The Voice of East Bay Living

This week, I attended the Notes and Words Benefit for UCSF Benioff Children’s hospital in the historic Art Deco Fox Theater in Oakland. This is a one night epic event supporting life changing medicine. The event  was a huge success - over three million dollars was raised to benefit children experiencing serious medical challenges. 

CEID - The Center for Early Intervention of Deafness - began in 1980 as a federally funded center for infants thru 5 years of age who were deaf or hard of hearing. The center is located in Berkeley, at 10th and Grayson and is  the the first family centered program in the East Bay for infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers. This year, I participated in their annual Walk-A-Thon to raise money for their center. 

Mu Rang Sa Buddhist Temple in the hills of Honolulu is a peaceful Korean Temple, the largest of its kind outside of Korea.  It is only about 20 minutes from the buzz of Waikiki and a welcome escape from all the tourists. Jump in a Lyft and enjoy a peaceful retreat as a nice change of pace. 

While visiting the islands, make sure you stop by SALT, the latest hotspot in downtown Honolulu - an industrial complex which contains the cutting edge in fine dining, art galleries and cultural events. Built on the ancient salt beds of the flatlands, salt was a very important commodity for the Hawaiians. Later it become an industrial site for factories and now a dynamic city block for exploring and engaging. I had dinner at one of the restaurants, Maku which had a delicious variety of interesting dishes. A good friend loves Taco-Ako which is in the same complex.

The Royal  Hawaiian  Resort, built in 1927 on the shores of Waikiki, has always been a favorite spot for the rich and famous.  In the beginning, wealthy people from the East Coast would travel nearly three months on steamer ships with their staff of servants, many wardrobe changes and cars. Unlike the casual garb of today’s visitors, the original guests changed elegant outfits during the day and attired gala evening gowns and tuxedos for the evening balls. The sense of elegance and decorum pervade every inch of this fabulous place - a must see for those that appreciate beauty and quality.

For a wonderful outing, check out the hiking trails at Mt. Diablo. This is the perfect month to visit this remarkable place - the hills are emerald green and scattered with wild flowers. You will feel like you are in a different world - only an hour drive from the East Bay. You might see an occasional red fox wondering about and you will inhale very pure air as you climb the mountain and reach the summit with an elevation of almost 4,000 ft. 

CHIC UPTOWN OAKLAND BROADWAY GRAND CONDOMINIUM AWAITS YOU! Enjoy the best of indoor/outdoor living in this sophisticated all-level 2 bedroom, 2 bath home with custom updated gourmet kitchen, updated bath, and huge outdoor patio for the best in al fresco dining - washer/dryer in unit, one car parking. Outside your front door discover an amazing array of culinary and cultural options as well as BART, Lake Merritt, YMCA, Paramount and Fox Theaters and freeway access. It’s a true urban retreat-quiet and private-you will feel renewed.