Oakland [1] is a city in the Bay Area of California in the United States of America. While it neither has the concentration of tourist amenities present in its glamorous neighbor San Francisco nor the suburban safety of sprawling San Jose to the south, the visitor can easily spend a few pleasant days here. The often negative opinions of those who have neither lived in nor even visited Oakland should not deter you from exploring what is the Bay Area's and probably America's most diverse city and undervalued cultural center. If nothing else, you can simply enjoy what Rand McNally rated as the best weather in the country.

Understand

Travel guides to Oakland, by long-standing tradition, often start off with that quote by famous Oakland resident Gertrude Stein, who said of the city, "There is no there there." The quote takes Stein's rumination out of context, as she was describing how upon returning to Oakland after many years away, she found that the house in which she grew up no longer existed. This misappropriation of the quote sums up the concerns of many San Franciscans and suburbanites about Oakland. However, many Oaklanders enjoy putting San Franciscans on their heels with that other famous quote (which some credit to Mark Twain) "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco." Oakland's attributes are not meant to compete with the commercialism of its much larger neighbor to the west. Rather, they serve as a refreshing complement. As the third largest city in the Bay area, it boasts vibrant neighborhoods, wealthy hillside communities, diverse ethnic cultures, and among the most interesting housing stocks outside of San Francisco. This combined with the most temperate weather in the Bay Area make Oakland a very pleasant place indeed.

The visitor armed with only his or her free time and a city map will in fact find that Oakland is a complex city of striking contrasts. Oakland's African-American community produces and or has played host to a plethora of leading professionals, writers, and intellectuals, including but certainly not limited to playwright, Yale professor, and literary critic Ishmael Reed, as well as Robert Maynard, the late owner and editor of the Pulitzer-prize winning Oakland Tribune, the journal of record for the East Bay. On the one hand, Oakland the down-and-out has been home to the Hell's Angels and the Black Panthers. On the other hand, Oakland the striver has nurtured or been a second home to novelists Jack London, Gertrude Stein, Amy Tan, and Maya Angelou; actors Mark Hamill and Tom Hanks; architect Julia Morgan, classical conductor Calvin Simmons, graphic-novel author Daniel Clowes, and many more notables in the liberal arts and sciences. At once a city for and of the rough and gracious, rundown and elite, hard-pressed and arty, all of these elements, Oakland's essential combinations of hues and colours, constitute the fuller portrait of a city as eclectic and contradictory as its diverse citizenry.

Oakland has recently been recognized by a Harvard study as one of ten urban areas in the nation whose business growth outpaced that of the surrounding suburbs over the past 10 years. Notably, San Francisco and San Jose still reeling from the recent tech bust, were not among the other nine. Corporate headquarters include Kaiser Permanente, Clorox and Dreyer's Ice Cream among others. The relatively low rents and housing costs have attracted young professionals from around the Bay Area, many of whom have evidently spread the word: Oakland is a city that is indeed "There." Indeed, Oakland ranks near the top of any list measuring the percentage of population with college or graduate degrees. This is in no small part due to its proximity to the world famous University of California in adjacent Berkeley.

For the visitor, "There" is most easily found in one of Oakland's beautiful neighborhoods and interesting, if somewhat eccentric, shopping districts. Oakland, like New York, is constituted of a number of very distinct, village-like neighborhoods, all of which play host to a heady mix of cultures and peoples. For example, the popular Rockridge district is a little eccentric town of tree-lined streets, young professionals and their families, breezily going about their way down leafy lanes lined with renovated craftsman bungalows and Victorian homes. The heart of Rockridge is its main street, College Avenue between Claremont and Broadway, which houses any number of charming boutiques, bookstores, and coffee shops, but also boasts some of the Bay Area's most notable restaurants, including the nationally-honoured Oliveto's, and Bay Area favourites, Le Citron, A Côté, and Girabaldi's. This Oakland neighborhood-cum village even has its elite area: Upper Rockridge, a hilly domain of luxury homes and mansions, largely rebuilt after the devastating Oakland-Berkeley Hills fire of 1991. In upper Rockridge, one finds some of Oakland's most beautiful--and most expensive-homes. Styles run from Mediterranean (Spanish, French Provencal, Tuscany) to English Tudor, with a few glaring examples of high modern. The views of Oakland and San Francisco Bay are breathtaking.

