My Spot: Oakland's Colby Park

Although Keith Brower Brown, the front man for Oakland band Trails and Ways, is right at home on the stage of a rock 'n' roll club, his favorite spot in Oakland is a much more subdued one. After moving into his current home in North Oakland more than two years ago, Brower Brown discovered secluded Colby Park, just half a block from his front door.

Soon he was headed to the park twice a week to practice music on his acoustic guitar, in the shadows of grand old trees.

"I grew up in a big apartment building in downtown Portland, Oregon," Brower Brown explains. "Nobody under the age of 25 was around. It feels really special to get to come to a park that is the ultimate picturesque fantasy of what an American neighborhood park would look like."

At Colby Park, kids roam free, parents gather and chat. It's a place where people nap in the shade; where people feel safe.

Children will often saunter over to Brower Brown, their parents a few steps behind, as he practices his guitar. With his left hand, he will play chords as wide-eyed youngsters slap, strum and bang on the strings with equal parts wonder and glee.

“I wish I had gotten started with music earlier,” Brower Brown says. “I like the chance to be a pied piper and lure kids into playing music at a young age.”

For Keith Brower Brown, Colby Park is as much a place to practice music as it is to share.

"I wish more people had parks like this accessible," he says." I think that having really good outdoor space, where you feel happy and safe and cozy and get to meet your neighbors, is really important. And too many neighborhoods don’t have that."