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Thread: Oakland, California is a tough town, guys.....

  1. #1
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    Oakland, California is a tough town, guys.....

    So I'm exiting the 880 freeway in Oakland with my just purchased 2008 997.1 TT manual, heading to Matson's car shipping dock, Berth 63. It's a sketchy industrial area of a notoriously tough town, railroad tracks, warehouses, graffitti, semi-trailer trucks----you get the picture. At the very first stoplight, a carload of punks pulls up behind me, white guys or hispanics---not sure as I didn't look at them for more than a half second. I've had less than an hour of seat time in this car, and when the light turns green, I stall the car. Immediately the punks start yelling and then an empty plastic water bottle bounces off my car. For about one millisecond I considered getting out of the car, and then thought better of it, thank God. They roar around me and pull into an alley and I continue on to Matson, relief flooding through me that I survived Oak Town. It sure ain't Hawaii, dudes, and I thought you would enjoy the story........

  2. #2
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    Yup, I shipped a car out of Oakland once, and that area is definitely sketchy. And yes, you don't want to get out of your car in that neighborhood, or anywhere in Oakland for that matter...lucky you live Hawaii!

  3. #3
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    I have a funny Oakland story. One of my friends used to run a couple of gambling joints in Oakland, so she was used to everything that goes on there. She would come here to visit and we'd visit friends at the gambling houses here, go do some karaoke, eat sushi, get drunk... One time she came here and was cruising around in her rental car and ended up at Pearlridge. She calls me and tells me she's hella scared of the area. lol

  4. #4
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    I like Oakland. The area around the lake ain't so bad. Auto row is improving and there's lots of nice gastro-pubs now. Whenever I worked at the alameda things were pretty nice too. I think every big city has sketch neighborhoods.

    That being said, Oakland does have L&L Hawaiian bbq...

    -ken

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  5. #5
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    Whenever I worked at the alameda things were pretty nice too. I think every big city has sketch neighborhoods.

    Yeh, Alameda seemed nice---we drove around and had a look. When my friend picked me up at Matson terminal, I needed to unwind, so we went to a German restaurant in Alameda, sat outside in the sun, and had good food and several steins of German beer. That mellowed me out after a red eye flight to SFO and a long, stressful day getting the car.

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    Shipped from there once. Matson would not ship with slightly over 1/4 tank. I went to their recommended shop. When I went around back to see what was taking so long I found my car dangling off the lift and a drunk standing under it. Though I prob should not have bothered, I tackled him before I thought the car would surely drop on him.
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  7. #7
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    I lived in Oakland from 1952 until I graduated HS in 1960...east Oakland was fine, but you didn't go to west Oakland unless you lived there...don't know how it is now as I haven't been there since '69 or so...
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  8. #8
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    I was born in Oakland and grew up in Alameda. I've seen it change a lot over the years. The area where the shipping docks are rough, but cmon! Like Ken said, there are rough areas anywhere you go. Oakland has seen a revival of its Downtown area. A lot of new, fresh energy there. Think Brooklyn 10-15 years ago vs today. A lot has changed and I think for the better. Granted, there are still areas of Oakland that are rough, but it's got character... That said, I wouldn't drive a 997 to a Pick-n-Pull and not expect some attention...

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by lambdamu View Post
    I was born in Oakland and grew up in Alameda. I've seen it change a lot over the years. The area where the shipping docks are rough, but cmon! Like Ken said, there are rough areas anywhere you go. Oakland has seen a revival of its Downtown area. A lot of new, fresh energy there. Think Brooklyn 10-15 years ago vs today. A lot has changed and I think for the better. Granted, there are still areas of Oakland that are rough, but it's got character... That said, I wouldn't drive a 997 to a Pick-n-Pull and not expect some attention...
    Those Hipsters are scary. lol

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  11. #11
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    Well I moved to Oakland and I am feeling really nice over here, I and my family are having a good time here and a lot of fun. Maybe you were in a bad neighborhood. My wife said that she wants so bad to move there that I couldn't refuse and the cost of living here is not bad. Or maybe we got impressed by the photos and what were people saying that live in Oakland on forums. My wife came and said check this guide, don't you find these offers for the houses attractive, the prices were really good, and the neighborhood is really nice.

  12. #12
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    I lived in Oakland from 1952 until I graduated from high school in 1960...back then it was mostly divided between the haves (east) and the have nots (west).
    Estoril/Modena '97 M3...sold for the second time.
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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by bimmerfaje View Post
    Well I moved to Oakland and I am feeling really nice over here, I and my family are having a good time here and a lot of fun. Maybe you were in a bad neighborhood. My wife said that she wants so bad to move there that I couldn't refuse and the cost of living here is not bad. Or maybe we got impressed by the photos and what were people saying that live in Oakland on forums. My wife came and said check this guide, don't you find these offers for the houses attractive, the prices were really good, and the neighborhood is really nice.
    How's the gas prices?

  14. #14
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