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    Oakland Art Murmur

    4.2 (148 reviews)
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    Services - Oakland Art Murmur

    Community Service/Non-Profit

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    Ivy S.

    For many more years than the Oakland Art Murmur has been around, my husband and I have been haunting these streets. What we encountered this Summer was some of the most unbearable human interactions we have ever seen. The only reason for the second star is for the vendors and artists. We went to visit a friends place of business around 5pm. He told us to go walk around a take a look at some of the other Auto Shops that open their doors for people. I had no idea what the Art Murmur was. I eventually asked an artist what was going on and what the event was called. She informed me that it was in fact called the Oakland Art Murmur. Oh, I had heard of it on the Yelp Events page. My son and I walked around and took some photos. The streets got steadily more crowded so I went back to our friends shop. His place of business was not open to the Murmur. Yet people thought it was fine to just walk in. Some of my friends who were there are not the most friendly looking of people and most people walked out. I still wasn't sure of what the whole event was about. This same night I finally found out what the term "Hipster" meant. Ill be honest, I never knew what that was before tonight. We decided to head around the corner to another friends place of business. As we were leaving one of our friends came in, who is black, and he said hes never been so afraid of white people. Then he kind of looked at us sheepishly, I told him I felt the same way. On to the next street. THE STREETS ARE NOT CLOSED TO VEHICLES!!!!! A very clean cut man with salt & pepper hair in a collard shirt and slacks, pushing a bike, yelled "FUCK YOU!" through my husbands open window into his face. We were driving to a place of business that was still open to customers and not open to the Art Murmur. He yelled just because we were driving up the street that he happened to be standing in the middle of and had to move out of the way for an oncoming vehicle. We were just driving slowly up the street? Not even 2 miles and hour because there were other people mingling around. We were being very cautious. Our friend has an auto shop and his employees lined up chairs and some caution tape across the garage opening. They still had clients who needed to come pick up their vehicles. They told us a few weeks prior that a man walked in and started climbing on the car lift racks looking at some of the classic cars they had. One of the mechanics told him that they were not open to the public and that their insurance does not cover non employees to be on their equipment. This stranger who had no business even being in their shop said, "Bullshit, I want to see your policy." The mechanic told him "My policy is on my foot now get the fuck out of here before you really see it." Who are these entitled pricks!?!? Have some respect!!!!! We stood in front with the mechanics blocking the garage door and watched the plethora of the biggest represent people Ive ever seen in my life. I grew up in Phoenix, you'd think Id seen worse but no, nothing can top this crowd. It was almost as if each individual person acted like they were the only people in the world, even though they were in a crowd of many. At the end of the evening a man walked up to the front of where we were standing and started burning an American flag. Ok look, I'm a huge proponent of free speech and its extremely hard to offend me. When two former Vietnam Vets are standing next to you, one of which is missing a leg, you kind have to take their side. Ive also lost a friend in the most recent of so called "Wars" and you know, flag burning isn't something I want to be around. You can do it but I wont be there. That being said, I appreciate art. I appreciate local chefs and bakers and I really love coming to Oakland. Having been on the opposite side, standing with actual brick and mortar business and seeing the incredible lack of concern or consideration for them by people who want to be so "In". This type of activity doesn't make me want to come back. It doesn't inspire me to buy art. It doesn't inspire me to sample cupcakes or talk to a great make up artist or stand and listen to a squeeze box player. I do know that if the "Entitlement" keeps going on business owners are going to start complaining. There is more than just 2 as well. As we left I felt embarrassed for the people we saw. I was sad because it seems like such a good idea and something I really want to participate in but I just cant. Maybe if more people read this we can bring in a new attitude.

    Front Gallery
    Jason B.

    My first Murmur & I gotta say, I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped. Because I was hyping myself up for it for the past month? Probably. Never the less, I did enjoyed striking up random conversations with complete strangers, wandering all around downtown Oakland into dark, crowded ally ways, impatiently waiting in line at the taco truck, gallery hopping & snapping photos w/ drink in hand, & the journey all the way back to my car. Good times indeed.

