Oakland

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Note to readers: This article is part of "Robin's Personal Memories Project"
 
The information on this page is from my personal history and memories
and should NOT be used for any reason other than reading enjoyment
Hayward -- Club History -- Redwood City


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We decided to move to Oakland because of its' proximity to San Francisco.

Oakland was, I thought, one of the most perfect locations ever. It was a four story building with two apartments on first and second floor, a full, finished attic, and a complete wood shop built into the basement. The building was in the middle of a freeway over-pass, without neighbors, but with plenty of parking.

Moving to Oakland was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. Having studied Sun Tzu, I know that you should always reconnoiter as part of strategic planning. I did that, but on a limited scale.

Oakland, at that time, was having a massive problem with prostitution. It was said there were as many as one hundred hookers per block along McArthur Avenue. When we moved to Santa Clara Street in Oakland, the Oakland Police Vice Squad wrung there hands and jumped on us with glee, thinking that we were either a bordello or a massage parlor.

It taught me a painful lesson, but thankfully, none of us, myself or Staff members were convicted of anything: everything was thrown out at the preliminary hearing.

Incidents that come to mind and bring smiles.

  • One of the things that made Oakland such a wonderful sessions house was the fact that it was right across the street from a convenience store with multiple pay telephones We had have clients make an appointment, and then direct him to those pay phones to call us a second time to confirm his appointment. When he called us back, we directed him to walk from the payphone to where we were. The receptionist would say, 'Oh, you're the guy in the (fill in a color) shirt. If you turn around and look across the street, you can see me in the window.' Several times, before she could finish the sentence, the guy would drop the phone, get in his car and just drive away.


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