Another Oakland village worthy of exploration is Montclair, a heavily wooded hillside neighborhood that recalls Marin County's Mill Valley. Upon the bosky hillsides cling a wide assortment of homes, ranging from small woodsy retreats to monumental statements of wealth and status. Many of Montclair's homes rival those of San Francisco in unique architecture--and high prices. The views are spectacular, and the neighborhood has numerous expansive, parks forested in Eucalyptus, native Redwood, Douglas fir, and of course, Oaks. These wooded preserves offer respite from the urban hurly burly, enabling old and young alike no dearth of opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding, and even camping and fishing. The winding lanes, wooded slopes, and unique hilltop homes wind their way down to a charming shopping and restaurant district, Montclair Village, where the self-contained neighborhood congregates over gourmet coffee and down-home conversation. Montclair Village is centered on Mountain Boulevard, between the Park Blvd and Thornhill exits of Highway 13.

To the west of the affluent hillside communities, the city can still offer the adventurous tourist no small array of daytime adventures. Lake Merritt, some fifteen minutes walking distance from downtown, is a salt-lake body of water that connects to the estuary. Walkers and joggers round the lake's 3.5 mile shore daily, and Oaklanders in their canoes, small sail boats, kayaks, and all manner of skiffs and rowboats ply the waters; the park offers boat rentals, from rowboats to small sailing sloops. Children's Fairyland, a whimsical children's playground, draws residents from the entire city, as does the park's bird-wildlife sanctuary. Luxury high-rise apartments, ranging in style from Gothic to Post-Modern, stand as sentinels around the lakeshore, and at least two older, lakeside neighborhoods of larger, older homes––Adams Point and Grand lake––have become newly trendy areas ripe for gentrification.

On the southern shore of Lake Merritt stands the Oakland Museum, the finest regional museum in the Bay Area and perhaps the country. The strikingly beautiful exterior consists of a flowing stair-step structure of gardens and trees, evoking a high modern take on the hanging gardens of Babylon; from the grounds, one has a view of the Lake and the luxury apartments that stand over its shore, as well as the Oakland hills in the background. Inside, the museum dedicates its flowing spaces to the ecology, history, and the high and low art of California. The museum alone provides consolation to Gertrude Stein's lament.

The downtown area continues its rejuvenation to some success, with gleaming high-rises, gourmet restaurants, and the usual suspects, i.e. Starbucks, Barnes and Nobles, et al, staking their claims, particularly in the City Center mini mall and thereabouts. Nevertheless, too few numbers of retailers outside of City Center bespeak of the continuing and daunting task Oakland faces in attaining all of its potential. Much of downtown empties at night, and one should exercise the usual cautions. However, new restaurants such as Luka's Tap Room and Lounge in the uptown area and the nearby Paramount Theater, home to many live performances, have begun to bring nightlife back into the area.

Other pockets of activity have taken hold in and around City Center on Broadway. These include Old Oakland, a quarter of renovated Victorians, housing fledging galleries, non-profit organizations, and arts groups. One finds a number of good restaurants and inns here, too, including Washington Inn and the perennial Oakland favourite, The Gingerbread House, which specializes in Cajun and Louisiana variants soul cuisine. A farmer's market provides Oaklanders a virtual cornucopia of fresh produce and international foodstuffs, and also supplies many of Oakland's excellent restaurants. Oakland's Asia town is booming. Not as touristy as San Francisco's Chinatown, the neighborhood draws immigrants from throughout Asia, and the mix of recent immigrants and well-established, affluent Asian-Americans combine to create an area of restaurants, import-export businesses, food markets, and all manner of economic and cultural activity.

