Brewed Fresh Daily

'There is no place in downtown Oakland, Calif., to stick your feet into one of the most storied bodies of water in America, San Francisco Bay. Reason: From the beginning, Oakland's waterfront was controlled by railroads, steamship companies, factories or the U.S. Navy. But that will change soon with the completion of a 38-acre park, including a real live beach, called Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. Actually, this is part of a trend in riverfront and coastal cities to reclaim their waterfronts. What it took in Oakland, as in other places, was a lot of economic misfortune: The Navy pulled out, the rail lines moved further inland, the ports dwindled, the factories closed. To its credit, Oakland is using the vacant land to introduce its residents to their waterfront. "Middle Harbor is a place few people have been to, in Oakland and certainly in the region," said a planner with the Port of Oakland. "It's remarkable to find an area that's so poorly known right in the middle of the region."'