I came down with a cold last night and have been feeling fatigued, so I didn’t have the energy to walk down to the lake and snap sunset photos. When I don’t have time to make it down there, I walk one block over to Vermont Street because it’s high up a hill and I can get a decent angle from there.
But what bums me out about this view is the sight of the freeway.
Below the overpass there is a plaque that reads:
MAC ARTHUR FREEWAY – Most Beautiful Urban Highway in the U.S.A.
Um, what now? They hand out awards for freeways? Freeways that cut through neighborhoods and make a lot of noise because, people keep moving here. So much for our “pandemic exodus”. They came for the gold in the 1800s and have been coming here ever since.
On the east side of the lake there are these really cute 1920s looking apartments. Apartments that once had a peaceful view before the freeway was built. Now it’s just loud. The lake is loud. If I want peace and quiet, I head for the hills – literally. There are beautiful walking trails up in the Oakland hills.
I know some people find noise comforting but I grew up in Contra Costa County where I could hear the crickets at night. Now all I hear is the freeway. Why am I still here? I hate hot weather and God put me here to do research on my ancestors who lived all over Oakland and San Francisco as early as 1880.
Before the freeway.
Monday, February 10, 2025:
Theresa Donahoe 