Continuing down the main thoroughfare, Broadway, toward the bay, the visitor will find himself or herself in Jack London Square, which is a bona fide tourist trap as every self-respecting seaport American city will maintain as a matter of principle course, if not imagination. Nevertheless, however clichéd Jack London Square may be, it continues to undergo renovation and expansion, and it does boast a number of interesting restaurants, views of the estuary and S.F Bay, and a number of specialty boutiques that sell everything from high African Art to lowly knick knacks familiar to any thematic seaport market area. A lively loft community of cosmopolitan African-American artists, White bohemians, Asian-American intellectuals, and Hispanic yuppies has colonized the vicinity. One can find card-carrying members of this group of casually cool congregating at Soizic, a loft-like restaurant that offers its patrons, quite appropriately, an arty fusion cuisine, part French, part Asian, with influences from Africa to Central America thrown in for good measure; in short, an upscale restaurant that reflects the upscale tastes and colours of bohemian Oakland.

The city's Fruitvale district in the heart of East Oakland is a bustling area of Latino-owned stores, restaurants and other businesses showcasing the thriving Latino community. The highest concentration of eateries is on International Boulevard near Fruitvale Ave. The city's long problematic school system has also made significant gains in test scores and has been the benficiary of large grants from the Gates Foundation and others.

Above all, Oakland stands out in its diversity; it has a large African-American population which plays an important part of its identity. Oakland was the original home of the Black Panthers -- a political organization and street gang that claimed to fight for the liberation of oppressed peoples while soft peddling its boilerplate shakedown, fund siphoning, and internecine violence. Under Elaine Brown, the organization gave out free breakfast to low income kids. Under Huey Newton, the Panthers summarily marginalized Brown, siphoned government monies to support Newton's lakeside apartment, brutality against women, and growning cocaine addiction. When not being infiltrated and sabatoged by the FBI, the Panthers engaged in a war of violence and intimidation against the Oakland Police, which returned the attention in kind. But the tough breed of White Oaklander could also claim some dubious pride, too, in that the city gave rise to the Hell’s Angels, another ethno-centric enterprise that reveled in violence and hyper macho posturing, sans the Black Panther's Maoist pretensions. The Hell's Angels predated the Panthers by more than a decade, although it is fair to say that it is a toss up as to which retains more of an edge in the popular imagination, given America's strange fascination with outlaw enterprises, be they corporate, political, or criminal. Oakland also was one of the breeding grounds of West Coast hiphop, and many stars such as Too Short and Tupac Shakur have made Oakland their home at one time or another.

In recent years, the demographics have dramatically shifted such that Latinos and Asians now represent more than 40% of the population. Indeed, well-established and relatively affluent peoples (including, naturally, Latino-American and Asian-Americans) from other parts of the Bay Area are moving in ever greater numbers to Oakland for its relatively low rent and property prices. Notably, already gentrified areas, such as Crocker Highlands, Oakmore, and even the long affluent upper Rockridge and Montclair, have witnessed skyrocketing housing prices.

Oakland is above all a sprawling city of contrasts -- from the hard-pressed, working-class neighborhoods of West Oakland, to the affluent hillside retreats the Oakland Hills. In this way, perhaps, Oakland is the most American of cities in the Bay Area.

Get in

By plane

Oakland International Airport is served by many domestic and international carriers, including Southwest Airlines and JetBlue. There is private shuttle service ($10-$25) to hotels in Oakland and San Francisco, and public transit service (AirBART, and AC Transit Route 50 or Route 805) to the Oakland Coliseum BART Station (which is adjacent to the similarly named Amtrak Capitol Corridor station).

Other air travel options include the San Francisco (SFO) and San Jose (SJC) International Airports. SFO, with its BART station, is the more convenient of the two. Those flying into San Jose might have to battle significant traffic, pay for an expensive van or taxi ride, or take VTA's Airport Flyer (Route 10) to the Santa Clara Caltrain Station, then Caltrain to the Millbrae Intermodal Station, and then BART toward Oakland. (From SFO and Millbrae, BART provides direct service to West Oakland and Lake Merritt; those traveling to other Oakland stations, such as Oakland City Center/12th Street, must change trains no later than West Oakland.)

