** The following review reflects my experience DURING the COVID-19 pandemic. **…read more There's an extraordinary new mural on the side of the Oakland Marriott City Center. At 190 feet, it's hard to miss unless you don't look up from your smartphone as you walk by on Broadway. If you do look up, you will be rewarded by the sight of a smiling child grasping a bundle of wheat. It's a beautiful image created by artist Victor Ash, and it serves as a message about world hunger, very well-timed as food banks have been struggling in response to months of the pandemic. Take a moment, look up for yourself, and advocate for #ZeroHunger, a global campaign sponsored by the UN's World Food Organization. RELATED - Exploring Oakland? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2ObVcpQ

this mural is the tallest, biggest...mural around but it's not the most impressive. it can be…read morepartially seen while driving along highway 880 thru downtown Oakland. i happen to be taking the Boardway turnoff so i saw it. otherwise it's a miss. It's on the left side of the Marriott Hotel. the mural "the child" depicts a happy Black girl running in a field proports to be in support of an UN support to end hunger called "Zero Hunger". Kellogg is a corporate sponsor. i don't see any connection between the mural and the program. maybe it's projects wishful thinking. creator: Victor Ash

Separate murals with basically a central theme: commemorating a friend/associate/.... who has left…read moretheir physical body behind.. Long Live Mario on roll up metal door -burning candles at the bottom. Creator: YOC? " Rip Bubba" at top right. "You're still here" at bottom left Rest in Paint -burning candle in center Family Ties *above 3 has illegible block lettering, hidden notes Creators: Kufue, GFC Nameless mural by Northstar

This mural on the backside of a P.G. & E. substation is another in a series of murals entitled…read more"Love Letter to Oakland". these murals "honors those who have impacted the Oakland community with their art and activism". Michael Morgan -Oakland symphony conductor for 30 years. Kev Choice -Oakland artist/musician/music director & producer. Hung LIu -china-born painter and Mills College professor Elaine Chu, Marina Perez-Wong -muralists of Twin Wall Mural Co for murals thruout the SF Bay Area. creators: -Pancho Pescador, Joevic Yeban, David Burke funded by: Oakland Neighborhood Voice, PG & E Better Together Program, $VENMO *May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

this mural is a remainder from the People's Grocery that was here for years but closed a few years…read moreago. at the bottom left corner is a large brown dog that means business. it's growling. at the bottom right corner is a outstretched brown hand with grains in palm. at the center are farm workers and/or farmers holding either harvested vegetables or farming tools. creator: unknown, People's Grocery

Ok. So whoever posted this didn't bother to walk around the corner and take photos of the two main…read moresides of the mural, which wrap around to the Freeway / BART view. Their interpretation is hella weird... That dog was Victoria's (who worked at PG at the time) and I painted it. If you want to know about this mural, visit the www.CRPBayArea.org. That's who created it.

this mural is at the entrance of Marriott Hotel. it replaced a very popular mural of the Warriors…read more the mural is populated by symbols that are linked to Oakland: Bart. Oaklandish, peace symbol, ice cream, donuts, giraffe from Fairyland, observatory, acorn, dragon head, black panther, shoe house,, etc. there are obviously some mentions missing.... creator: illuminaries...

Unnamed mural is noted by it's blocked graffiti lettering. Located at the far end of named building…read morethat overlooks a driveway. Against a light blue background HEKT GOETIC is next to a smiling young adult poised carefree next to it. Person has his hands spread apart as to say: "mural has nothing to do with me.". The message of mural seems elusive. Blocked lettering meaning is known only to the creator. The smiling young man presence is more than a coincidence. Creator: Hekt?

I am a fan of obscure historical sites. This fire hydrant fits the bill!…read more Yelp wouldn't let me post a two sentence review. The computer told me to keep writing. There's not much you can say about a fire hydrant that hasn't been said already. There was a huge fire, most of the fire hydrants were inoperable. This one wasn't! It saved lives and property. As far as fire hydrants go this is probably one of the most historic fire hydrants in the United States. If you're in the neighborhood stop by and give her a pat on the head.

For a few months, I kept seeing another Yelper (Steven B. of Castro fame) checking in at the Little…read moreGiant Golden Hydrant, down in The Mission. Didn't pay much attention - thought it might be the name of a bar. This is actually a really cool piece of history relating to the 1906 Earthquake, and the devastating fire in the aftermath. The Little Giant is a fire hydrant that saved most of The Mission below 20th Street because it pumped water that day. As it turns out, there were two other notable hydrants that put on a good fight that day - They are known as the Silver Twins. This hydrant is on Hayes and Buchanan - the other is supposedly at Van Ness and Ellis, although it is not the original hydrant like the one at Hayes. If you notice all of the old, pre-1906 buildings out in the Western Addition, you can thank this little guy. On the morning that the Earthquake struck, there was a kitchen fire that broke out by Hayes and Gough. Sure enough, because there was water from this hydrant, the neighborhood was saved. Imagine no pre-1906 buildings in Hayes Valley, Alamo Square, The Haight... Hard to believe that we owe as much of our history and our aesthetic to a few fire hydrants that functioned when almost all of the others didn't. I think it's well work a few moments if you're walking by to reflect on the past - it's always amazing to think of how much has happened in The City. Practical note: Hayes Valley Market is right here, and it's a solid place to grab a drink, snack, or a tasty sandwich.

Ignoring Bad Times appears several times in the mural. Assumed this is the given name…read more There doesn't appear to be a central theme save for the many instances where the "beings" & mechanical beings of various extractions are having a great time. Some are dancing. Some are playing musical instruments, some are smiling or giddy. Some are listening via an ear device. So many subthemes are embedded in this mural. The Creators may be infused their name into the mural. Like in the blocked letter grafitti or the letters PUFS, SLA?F, et. al. Creator:,uncertain.