    Han F.

    A bit crunchy but love the artsy vibe.

    1/4 Pound Giant Burger

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Oakland Art Murmur

    Review Highlights - Oakland Art Murmur

    This event, which happens to be right outside my door, is the best reason to be in Oakland every first Friday.

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    Cat Town

    Cat Town

    4.3
    (407 reviews)

    A Disneyland for cat lovers and cats. A beautiful space with the best volunteers and workers one…read morecould imagine. Only warning is you might fall in love - I know I did. You are important. Yes, you the reader of this right now. You are important to the successful operation of this cat cafe. An important part of this cafe is to socialize the cats with visitors so they become more friendly. Friendly cats get adopted. I found a friendly cat. He came right to the door to sniff me. Then as I entered from one door he was guided to his little stool - very obedient - so well trained I was in awe. His more shy brother always in the background - he would protect him and check me out first to make sure I was ok. The little guy had only interest in my - none of his toys. I gently got closer with some affectionate love pats and scratches. It is a love story of him and his brother and what landed them here. I fell in love with how they were so bonded and took care of each other. My heart melted as they snuggled up together in their little box as I left. If you are curious they are two brothers by the name of some sweet frozen desserts. A cute bonded pair that I spent all my time with there. There are so many other great ones here. I was blown away with the variety of colors and good movie star looks they had. I will be back.

    I recently lost my cat after 15 years and have been considering adoption. I found this awesome…read moreplace and decided to check it out. Cat Town's Mission "At Cat Town, our mission is cats. Together, we save the lives of at-risk cats, find them loving homes, and advocate for a future where every cat is valued." The site has a lot of good information about the program, It's history and adoption and foster processes. You can visit the cat Café for 50 minutes with a small entry fee by reserving a space online as well. Lindsey went over the do's and don'ts before taking us inside. The set up is really nice with plenty of toys, food/water bowls and litter boxes. There is a separate area with cats in studios. The color coded signs let you know if you can walk in and visit, if you need to ask a team member or if it's just not a good time for a visit. I enjoyed my time here and met some cute furry friends. Belle answered all of my questions and all staff was super pleasant, I'll be filling out an adoption inquiry soon. The way to enter Cat town is through the souvenir Café next-door. You can grab a coffee, tea or other beverage and a pastry to enjoy before entering the Cat play area or after as there are tables and chairs.

    Chapter 510

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    5.0
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    Chapter 510's workspaces are as suitable as any in all of Oakland to hold literary group meetings…read moreand literary events. Their staff is experienced, knowledgeable and incredibly helpful

    If you seek whimsy; if your house crest shines bright in a thousand shades of Bic-pen ink; if you…read morefear neither lava floor tiles nor sand in your boots, seek out Oakland's Department of Make Believe! I visited the brand-spanking-new and super-cool space on December's First Friday, and it was poppin'. A local band jammed on the pulpit-turned-stage; guests milled and chatted and sketched on huge slices of paper spread out on the tables; the organization's founders buzzed and zipped around, offering plastic bubbles with paper slips inside, fortune-cookie style - prompts to capture conversations with fellow make-believers. (There were also enchiladas and rice and beans, but I don't think that's an always-thing.) The nonprofit takes cues from like-minded writing centers like 826 and NaNoWriMo, but is by no means cookie-cutter. With inspirational merchandise whose packaging is a meld of 1960s cereal boxes and high-tech spy gear, an ACTUAL CHALKBOARD WALL that covers the entire east side of the ginormous writing room, and a sandbox populated by superheroes and smallish plastic animals, the atmosphere is of the "I'm-never-leaving" kind. And that's not even taking into account the stellar staff and what they do there. The org's mission is to help Oaklandish youths unleash their creativity, and their aesthetic hits the nail on the head: whimsical, engaging, a little tongue-in-cheek, it's sure to draw in scads of writers looking to express themselves through zany mediums like sassed-up waiting room forms, collective collages, and story prompts popped out of gumball machines. Basically: mount your steed/your Huffy/the 72M bus and GET THERE! (Appointments frowned upon and poked hard with a stick.)

