Botanical lovers delight! Built in 1924, this classic bungalow sits behind a garden gate amidst a colorful and drought tolerant(?) garden, an irresistible haven for pollinators and plant lovers alike. Observe the bees and butterflies from the generous porch of this lovely craftsman home, while sipping your morning coffee. Inside, is a roomy entryway with large closet. Honey-toned hardwood floors connect the living and dining areas and extend into the kitchen creating a welcoming open plan living area that seamlessly flows all the way from the front to the back of the house. Sit by the fireplace in the living room while keeping an eye on what’s going on in the kitchen. A perfect set up for entertaining and keeping the party flowing through the house.

A short hallway connects to roomy bedrooms that share a remodeled bathroom with stall shower, keeping things efficient and minimal while maintaining privacy with bedrooms at each end of the house. The kitchen is a marvel with a breakfast bar, generous counter and cupboard space, and new appliances to make cooking a joy. Plenty of windows bring the sunshine inside. But the true magic lies beyond the back door—an extraordinary bi-level deck overlooks a verdant garden oasis. Ideal for alfresco dining or yoga on a quiet morning, this elevated perch offers a dreamy view of raised beds ready for your heirloom tomatoes and armfuls of fresh blooms. Meander down to the lower flagstone patio, where a hidden gem awaits; a private and idyllic artist's atelier, writing retreat, or private sun-drenched office complete with built-in shelves, skylights, and windows on three sides of the structure. Tucked discreetly along the generous driveway, a fully separate and beautifully appointed studio apartment offers a full kitchen and bath—perfect for guests, in-laws, or potential rental income. Independent and serene, it’s a wonderful bonus space in an already captivating property. Welcome to your Glenview Garden Retreat—a poetic blend of nature, light, and soulful living – just steps to the vibrant Glenview neighborhood: top-rated restaurants, coffee, shopping, transportation and the new Glenview Elementary School!

Neighborhood

While Elston Ave is out of the main flow of traffic for quieter living, the main shopping/dining districts are a few blocks away, bike, mobility scooter or drive away. Beaumont Street was a Key Route trolley run back in the day (remember Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) and Glenview grew up as a trolley suburb in the early 20th C. Conveniently nearby are four Oakland shopping districts: Park Blvd/Glenview/Oakmore, Dimond/Laurel, Montclair Village & Grand/Lake. Easy commutes, just seconds from 580 (secret on-ramp from Park Blvd going north). Less than ½ block to Dimond Park, less than a mile to scenic urban walks and stairs across Park in Trestle Glen & Crocker Highlands. Easy drive-up Park Blvd to dozens of Oakland Hills trailheads serving thousands of acres of parkland trails for hiking, biking & riding.

Neighborhood history & resources

https://oaklandgeology.com/2017/08/28/a-stroll-up-indian-gulch-or-trestle-glen/

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=185171

Ten things to do in Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Grand-Lake, Montclair & beyond

