Lake Merritt

I like to walk a lot with my headphones on. Sometimes I'll just wander and get lost in the music. I walked around Lake Merritt with a good friend of mine. I didn't have a chance to put on my headphones but if I were to create a soundtrack it would probably consist of local Oakland favourites Rogue Wave and Communique. Communique's album, "Poison Arrows" is one of my favourite albums and it's perfect for walking, exercising or breaking a sweat. There's a song called "Perfect Weapon" that is probably the best work out song I've heard in awhile. "Our bodies keep sweating we've got the perfect weapon." The tempo starts out slow from the first track and it starts to speed up as you get further into the music. My friend introduced me to this band and she said she uses it when she runs. It's quite a shame that they broke up. Many of the members went back to American Steel.

As we walked around the lake, I could see all the tall buildings that surround us. Birds chirped in the background, voices all blended into one, a slight odor of various ethnic foods permeated the air. The urban backdrop of the tall buildings coupled with the sounds of music blasting as cars drove by provided an excellent soundtrack for a beautiful warm summer day. As we wandered around the lake, I heard a lot of hip hop coming out of various cars. We saw lyrics to "My Milkshake" printed on the wall of True Burger. That really made us laugh. I also heard a snippet of some Guns N' Roses, "November Rain." All of these different songs make up the diversity of Oakland, California - a place that is known for its crime, culture and football. It's a highly underrated city that deserves a visit.