By train

Oakland is served by the regional rail system Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and the nationwide, long-distance rail service Amtrak, with the Bay Area's largest Amtrak station located in the neighboring city of Emeryville.

BART connects to Oakland from stations in San Francisco, the Peninsula, Contra Costa County, and the far northeastern reach of Silicon Valley. Prices vary by distance, but a one-way ticket to Oakland is usually $2-4.

The following Amtrak lines serve the Oakland station at Jack London Square, an easy twenty-minute walk away from the center of Downtown:

• Capitol Corridor (San Jose to Auburn via Sacramento). The route also includes a stop at the Oakland Coliseum/Airport Amtrak station, adjacent to the Oakland Coliseum BART station.
• San Joaquins (Oakland to Bakersfield, California)
• Coast Starlight (Seattle, Washington to Los Angeles, California)

The California Zephyr route (Emeryville, California to Chicago, Illinois) starts and ends at the nearby Emeryville Amtrak station, accessible on public transit by AC Transit lines 19 and 57 and by the Emery-Go-Round shuttle to the Macarthur BART station in the Temescal neighborhood.

AC Transit Route 50 (day) and Route 805 (owl) provide fast, frequent, inexpensive, 24-hour bus service between the Oakland Coliseum area and the Oakland International Airport. Amtrak Capitol Corridor customers pay $0; ask your train conductor for a Transit Transfer. BART customers pay $1.50; take a BART-to-bus transfer from the white machine, before leaving the paid area of the BART station. The second part of either transfer is valid for a discounted return trip within several days. Otherwise, AC Transit's regular cash fare is $1.75.

AirBART is a direct bus shuttle between the Oakland International Airport and the Oakland Coliseum BART train station. The shuttle costs $2.00 for adults and $0.50 for children, seniors and persons with disabilities. AirBART accepts fare payment in the form of prepaid BART tickets, available just inside the BART station's entrance; you can also pay by inserting two $1 bills into the machine on the bus.

By car

From San Francisco, Highway 80 east over the beautiful Bay Bridge leads to Highways 580, 880, and 980, which go to east, west, and downtown Oakland respectively.

From Marin, Sonoma, and other counties along the northern coast of California, take US-101 to Highway 580 and cross the Richmond Bridge. 580 leads directly into Oakland.

From Monterey, Salinas, and the Central Coast, follow US-101 to San Jose and connect to Highway 880, which leads to Oakland.

From Tracy, Modesto, and the Central Valley's southern portion, take the scenic Highway 580 over the Altamont Pass.

From Stockton, either follow the Altamont Pass route or take Highway 4 through Contra Costa County to Highway 242, then to Highway 680, which connects to Highway 24.

From Contra Costa County, Highway 24 through the Caldecott Tunnel leads to north Oakland.

From the northern East Bay, Vallejo, Fairfield, and the greater Sacramento, Highway 80 west leads directly to Oakland.

Most northern entries to Oakland go through the heinous Macarthur Maze, a spaghetti-like mashup of four freeways trying to merge and pass each other. It's got terrible traffic during commute times (7AM-10AM, 4PM-8PM), so you might want to avoid driving on the freeways at these times.

By bus

Specific AC Transit Transbay bus routes run between San Francisco's Transbay Terminal and different parts of Oakland. Some run as often as every 15 minutes. The Transbay All Nighter (Route 800) serves (San Francisco's) Market Street, the Transbay Terminal, Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond. Additional All Nighter routes link other areas with Oakland, after BART shuts down for the night.

Greyhound has a terminal conveniently located in downtown Oakland, on San Pablo Ave. near 20th St. It's notorious -- be careful.

By ferry

The Alameda-Oakland Ferry has departures from both Pier 41 and the Ferry Building in San Francisco, weekdays year-round and weekends except for mid-winter. Its Oakland terminal is at the foot of Clay St. in Jack London Square. (On summer weekends there are also trips to Angel Island, an island park in the middle of the bay, formerly an immigration station.)