1. Convenient commutes via SF Express bus (at MacArthur), BART (Lake Merritt, 19th Street) or car via MacArthur Maze (580, 980, 880, 24), or up Park Boulevard to Hwy13. Here’s a morning commute tip going north: Beaumont to Park, take the secret Excelsior on-ramp to 580.
2. Local shops in the former Key Route trolley turnaround: Dry cleaners, Piedmont Family Spa, Perfect Hair Solutions.
3. Drive, stroll or bike up Beaumont (the old trolley route) to Park Blvd for shops & dining. Less than half a mile to Storybook (Bavarian Mediterranean) Glenview commercial district.
   1. Outstanding spirits & wine at Savemore Market (plus deli & groceries).
   2. Coffee & breakfast at Blackberry Bistro, Diggery Inn or Ultimate Grounds. Lunch at Bellanico Restaurant & Wine Bar, Paulista Brazilian Taproom (sports bar & grill) or Park Burger. Dinner at Marzano Restaurant or Sushi Park.
   3. Glenview Lock & Key (a local institution, check out the seasonal window displays!), UPS/USPS mailing service, professional offices, cat vet, et
   4. Continue up Park ½ mile, turn right, cross the historic Leimert Bridge over Dimond Canyon for convenience shopping, dining and takeout. Beloved Rocky’s Market (excellent wine selection) & Two Local Girl’s Café breakfast, Roli Roti Rotisserie truck weekly, Red Boy Pizza, 3 Seasons Thai Bistro.
4. Continue up Park past Oakmore (a little more than 2 miles up Park & left on Mountain Blvd) to visit charming Montclair Village for shopping, dining and more.
   1. Copious caffeine: Highwire Coffee Roasters, Yellow Door, Paddington Café, Peets, Starbucks.
   2. Tasty food: Daughter Thai (artful ambience, bold flavors, creative cocktails), Kitchen Kakui, TGI Oni Sushi, El Agavero Tequila Bar, Crogan’s, Mountain Mike’s Pizza (great sports-style pepperoni pizza!), Himalayan Curry House, many more.
   3. Super fresh seasonal produce at the Sunday Montclair Farmer's Market! https://uvfm.org/montclair-village-sundays
   4. Cycle, jog, stroll along the Montclair Railroad Trail http://www.montclairrrtrail.org/, This paved, flat trail (wheelchair and mobility scooter usable) connects Montclair Village to Shepherd Canyon Park: Picnic and play in 34 acres of scenery, sports fields, climbing structure, switchback hillside trail with sunset views! https://www.oaklandparks.org/shepherd-canyon-park/.
5. Stroll across Park Blvd and down the Greenwood Stairs to enjoy the natural and architectural beauty of historic Crocker Highlands. Trestle Glen Road runs in a deep natural valley along a creek bed (mostly hidden in culverts and backyards) sinking gradually to Lakeshore Avenue or rising steeply as the valley narrows to Piedmont.
   1. Wallow in local history! Erected in 1893, Borax Smith’s trolley ran picnickers up to the Highlands on a 40’ high trestle over what was then called Indian Gulch. That put the trestle in Trestle Glen—it was dismantled in 1906 (before the Key Route).
      1. Trestle Glen was developed by Walter Leimert (after whom the bridge from Park Blvd to Oakmore is named) in the ‘20s & ‘30s as lots for custom homes. You can still see the elegant gateway to the neighborhood at Lakeshore & Trestle Glen.
      2. Oakland’s most famous architects designed houses along the Glen and upslope over Crocker Highlands: Julia Morgan, Maybeck & White, William Schirmer, Charles McCall, A.W. Smith, Hamilton Murdock, Kent & Hass, Frederick Reimers, William Wurster, Irwin Johnson, and more.
      3. Styles include storybook English Tudor, French Provincial, Spanish, Italian & Mediterranean Revival as well as Craftsman and Prairie homes built through the ‘20s & ‘30s plus a few ‘40s ranch houses on the steeper harder-to-engineer lots.
   2. Much more fun and way more scenic than a stair climber or treadmill at the gym! Explore the hidden pedestrian paths & secret stairs connecting Glenview, Trestle Glen, Crocker Highlands, Grand/Lakeshore, & Piedmont. These are relics of when Key Route trolleys ran up Lakeshore, Grand, Park and Beaumont. Commuters from downtown Oakland & San Francisco (via ferries until the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge opened in November 1936) walked home via these shortcuts from trolley stations & commercial districts below.
      1. Cross Park, then take the path from Elbert to Trestle Glen via a hidden parklet that transports you to the Oakland of more than a century ago!
      2. On the west side of Trestle Glen is a path/staircase that takes you up past Bowles Place to Sunnyhills Road into Crocker Highlands.
