Union Point Park

Uziel Acosta

Ghettoooooo lol not clean, not pretty, not somewhere to return to.

7

Weird spiral pyramid with US flag and a statue to African Americans that's white cool 😎 Dunno what else is there but at night you can actually see the Oakland skyscrapers and the SF Phallice

Alvin Lam

Very nice little spot if you want some peace and quiet during sunsets. Not much people come around these spots since there are a lot of trash laying around, but if you can get over that... this place is pretty cool.

Sajan Saini

Walking through Union Point Park in Oakland I could not help but have this feeling of pity for the area. The park’s concept is beautiful. It is right near the water. The size of it allows for it to be enjoyed by many at once. It is filled with art installations of all kinds. Ned Kahn’s Wave Oculus (2005) is located here; it is an encapsulating project that has a lot of interesting thoughts behind it. Yet, I wish it wasn’t placed here. The parks deterioration has trickled down to the sculptures and affected them for the worse. It is quite obvious that funding for the park has diminished. Unfortunately, the rising homeless issue in the bay area has displaced many to this park and because of its placement has become a place of solace for some due to its distance from the city. Union Point Park is a nine-acre waterfront venue. Located just near Coast Guard Island, just south of the Embarcadero area shoreline. The park’s website boasts that it “offers waterfront access, park activities, and attractive open space in an area that has lacked such opportunities. It is owned and operated by the City of Oakland.” When first driving to the park, I noticed that both parking lots on either end were quite empty. It was a beautiful Oakland summer day. I expected a few people to be enjoying the nice park. Whatever cars were there were old abandon beaters that seemed to have been there for a while now. Walking up to the Wave Oculus is when I really noticed the park itself and its raw beauty. The land formations really did make it seem as if it created from waves. From the small hills to the curvy pathways, the aesthetic of the park is clear throughout. The children's play area fits the theme and was made to look like a boat. The Wave Oculus itself is beautiful. The reflections shown through on the mirrors are extremely calming and fun to watch. Unfortunately, the upkeep of the Wave Oculus was not up to date and rust is prevalent on a majority of the sculpture. Trash along the bank of the estuary distracted me and pulled me away from spending more time looking at the mirrors. Otherwise, everything about the park and Wave Oculus has an inviting feel to it, yet there seems to be this eerie mist that acts as a deterrent that emanates from the park to the point where I don’t think I’ll ever visit again. The park is out of the way, basically on the edge of Fruitvale. The only cars that I noticed passing through the secluded road were semi-trucks. This seclusion also adds to the eeriness of the park. The tech boom is reshaping what it is like to live in the bay area, Oakland more than San Francisco is ending up on the short end of the deal. According to an article in the SF Chronicle, by Joe Garofoli and Kimberley Veklerov, “Oakland is experiencing an unprecedented demand for housing that has driven up the median price of an apartment by nearly 60 percent over the past three years. During that time, little affordable housing has been built.” An unfortunate statistic that has ended up displacing so many Oakland residents. This has exposed everyone to what Oakland has and San Francisco does not: a vast network of empty industrial backroads. A trait that allows for homeless encampments to reside at peace and out of sight. This is why I believe the Park has really lost its traction and appeal. Due to its seclusion it has become a homeless hub. Unfortunately, it isn’t at the fault of anyone, really. It’s more up to the city to come up with long and short term solutions for the homeless issue, whether it be more affordable housing or temporary housing. There really isn’t too much that can be done to alleviate the problem. In her article, “Looking Around: Where We Are, Where We Could Be” Lucy Lippard says, “Because land plus people -their presence and absence - is what makes place resonate.” It is an unfortunate truth, but it is a truth as to how we define places.