Roger Porter
May 20, 2011
There is no better place to be in Oakland, CA USA than Lake Merritt on a sunny day. The energy is so positive that it is almost unbelievable. It must be the only place in the town where everyone who you see smiles at you. I must say that I love the lake so much that I can actually jog there with no I-pod on. I just listen to the sounds made by all of the beautiful things around me. The families with the small children riding bikes with training wheels, the middle-aged man huffing and puffing trying to make it the whole 3 miles distance, the two women chatting about work while speed walking down Lakeshore Boulevard, the storks, the cranes, the pigeons, the ducks, it’s all good and at night-time it gets even better.
The sight of Lake Merritt all lit up at night is one of the more breathtaking things I have ever seen. It exudes a very real sense of calm and appreciation; an appreciation of life, of earth, and of all things lovely. Lake Merritt is right in the middle of the town and therefore it is considered to be our heart. It pumps life into every person who has ever called Oakland home. The sight of it revitalizes us all.