I’m excited to bring you one more in our series project profiling contributors to Bay Area-based parenting magazines, Rad Dad & Hip Mama. Visit the respective websites to purchase and read everything from childcare swaps tips to sex-positive parenting. Jessie Susanna is the seventh (and final maybe!) in our continuing series.
Jessie wears many hats: Ima to Avi Grace; single parent healing from divorce; home-maker and nurturer; Postpartum Doula & Placenta Medicine Maker; Intuitive Financial Coach; Home Chef; and “freaky radical queer femme in preschool mom drag.”
Who is your child?
My kid is Avi Grace, and they are 4 and a half years old. I use ‘they’ as a gender-neutral pronoun because Avi is just developing ideas of gender and hasn’t fully made it clear to us how they feel and identify.
Where did you live before you moved here?
I came from the Dirty South (Florida & Georgia) and have been in the Bay Area for 13 years now. Unlike where I’ve lived before, radical community is easy to find here!
What neighborhood is your East Bay stomping grounds?
I am only a part-time East Bay mama, as Oakland is where my kid goes to preschool and where he lives part time with his other parent. We mainly hang out in the Grand/Lakeshore area, which has got a cute small town lake side vibe. It’s a place where people are always gathering to eat, exercise, and play.
What’s your favorite place for 1:1 time with your kid?
The beach! We are on the go a lot, so I feel like we have most of our one on one in the car or on BART, but that’s not my fave.
What’s the best family dinner out?
We like Shan Dong in Oakland Chinatown for amazing dumplings and watching dudes hand cut noodles.
Do you have a favorite date night?
Cocktails at The Lake Chalet on Lake Merritt then a movie at The Grand Lake Theater. And food! Parents always forget to eat. And go on dates.
What’s your go-to treat yourself outing?
Get a pedicure, go visit the crystals at The Sacred Well on Grand Avenue, window shop at A Diva’s Closet on 17th Street in Downtown Oakland for new date night clothes, then get a cappuccino and read a book.
What amazing program your child been a part of?
We have done some lovely day programs at Urban Adamah, the Jewish farm project in Berkeley.
Do you have a favorite Bay Area day trip?
OMG so many! Muir Woods for a little hike, or Ocean Beach in SF when it’s not too windy for some tidal pool wading and driftwood town building, or the Ferry Plaza in SF to eat snacks and look at the boats. Or the free Cable Car Museum or the MUNI Museum in SF. Or Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito. Or a beach day in Pacifica with bowling. Day trips rule!
Thanks so much, Jessie, I have to spend some time checking out your favorite day trips. Be on the lookout for more {510} Family Faves features from the writers of Rad Dad and Hip Mama.
[Photo provided by Jessie Susannah, all rights reserved]
