Heritage found in walking tours
Monday, July 16, 2007
It's that time of year again: The Oakland Heritage Alliance summer walking tour season is under way! Along with many favorites being offered again, there are three new tours and I'll be highlighting those in upcoming columns. In all, OHA offers 22 different chances to explore Oakland's neighborhoods this season, all happening on Saturdays and Sundays now through September … 

Vintage music box plays fine tunes in Oakland hills
Monday, July 16, 2007
There is a lovely music box in the Oakland hills that opens its lid every summer and out pops treasured melodies, redwoods, starlit nights and some old friends — Bloody Mary, Porgy, Bess, Henry Higgins, Dorothy and Toto. This music box has a name — Woodminster Amphitheater — and it's Oakland's version of summer stock right there in verdant Joaquin Miller Park … 

Gondolas return to Lake Merritt
Monday, July 16, 2007
An Italian-born guide sings Venetian songs as his gold hoop earrings glisten in the light of the setting sun, the red ribbon from his woven hat catches the wind and his gondola paddles glide through the calm water of — Lake Merritt? Yes, those long, shallow boats that work as taxis in Italy's "City of Water" have been brought to the Bay Area's backyard.

Angelino Sandri and his wife April Quinn have returned to Oakland after a few years away to give their gondola tour business, Gondola Servizio, a second try …