There are a variety of unusual things you might hear in Oakland. (distinct from (sometimes overlapping with) things you see in Oakland)
- helicopters - not that unusual, but we seem to get more than our share
- trumpets/bugles - every morning at 8AM and every evening at sunset, a bugler plays "To the Color" at Coast Guard Island. This can often be heard from neighborhoods east of the lake. ToTheColor.mp3 (from army.mil)
- something like church bells on Tuesday nights downtown (around 13th and Broadway) - any idea what these are? Possibly this art installation described in Annalee Allen's column?
- can't leave off whistle tips (woo woo, etc.)
- emergency sirens - these are tested the first Wednesday of the month at noon
- BART trains - they have a distinctive sound when accelerating, and a unique electronic 'whistle' that sounds as trains come into a station
- bells from ice cream push carts
- horns on taco trucks
- old Chinese guys busking on the erhu
- call of the "Oakland Night Bird" - AKA car alarms
- yellers
- people banging on pots in Temescal
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