This episode is sponsored by American Express. Oakland is a vibrant city with tons to see and do, and holds a special place in our hearts. The art, sports, food and people highlight what makes the Bay Area so special. The hosts of All The Smoke take you on a tour and share a few must-stop places you have to see - and you know we always set you up right - so we have a few ideas for the best way to experience the Bay. Amex offers invaluable experiences for many travel, dining, and entertainment needs throughout Oakland.
To create your own epic experience and learn more, go to AmericanExpress.com/elevatedmembership.
This episode is sponsored by American Express. Now, you guys know that the Bay Area holds a specially placing our hearts and it's a vibrus city. Would us to see and do the art, sports, food, but the people what makes the city very unique. There's a few must stop places you have to see, so you know we're gonna set you up right. So we have a few ideas for the best way to experience the city. Well, yeah, you know, I'm from northern California. Actually bloom right next to the Big Area. Give a chance to play out here twice was amazing. And one thing I always like about the Bay Area was the food spots. What are some of your favorite food spots. I know you're a big Shelfish fans that you're always eating crab and shrimp. Uh, any places come to mind? Yeah? Meve in the Southern Wild I always you know, was it was a fan of crab and the sea food. But coming out to the Bay Man I experienced in a whole different way. I think that the first time at eight Quest Station, I think, uh the guard of happened to Garden, Newis was a different experience to me that I fell in love with and uh, I think it's one of my favorite spots I've done. Also, I got a chance and up to the spot called Aliotto's break White. I don't boy Frank White's by the Alioto's Greater Taliable, Great Crab and sea Foods, So definitely my top. My number one place to go was a Crustaceans in the World. Yeah. I was always really big onf breakfast, but actually got a crustacean story too. So it was right when I started dating my ex wife, I took at the Crustaceans and San Francisco. We were living in Ala Media at the time, and I forgot my wallet, so we went up we ate. I didn't realize to have my wallet, I had to go outstair that literally scrouns like undrew. I remember the undrew the ten dollars. I be able to find a ten dollars and one of these fift the ones changed just to pay the bill. So Greg Meal had the hustle and getting paid for But I was really being on the breakfast spots Man Brenda's Sweet Maples. If you ever stopped by there, mentioned get the steak, a potato breakfast second and none. Plus they got the million dollar baking, which I know you loved. Jack. Back on our playing days, I remember we went out, maybe six or seven of us went to a restaurant. Uh. One person there was our teammate, Aaron Davis. It was a nice little Italian restaurant right across street from this house, and I remember he didn't want to pay. Uh hell the fans. What happened after? Yeah? Man, you know it was one of those nice you know, we always go out to you after the games. We was one of those teams that really started the well brothers on and off the court. We went everywhere together, so you know, it was a night out to be You know, it was Baron David, Baron Davids trying to pay what he don't want to pay, fake like you didn't have his wallet. We had to pat him down that we were the cops. Fid end up biding his wallet. He's still I was complaining about playing the bill. Uh So we end up putting all our mxes in the heat. Everybody had put the dams in the heat, and uh we let the waitress fit who was going to pay? Since be he was giving us a hard time, Well coincidence she pulled this car he end up paying anyway. He so he tried to get out of pay a bag. But you know, we all take our time the best beaty man, but he had to pay that night, and I think Bill was kind of nice. Absolutely classic warrior moments off the court. Well, Matt, recently we hit the bay Man, our second home man. It was able to to spend some time with one of the future stars of the Bay Area, man the Russell. Uh really get it to chance to go to the pergola. That's when he caused his backyard in the stage. Uh really, the chance to to to be around his family. We had a great experience with a dope breakfast by called Momos. Do you remember that? You remember Momos? Matt? It was a great experience. I mean, first of all, thank him and his family for welcoming us. His mom was dad and family was there. Obviously the pergola. You don't know the pergola, Google it. It's a spot in his backyard, in the heart of the layout where at the whole entire city com un listen they're performed. So we got a first hand experience with that in the chance interview him meeting his friends and family and really his all in the organs of his team. You'really reminded me of Nip on his independent push in this record space, creativity behind getting his music out there. Um, as you mentioned, Momo, some of the best breakfasts that they don't I've had in my life. They're still good to make you want to slap your mama. Man. We have a time out there, man, but big cast off to uh the Russell and instead of aalleo, welcome in us. Good company. Yeah. The one thing that I really found special about the Russell and his team is just everything is in the house, from music production to taking sales, to have a concert of his own backyards. That trught me how important it is or stuff like that to continue to happen where he's doing a lot of black owned in house stuff. Well, I call it that them Lebraun effect. You know, we talked about how Lebroun is on the basketball player of history to get it right, to bring his friends along, put in position to sus seed and we all went together. I think that's I call that the lebron the fact, and that's what the Russell is doing. All these people that he grew up with. Everybody has the talent, Like you said, everybody could be a star on their own role and it's the the super dope that that that he's taking that same that same blueprint and doing it with good company everybody around him as a talent to use and you know, he's benefited from it all and they're all winning together. And I think that's