Get around

The AC Transit bus system service is a good way to get around if you're headed for downtown Oakland or Jack London Square. Otherwise, depending on where you're going, it can seem like you're waiting for a long time for the bus to arrive. The AC Transit costs $1.75 for adults. Add $0.25 for transfers. BART provides easy access to the Downtown, Fruitvale, and Rockridge areas, and makes for an easy day-trip from San Francisco. The last return train runs at about 12:15.

BART has 8 convenient stops on major areas on visitor interest, which makes it perhaps the best way for a non-local to experience Oakland. A majority of these stations are adjacent and of walking distance to popular neighborhoods, eliminating car and parking hassles. Furthermore, BART stations are usually named after the neighborhood they are located in. For example, to visit the chic Rockridge neighborhood, exit the Rockridge BART station, convieniently located steps from this area. Same goes for the Fruitvale District (Fruitvale BART station). Lake Merritt BART station is only a block away from the Oakland Museum of CA. Chinatown is 3 blocks from the 12 Street/City Center BART station.

Those hoping to see other areas such as the movie theaters, Jack London Square, Lake Merritt, the Grand Avenue and Lakeshore Avenue shopping and restaurant districts, or the Oakland Hills, would probably do better in getting around by car.

See

• City of Oakland Walking Tours, (510) 238-3234, [2]. 90-minute tours of downtown Oakland (including Chinatown) offered Wednesdays & Saturdays, May through October. Reservations are recommended but not required. Free.
• African American Museum & Library at Oakland, (at 14th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way), [3]. Check the AAMLO web site for information on special exhibits, programs and events, such as an African American walking tour of downtown Oakland.
• Jack London Square, (west end of Broadway), [4]. Open 24 hours. Oakland's principal tourist destination, Jack London Square has seen serious renovation over the years. Named after writer Jack London, the city's favorite son, the area was the original wharf district of Oakland and retains some of its maritime feel. The main attractions today are shopping and restaurants, though, and you may find yourself wondering how exactly JLS differs from a large waterfront mall.
• Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street (at 10th; Lake Merritt BART station), (510) 238-2200, [5]. W-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su 12PM-5PM. A startlingly good museum dedicated to the art, history, and culture of California. The building itself is an admirable piece of architecture, and the exhibits are almost uniformly excellent and engaging. Well worth a visit. $8 ($5 for seniors and students; free second Su each month).
• Joaquin Miller Park, Joaquin Miller Road (entrance about 1 mile from highway 13), (510) 238-3481, [6]. A beautiful park in the Oakland hills, made up in part of "The Hights", the old estate of California poet Joaquin Miller. The park has some of the few remaining old-growth redwood groves in the East Bay. Lots of hiking and bike-riding opportunities. Free.

USS Potomac

• USS Potomac, Water Street (adjacent to Jack London Square), (510) 627-1215, [7]. Originally built as a Coast Guard Cutter, the Potomac was remodelled as Franklin Delano Roosevelt's presidential yacht in 1936 and served in that role until his death in 1945. In 1941, a fishing trip on the Potomac served as a cover story for Roosevelt's secret meeting with Churchill in Newfoundland waters; this meeting led to the allied partnership during World War II and eventually to the formation of the United Nations. The ship is available for dockside tours We 10:30am-3:30pm, F&Su noon-3:30pm. Historic cruises on the bay are available Apr-Oct Th&Sa; these must be booked with TicketWeb or by calling (866) 468-3399.

Do

• Grand Lake Theater, 3200 Grand Ave, Oakland (near MacArthur Blvd and 580), [8]. This beautiful Art Deco theater (built in 1926) shows first-run movies. It has a spectacular sign which they don't light every night, but when it's on, it's worth seeiing.

• Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway (downtown, near 19th Street), (510) 465-6400, [9]. This gorgeous Depression-era theater, completed in 1931, has been completely restored and is maintained in almost mint condition. It's worth just looking at the sculpture, the paintings, even the carpets. Shows include classic movies, concerts, and other live performances.

• Parkway Theater, 1834 Park Boulevard (near Lake Merritt), (510) 814-2400, [10]. Su-Fri 6PM-12AM, Sa 3PM-12PM. An absolutely fabulous repertory movie theater, the Parkway has two huge screens with large comfy couches to sit on. Best of all, they serve pizza, salads, and beer that you can eat and drink while you watch the movie. A funky, laid-back staff and good karma all around. Why aren't all movie theaters like this? $5 ($3 Sa matinee, food and drink not included).

