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Written by Chris Conrad
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Monday, 11 April 2005 |
The map on the Oaksterdam guide page shows highlights and historic sights of the area, so refer to it for landmarks.
Starting at City Hall, head East on 14th to Broadway and turn North. At the end of the block you see the towering Cathedral Building at the Telegraph and Broadway split.
 To the left of the First National Bank building is Frank Ogawa Plaza and City Hall. To the right is the Cathedral Building and Oaksterdam
Turn left onto Telegraph and you soon pass the Fat
Cat Cafe on the right-hand side. Across the street is a small three
story building where the 420 Cafe operated. If you peer into the window
you’ll see murals and a skunk doll perched on a room divider.
Next you will pass a BART entrance and a few doors
later is a yellow sign: “Lemondrop Coffeeshop.” The Lemondrop once had
a candy store front and a dispensary in the basement. A few doors later
another dispensary site wears paper signs announcing its closure and a
new location for people to visit.
Continuing North you can’t miss the massive, ornate
Fox Theater on the left, in the middle of a costly restoration project.
At the end of the block and across 19th Street is a beautiful Art Deco
building with gold trim and sylvan murals painted in the windows.
This is the licensed dispensary CARE. It’s worth walking along the
building’s Telegraph facade before you continue east on 19th Street to
Broadway.
Turn south on Broadway and on your right you will
soon encounter 1755 Broadway. This is the original location of the
Oakland Cannabis Buyers Cooperative where Jeff Jones first opened his
dispensary on the fifth floor on July 4, 1996.
Next door is the Bulldog Coffeeshop, which once
housed a cannabis dispensary. It’s a good place to stop for a
cappuccino or soy chai before you go south past the Four Seasons garden
center to the Co-op Stop that offers vaporizers, gear and ID cards for
people with documentation that they are qualified patients.
Keep strolling south to 15th street, then turn East
once again. On the South side of the street you will see the Oaksterdam
Gift Shop, which also houses the Oaksterdam News. Continue up 15th to
Webster, and turn north past the YWCA to see the Green Door dispensary
sign in a tall-windowed building at 1521 Webster, covered with for
lease signs.
Further north, turn left on 17th and walk west along
the tree-lined street. Under a red canopy is SR-71, another licensed
and operating dispensary.
Two other active dispensaries are further out, one
on Broadway and the Oakland Compassionate Healing Center at 578 W.
Grand Ave.
Turn back east on 17th one block and turn left on
Harrison, to the north. At 19th you will see beautiful Snow Park to the
right and cut across diagonal to Lakeside Drive and on the other side
is Merrit Lake.
There is a walking path that leads into the park surrounding the lake.
In the park you can find the boat house where
sailboats, paddleboats canoes and kayaks can be rented for a few
dollars. You can walk the trail around the lake and catch scenic vistas
or rent a gondola for a romantic sunset cruise.
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Chris Conrad |
| About the author: |
| Staunch supporter of Oaksterdam News
Chris Conrad has studied cannabis (marijuana) since 1988. He has written two books on the topic and contributed to others. Familiar with numerous books and at least 100 scientific studies, such as federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and National Institute on Drug Abuse data. Reported on cannabis dispensaries for California legislators. Consults with government agencies. Testified at National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine hearings. Regularly consults with physicians including some of the world’s foremost authorities on cannabis and patients as to their knowledge and experiences regarding cannabis.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 04 August 2006 )
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Volume 1 
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