that's the best thing you could do, man, because you know, if you're not putting somebody up and what you're doing and I think, you know, like said, Lebron is a blueprint and everybody else is taking down the Russell's doing a great job at it as well. I think she made a great point too. I mean, remember when he introduced the whole team, it was nobody that hung around. Everybody here introduced or was at least sixteen to twenty people had, like he said, a talent and a job and he part of the bignor picture of what he was trying to build out there. So it's something they're big, gone black owned. There's something they're big one and obviously I think that's going to be the d to his success as he needs to elevate in this music space. One thing that is different for me, you know, being from here and out here is the musical inspiration that that the area draws drawn all the way back from Cheapox saying that that the Bay gave him a lot of his game to the great Slight forty uh team short Rest of the Peace mc dre. All that music and all that energy is really entrench in the entire area is just a different world out here. When I stay to Bay is different. They don't know what I mean, But people how at the Bay is different with the energy and and and the inspirational they drop from their music out here. You know, well, I mean for me, I mean every every you know culture, I say, every every side of the maps as their own style of music. But the being on the West Coast and the Bay, you know this this a lot of people consider all the same. But for me, I know the difference because I grew up on the music. I grew up on Eat Party, I grew up on Spice One, I grew up on mcmall, I grew up on all that, all that the click I grew I grew upon, grew up on all that music. So the base sound was definitely something that that's in the soundtrack of my life and it was. It was coincident. It was just odd that I was able to play out there and then have some successive basketball. But the Bay music that that don't sound. It's just a different sound that that's that's been standing alone for forever. I guess that sound of eat party and and and and the clicking the spice one was the was the block sound. You know what's in the sign that we all that we all love to that to so list to on the block growing up for barbecues and stuff like that. And uh, it was. It was big in the South, whether a lot of people know it or not now, so you know, the Bay the Bay Area music thing has touched a lot of people worldwide. But me speaking from the South Broke, I think, is this almost bigger than our music? Yeah, it was a ev'sporation so well obviously scored and on what we brought from the Oakland area. And when I tell people the energy and the Bay is different, I think obviously it's it's aspired by the music. This half to be in it and steal it to really out of the state of it is hard to explain, but you know, there's a yeasts differed from the Bay Area and orl the area Sacramento, just the Bay Area that's really a standalone place with great music, great food, great people, all different kinds of way to get around the city. Uh. And there's really something you have to experience yourself that believe understand how failable it is. I mean, one thing this uh very special to me about the Bay is is the way you're able to move around. You know. I was a child that was all around on my bike or walking. Um, you know, I helicoptered around the city obviously taking cars norm but there's trains one form of transportation. Uh that was new and crazy. He was writing the part out here. My girl at the time was from Oakland, and we took the bar from Oakland the surface Cisco and I didn't know how we're gonna do that. Uh, there's like an underground tunnel under the water. It gets you the San Francisco. YEA. We had a great experience on the boat, uh, traveling from downtown San Francisco all the way to Maren City with the former teammate of mine. UM, tons of beautiful views and uh sites. What were some of your favorite ways to move around outside of this normal transportation in the car where when you were at the back. For me, Matt, you know I didn't I didn't travel much, but but by car uh and bus. I mean, you know, I remember one time we draw from from the game. Uh. You know when we played Sacramento Kings. We used to drive back and forth. Uh. So you know I remember those bus ride, those bus rides from me, Man, I used to enjoy pulling my rose wards out man getting the bridge, getting the bridge, man saying that beautiful bridge and that beautiful that beautiful skyline and then and the bag and missed it. No the stating man, I usually love doing that, going over there to the city and going in Houston getting something, going to those restaurants we talked about. You know, I think that that's that's stuffing you want to experience. You want to be able to you know what I mean to to get behind that wheel on a nice sidey it hit that bridge and just and just see that beautiful saying every man see alprotrash and all that. So for me, I think that was that was that was something I really enjoy. A band in the bay hop down the top up I was, I was, I was full of door, a hard tip. I wouldn't top down, but you know I would cruise at a low speed so you can feel me as I'm riding. You know. Obviously one thing that really sticks out the race gonna of that boat ride and you know, being able to stop out there and seeing how therapeutic being on that water was, seeing all the may thing houses, uh steeing, how big bridges are, just kind of really understanding that. You know, the bay is just special. Driving right by Alpatrash, it's really getting this field again, the history and a significant um of the baby travel. I mean, it's always something special. These effort experiences are nothing without a plan that can be elevated with the American Expressed A. METS offers in valuable experiences for many travel, dining, and entertainment needs. For you to take a break from your everyday grind. The adventure doesn't end here. You can listen to what's going on down in Miami, New York City, you know, with the Black Effect Presents show fee. To create your own epithy experience and learn more about the Elevated membership, go to American and spreads dot com slash Elevated Membership