in my opinion. The street is relatively little but it is so much more alive than other streets in Oakland. The houses and buildings certainly aren’t exquisite by any means but it is the people that inhabits them that make them a true standout. This is one of those streets that is just right for all types of people.

Barrows Road is a very narrow street that offers easy and comfortable living. The houses are all designed to provide a sense of relaxation and a welcoming atmosphere. This is a great street to live on because of it’s quietness, the area is vastly residential and traffic is minimal. I love the feeling after I’ve been in the downtown all day of coming back to an area where there is no chaos. I can sit on my front porch without feeling unsafe and I can feel safe in my house with my front door open. There aren’t that many children on Barrows Road but there are plenty on some of the surrounding streets. This area is great for all types of people. Maybe not so much the younger crowd, because I think the street needs to keep it’s simplicity.

Accidents! That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think of Interstate 580 that stretches through the Oakland area. You can’t miss a segment of the news without hearing some sort of accident that took place on the interstate. If this part of California received snow, I think the road commission would be forced to shut down Interstate 580 for the winter. The upkeep of the street is decent. I wish there were more exit options to allow for smooth transitions when cars decide to merge off the road and it would even provide more room for overall traffic. I take the Interstate all the time, but it still makes me nervous sometimes. Drive with care on this street.

Sheffield Avenue is one of the nicer streets in Oakland. The houses actually look like the typical California houses. There are also some cute and off looking ones. My favorite sits on a corner and is white with odd shaped it angles. It almost reminds me of the house you see in the illustrations for the lady that lived in the shoe. Great architectural imagination. Sheffield Avenue is both residential and clientele coordinated. So both spectrums of the world are coherent on this street. It is also very close to the popular Central Reservoir Recreation Area and I-580. Great place for families.

Davis Street is situated near an area that has plenty of trees, so the green element is never short in supply That is probably the only positive thing about Davis Street. It is like none of the residents even bother to make the street look attractive. Weeds are stringing up out of the cracks on sidewalks. Paint jobs on houses are pealing and there are also quite a bit of empty houses on the street. The street still feel like it is in the 90’s and actually reminds me of one of those gang streets that you would see in some movie that is focused on L.A. about crime wars.

28th Avenue has certainly had worse days. About ten years ago this is one of those streets that was ruled by inner city crime. Today the street is relatively quiet. The houses are all older for the most part. Many of them are way too big from an age that has passed long ago and now they have been converted into little one and two bedroom apartments. The quiet transformation of this street is probably owed in part that it has become very popular with the young crowd and college student’s because of it’s housing rate. It is also with in driving distance to nearby popular attractions.

Ygnacio Avenue is a rather uninspiring street. The houses are all in dire need of paint jobs. The paint is not fading on the majority of the houses and buildings but the paint looks like it came from another era. It is just dull, leaves nothing to the imagination. There are lot’s of chemical stains which are probably fuel and oil mixed together on the side of the street built up from years of cars parking there. There are quite a few abandoned buildings that could be converted into apartments if anyone has the desire to help turn around the street. The residents on this street are probably in the lower class of the polls as you can tell by the older cars that sit out in their personal drives.