Is Oakland the Next Brooklyn? (Part 2...)

We made a first post a few weeks ago comparing Oakland to Brooklyn, raising the question of whether Oakland is beginning to have the same relationship to San Francisco that Brooklyn has to Manhattan. With so much going on in Oakland, and a location like that of the Pacific Cannery Lofts that is only 10 minutes away from downtown SF, it almost seems inevitable.

This past weekend, the New York Times published some similar thoughts in their article, "Sisters in Idiosyncrasy." They go on to say:

"that the populations drawn to both areas by alternative art and music scenes, and by a tolerance for diversity, were looking for a “messy urbanism, a clash of different styles that Brooklyn still retains, that the East Bay still retains.”

Other communities across the country also fit this bill, but what Brooklyn and the East Bay share is proximity to more cosmopolitan centers — Manhattan and San Francisco — where the “creative class,” many of whom are freelancers, can earn a living.

“You can make money in both cities,” Ms. Levine said. “Can you make money in Portland, Ore.? It’s a cool city, it’s got lots of hipsters, but can you make money?”

Roger Guenveur Smith, an actor who has been “flowing in and out” of the Bay Area and Brooklyn since the late 1980s, said the two areas are similar in the relationship that Brooklyn has to Manhattan, and Oakland and Berkeley have to San Francisco: one of interest and curiosity, but also independence."

You can view the entire article here