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    ellssa

    5.0
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    ELLSSA brightens my life every day. Through the weekly homeless distributions, daily wellness…read morecoaching, and nightly meditation sessions I'm able to connect with those around me as well as myself. Life as never been better now that my family and I live the "Mission" of ELLSSA.

    Spokeland

    Spokeland

    5.0
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    Ya know that old cliche about feeding a man a fish versus teaching him to fish? So he can eat…read moreforever? That's kinda what Spokeland is like. Maybe it would be easier to pay someone to fix my bike for me, but then I would have to keep on doing that every time something goes wrong. At Spokeland, instead of doing repairs for you, they let you do it yourself but give you helpful guidance throughout. I now know much more about fixing my own bike thanks to these awesome people! I've come here to fix a flat, change out a cassette, and tune up my brakes. The volunteers that run Spokeland have been helpful and friendly every time. Sometimes things can take a while cause they're understaffed and don't have many open hours (a few hours Tu/Th evenings and Sunday afternoons). This is fine. They're volunteer-run and can only help so many people at once. Plus the vibes are welcoming, so it's not a bad place to spend a while! In addition to providing knowledge and a workshop space, Spokeland has lotsa parts and used bikes for sale. Think I saw some helmets too. I believe they also offer classes on occasion. Not sure how often these actually happen, but they seem to range from bike basics up to more advanced concepts and look super helpful. The best part of Spokeland is their determination to make bikes accessible for all. If you don't have the money, you can volunteer to pay off your shop time. And if you prefer to use money, it's super affordable. I've been twice, fixed several things on my bike, and only paid $10 total. Not bad for to get moving again and gain bike knowledge that will help me maintain my bike-friendly lifestyle long-term!

    Spokeland is a volunteer-run bike education non-profit in Oakland, walking distance from MacArthur…read moreBart. I came on Thursday needing some basic bike maintenance training. Pierre, one of the volunteers, was (more than) nice enough to spend an hour and a half with me going over how to patch a tube, change a tire, replace a chain, etc. It's a perfect place to go if you need a replacement part for your bike and you want a fair price. You can also just spend time there with your bike fixing any problems it may have. They have a suggested donation of $5/hr. Everyone who worked there was really nice and welcoming. Thanks again!!

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    1951 Coffee Company

    4.5
    (366 reviews)
    $$

    This place was quite interesting. Nice vibe. Friendly and welcoming. The choices to choose from…read morewere quite original. I got a Banana pudding iced Chai. It was delicious. It even had the cookie in it. There was an event taking place where I got to learn some history of the coffee and the roots of where it came. Will definitely be back.

    I love this cafe! There's always a lot of seating available early--the setup is quite large with…read moreoutdoor tables, two or so chairs, and a lot of high-top seating. 1951 Coffee has a very working cafe vibe. I noticed a lot more working professionals than students, but I do take my coffee very early in the morning. They're laptop friendly and have WiFi as well. The coffee quality is quite good and strong. The lattes come with two espresso shots, which I appreciate, since most chains only contain one (which makes the coffee weak and overly milky--this shop doesn't have that problem). The syrups aren't anything special, but they have a decent flavor and aren't overpowering, which I like. The recipes here are definitely well-balanced. The employees are always very helpful, friendly, and welcoming! They're also a nonprofit, which is nice. I love a high quality small business. The pastry availability is pretty standard. I can't say I'd recommend ordering one, unless you're really in the mood for a mochi donut. Overall, I'd recommend this as a coffee shop and wfh spot, and I would definitely return again.

    Oakland Art Murmur - localflavor - Updated June 2026

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