      3. Upper Trestle Glen connects to two steep stairways (with the original Art Deco tile trim) that lead you up to the stately homes on St James Drive in Piedmont.
   3. Highly recommended walking guide https://bookshop.org/p/books/secret-stairs-east-bay-a-walking-guide-to-the-historic-staircases-of-berkeley-and-oakland-revised-september-2020-charles-fleming/12536409?ean=9781595800633
   4. An essay on walking during the lockdowns. https://oaklandside.org/2021/03/26/walking-with-grief-love-and-serenity-on-the-east-bays-secret-stairs/
6. Visit the bustling Grand-Lake district via 580 (1 exit) or Trestle Glen Road (car, bike or walk).
   1. Lakeshore Avenue is less than a mile stroll or drive down Trestle Glen. The Saturday Splashpad Park Farmers Market is the best in the East Bay! Shopping: Trader Joe’s, Walgreens, Kosher grocery, two health food stores, more. Quick eats & coffee: Rico Rico Tacos, Peet’s Coffee, Arizmendi Bakery (yummy vegetarian pizza), Proposition Chicken, Top Dog, Noah’s Bagels, 24-hr Colonial Donuts. Cocktails at Heart & Dagger Saloon or The Cat House, drinks & supper at Bardo Lounge, Shakewell. Dance, fitness, yoga studios and more.
   2. On Lakeshore, Mandana Plaza Park is another old Key Route trolley turnaround. Turn right off Lakeshore up Mandana to Oak Grove Park, a hidden forest strip popular with dog walkers. Further up is a series of up & down staircases connecting Mandana to Santa Ray, Calmar, Balfour & Wala Vista Avenues for a scenic, strenuous, gym-free workout.
   3. Just beyond Lakeshore is the historic Grand-Lake district, home of historic-to-hipster shops, restaurants and cocktail lounges. The Grand Lake Theatre is a major landmark, as are several old retailers: The Alley Cat (vintage piano bar), The Coffee Mill (oldest coffee shop in Oakland), Walden Pond Books, & Mijori Sushi. Up the street towards Piedmont is a Safeway, Zachary’s Chicago Pizza, access to the Oakland Rose Garden (more pedestrian ways leading toward Piedmont Avenue), and Ace Hardware & Garden. Hip lounges & restaurants like The Star, Grand Oaks, Hunan Village, Ikaros, Café Romanat (Ethiopian) dot Grand Avenue.
   4. Down Grand to more restaurants, Eastshore Park, Lakeview Public Library, Embarcadero (beautiful Maxfield Parrish views of Lake Merritt through the pergola), the Bird Sanctuary, Bonsai Garden and Childrens’ Fairylan Or take the popular 3-mile walk around Lake Merritt!
7. Lose yourself in nature! Nearby access to vast acres of greenery in the Oakland Hills:
   1. Less than a half-mile to Dimond Park (swimming pool, sports fields, playground) along bubbling Sausal Creek. Hike up from the El Centro trailhead through deep, dramatic Dimond Canyon, under the Leimert Bridge, past the Montclair Golf Club https://montclairgc.com/ at the confluence of Shepherd and Palo Seco Creeks, up to the Bridgehead Trailhead, through the pedestrian tunnel under Hwy 13, along Monterey Blvd to the secret Palos Colorados trailhead (parking, no bikes) in Joaquin Miller Court. Continue your hike up this scenic trail among the redwoods above Palo Seco Creek (don’t step on the Banana slugs!) to the rest of Joaquin Miller Park (hiking, picnicking, horse riding, mountain biking and more).
   2. Explore the many trailheads above Hwy 13, gateways to Joaquin Miller, Reinhardt Redwood Regional, Chabot Space & Science Center, horses, biking, hiking and more! Hike from the Skyline Gate or Upper & Lower Pinehurst trailheads though the Huckleberry Botanic Preserve (guided nature trail--what the Hills looked like before the redwoods), continue north up to Sibley Volcanic Park (striking views, extinct volcano & stone labyrinth).
   3. Further south: Leona Heights (cascading creek in sublime rocky glen) & Canyon (ridge views of the Bay) Parks, Oakland Zoo in Knowland Park, Anthony Chabot Regional Park, thousands more acres of greenspace & (full!) reservoirs in the Oakland Hills.
8. Drive, bike or walk about a mile southeast along MacArthur to the Dimond/Laurel commercial districts just above 580 (on your way home from commute): Famous Farmer Joe’s, Safeway, CVS, banks, shops, cafes, bakeries (La Farine), pizzerias, restaurants, cocktail lounges, offices, salons, fitness, much more.
9. Drive up Park or Lincoln, turn right on Monterey to the Art Deco LDS (Mormon) Temple (ample parking) for spectacular 360° views over San Francisco Bay & East Bay Hills from the parking lot & beautiful public roof gardens.
10. Less than 3 miles to Downtown: Oakland Museum, Lake Merritt, banks, offices, shops, dining, theaters. Or drive north about 9 miles to Berkeley: UC Campus, Cal Performances, shops, dining, cocktails, beer, entertainment and more.