• Children's Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue (enter via Grand Ave near Lake Merritt), Oakland, CA 94610, (510) 452-2259, [11]. Mixed seasonal hours, almost always open on weekends. Amazing, dynamic playground and destination for children, right on Lake Merritt. Make sure you get a Magic Key.

• The Oakland Raiders, McAfee Coliseum, 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621, (510) 569-2121, [12]. Known as "The Team of the Decades," The NFL's Oakland Raiders have a long tradition of victory, commanding the fierce support of Oaklanders and enjoying a large fan base across America. Be sure to enjoy the famous pre-game tailgating scene in the Coliseum parking lot, as well as the Black Hole of hard-core fans in the endzone section. Most home games are not sold out, so it should be possible to buy tickets up until game time.

Buy

• The Hat Guys, 1764 Broadway, (510) 834-6868, [13]. The type of classic men's hat store you can't find anymore -- except here. First-class service and a contagious passion for hats. The largest inventory of hats on the West Coast -- hats in all sizes and hats for women and children, too.

Eat

Downtown Oakland

Downtown Oakland contains some excellent Asian foods that are as authentic as anything else you'll find in the Bay Area.

• Golden Lotus, (at Franklin and 13th). Serves vegetarian Vietnamese food, considered by some to be some of the best vegetarian food in the Bay Area.

• Shanghai Restaurant, (on Webster between 9th and 10th). Serves Shanghai-style food that rivals the best you'll find in Shanghai. The decor is minimal but the staff is friendly. Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Dumplings) and Si-chuan style shredded pork are two highlights

• Battambang, (on the corner of Broadway and 9th). Serves Cambodian cooking. The food is excellent but the portions are slightly smaller than might be expected.

Grand Lake

The Grand Lake neighborhood contains an eclectic mix of restaurants, from high-end to drive-thrus.

• Mezze, 3407 Lakeshore Ave., (510) 663-2500. [14] High-end Mediterranean cuisine, with a good bar and occasional live music.
• Spettro, 3355 Lakeshore Ave., (510) 451-7738. [15] A neighborhood favorite, with cuisine ranging from Italian to Mexican to Thai. Order the Coconut Lime Mussels, and save some rosemary rolls for dipping. No corkage fee.
• Mijori, 3260 Grand Ave., (510) 465-8854. One of the best Japanese restaurants in the Bay Area. Usually a long wait for a table on the weekend.
• Miss Saigon 3345 Grand Ave., (510) 835-3474. Great family-run Vietnamese restaurant with good food at good prices, and a ridiculously good beer selection. Local delivery, but it's always better fresh out of the kitchen.
• Michael Mischer Chocolates, 3352 Grand Ave., (510) 986-1822. [16] Incredible gourmet chocolate and gelato.

Piedmont Avenue

The Piedmont Avenue neighborhood is a foodie's delight. From gourmet Bay Wolf and Jojo to Baja Taqueria great food abounds.

• Bay Wolf Restaurant, 3853 Piedmont Ave., (510) 655-6004, [17]. A Bay Area tradition for almost thirty years, Bay Wolf offers an elegant and relaxed setting in which to enjoy fine cuisine inspired by the regions of the Mediterranean.

• Jojo Country French Cooking, 3859 Piedmont Ave., (510) 985-3003, [18]. One of the true jewels of the San Francisco Bay Area's fine dining scene, Jojo Restaurant thrives as an elegant but comfortable home for exquisitely prepared, gourmet country French cuisine.

• Fentons Creamery and Restaurant, 4226 Piedmont Ave., +1-510-658-7000, [19]. M-Th 11AM-11PM, F-Sa 11AM-midnight. This hundred-year-old ice cream parlor is a cornerstone of Oakland culture -- one of those places that East Bay folks point to as making the region special. Huge bowls of ice cream and sundaes of various sorts are served in this always-crowded eatery. Sugar-amped kids roam the aisles all day and into the evening, and although the place attracts a cannabis-enhanced college crowd towards the end of the night, it always has a sweet and wholesome atmosphere. $5-15 (large sundae or entree).

