I live on the edge of the Trestle Glenn/Lakeshore neighborhood of Oakland, and as charming as it is, I wish I could step back a century and board a train or electric trolley car for a summer picnic or camp meeting in the hills of that bygone era. The neighborhood with its charming, European-style homes on a street that winds its way up the hill, was designed in the early 1920s by the Olmsted brothers, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, to be Oakland's version of San Francisco's exclusive tony St. Francis Wood.
Trestle Glen, begins, or ends, on Lakeshore Avenue, across from a Starbucks and a Noah's Bagels, and many residents in the area start their day with a stop at one or both places.
As for the picnic, I'll just have to content myself with eating it down by Lake Merritt. Suggested menu:
Bread, Cheese, non-alcoholic beverage so you don't get arrested for open container ( I know, no fun) and a nice marinated asparagus and artichoke salad.
RECIPE: MARINATED ASPARAGUS AND ARTICHOKE SALAD
Do this the night before so it has a chance to marinate and chill.
Take 2 bunches of asparagus stalks, and snap off the tough, lower ends. Just flex the ends until they snap, and then you know you are left with edible, delicious asparagus.
Slice the asparagus on the diagonal into lengths of about 1 1/2 inches. Place these into a steamer in which the water is already boiling, and steam them for only about 5 minutes. You want them just barely cooked.
Cool the asparagus, and add canned artichoke hearts, chopped onion, pimento, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and salt to taste. Use enough vinegar and olive oil to coat and provide a marinate. Refrigerate and stir occasionally.
It's even nicer to buy baby artichokes on the San Mateo coast, and cook them yourself. This is a job, but well worth it.
You need to soak them in water with some salt and vinegar, clean them really well. Cut them in half or fourths lengthwise, cut each leaf back to leave mostly just the tender parts. Steam these until they are cooked but not mushy and falling apart. Strain, and then saute in olive oil until tender and then you can add them to the salad, or to a lamb stew.
For a more detailed history on the transition of Trestle Glen from Ohlone environ to Spanish and Anglo ranching to recreational area and to residential neighborhood, see the Lakeshore Home Association link below.
For information on the Olmsteds, especially Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of New York's Central Park and Oakland's Mountain Cemetery, see the National Park Service links that follow.
Olmsted's house at the National Historical Site looks like it could look right at home on Trestle Glen.
Olmsted was influential in the preservation of Yosemite, as well.
The photo of the trolley in Trestle Glen is from Calisphere, a free digital collection of primary sources documents and images created and maintained by the University of California, Berkeley. The photo is from the Joseph R. Knowland collection and was donated by Oakland Public Library. The image was created in 1898 by Britton and Rey, lithographers from San Francisco, and depicts trolley cars from the Oakland Transit Company in operation from 1894-1904.
Most images are public domain, but users should check the details on each item before using, especially if for commercial purposes.
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