Cafe Van Kleef — Restaurant in Oakland

Zio Ziegler, Untitled, June 2015

Private money funds a Zio Ziegler mural, Untitled (2015), on the renowned Cathedral Building while Oakland is referred to as the new up and coming with a happening art scene that is true to few currently residing in the city. Ziegler’s brightly colored mural cannot be missed as it can be seen from blocks away. While the mural has no visible correlation with the residence or events (current or historical) in Oakland it is a crowd favorite among the new comers to the city. This new mural seems to have made its mark on Oakland and sets a tone for the future of murals and culture of Oakland.

To begin, the historic gothic style revival Cathedral Building sits at the intersection of Telegraph and Broadway, which are two of the busiest streets in Oakland. Built in 1914, it is unlikely that anyone has come close to gaining permission to paint a mural on the side of it, until the United Nation (UN) Foundation commissioned Ziegler to create a mural in order to commemorate the UN’s seventeenth anniversary. The UN “…wanted to partner with a local artist to create a mural, paintings, and merchandise based on its new global goals that are also a focus of the celebration.”i Originally, the mural was planned to execute the mural on a building near San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, which is the location of the 1945 signing of the UN Charter, but after talk of Oakland’s “exploding art scene” the mural was decided to be done in Oakland.ii This is interesting considering the current socioeconomics in Oakland UN’s goals of the mural to address and tackle extreme poverty and climate change. "People our age are relatively disconnected with the UN, and I think it could be very relevant again," said Ziegler in a recent interview, "But it would take an encouragement of something graphically intriguing enough so that someone would actually want to participate, wear it, endorse it,...

This is probably one of the most unique and refreshing bar that I have ever been to. This bar is so visually intriguing because the decorator or owner used some quirky finds to decorate the bar backdrop which is definitely a conversation starter here. Some of the things that I noticed behind the bar were a mermaid and a devil's butt. There is no cover charge to enter and we went pretty late and the bar was packed but not too packed. There is music but just loud enough to allow conversation. The bartenders here are friendly. They also have an extensive cocktail and beer list. This place takes freshly made/squeezed to a whole new level. The bartenders have a machine where they manually cut each grape fruit and then they pull this lever to extract all the juice and collect it in a pitcher (I know there is a name for this but I can't recall). This may be the secret behind why their cocktails tasted so good because they use the freshest ingredients. After a few cocktails, you will be tempted to use the restroom but this bar only have one bathroom for males and females so plan ahead and go before your bladder is full. pros: Freshly made drinks Beautifully decorated bar backdrop Friendly bartenders

Cons: Lines to use the restroom are long since there is only one bathroom for males...

It's a unique dive bar experience. The decore of the space is the conversation starter of the evening. The effects of the lights give swanky while the random art, animal forms, statues & paraphernalia give hoarder uncles man cave.

The music was just as random when I visited on a Saturday night. 2000s r&b and pop kept me in a groove.

Their fresh squeezed grapefruits made for refreshing Paloma's. Standing room. It's a tight squeeze - the space is narrow with the long bar run down the front 2/3rds and a few sitting tables in the back 1/3.

Expect to stand and chill. Music was at a volume only moderately competing with conversation, so you can still chat and enjoy a vibe.

Overall It's a cool spot for a casual assortment of vibes. Diverse crowd. Although it would not be a destination for me, I'd stop in if I were in the area and just wanted to grab a drink to kick it...