Old Oakland

• Par Toutatis, 719 Washington Street. Lunch & dinner; brunch on weekends. A gem of a crêpe restaurant -- still largely undiscovered. Exquisite Brittany-style crêpes prepared lovingly by owner-proprietor and relished by local Francophiles in-the-know.
• Le Cheval, 1007 Clay Street, (510) 763-8957. Dinner nightly, lunch on weekdays. Outstanding yet very affordable Vietnamese cuisine (in a Chinese-ified style) makes this currently one of Oakland's trendiest restaurants. VERY attractive hostess. Closes 9:30pm.
• Caffè 817, 817 Washington Street (in the Ratto's building), (510) 271-7965. Mo-Sa breakfast & lunch. Stylish Italian caffè where patrons line up patiently for capuccini, chorizo & eggs, polenta, fresh fruit granola, panini sandwiches & salads.
• New World Vegetarian, 464 8th Street (off Broadway), (510) 444-2891. Lunch & dinner daily. Completely renovated in spring 2003, New World Vegetarian offers an eclectic and broad array of sumptuous and satisfying vegan dishes -- Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Chinese, American, even Brazilian.
• TJ's Gingerbread House, 741 5th Street (a few blocks from Old Oakland), (510) 444-7373, [20]. Tu-Sat breakfast, lunch & dinner. TJ's calls itself "a fairytale come true" -- and chef/owner/diva TJ Robinson's Cajun/Creole specialty dishes will not disappoint. If you're headed for TJ's for dinner, call ahead for reservations and order your entree at least a day in advance if you're going to have the cherry duck, sauteed quail, pheasant bon temps, squab cassoulet, rabbit piquante, or Dungeness stuffed crab in seashell. Be sure to try TJ's world-famous sassy cornbread and leave room for dessert!

North Oakland

• Supreme Vegan, 906 Stanford (at Market), (510) 655-0132. Lunch, weekend brunch & dinner; Cooked and Raw foods, soul food, sandwiches, smoothies, juices (try their own brand of ginger drinks), soups and salads, and lunch and dinner specials. Friendly and relaxed neighborhood hangout serving a variety of innovative foods made to order. Southern-influenced cooking, but there's a variety on order.

Fruitvale

Oakland's vibrant Latino community, a 10 block strip located on International Boulevard adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station, is a host to some of the best (and most inexpensive) Mexican food in the Bay Area. Although the recently built "Fruitvale Village" shopping area next to the BART station has several new restaurants, they are probably worth visiting. If one prefers real local flavor, one should visit the following:

Essential eateries are:

• San Jose Taqueria, corner of International Blvd and 35th Avenue.

Widely regarded to have the best tacos, but offers a wide array of options (burritos, enchiladadas, tortas, etc) and dinner plates. Most items are less than $5, have medium-large portions, and have generous ingredients (dinner plates are less than $10 and are "a la carte"). Another plus is the free self serve restaurant-made tortilla chips and delicious salsa and guacamole. Plenty of room to sit inside this historic and creatively decorated restaurant, or sit outside on the patio and enjoy the sunshine. Good for lunch or dinner, and open until 10 pm.

• Taqueria La Costa, corner of International Blvd and 37th Avenue.

A small, outdoor patio restaurant that features seafood but has the regular fare of typical Mexican restaurants. All items are less than $5 and are generally spicy, so make sure you request no salsa or jalapenos if that is your preference. A former burger joint turned-taqueria, this eatery is good for lunch and best enjoyed in fair weather with a refreshing agua fresca, as tables are exclusively on the outdoor patio. Open until 7pm.

• El Gordo, corner of International Blvd and 40th Avenue.

Could be considered the best taco truck in Oakland, with fare that by far beats any restaurant. Their burritos are over 12" and unbeatable. Contrary to popular belief, taco trucks (especially this one) are sanitary and have much better food than what one can usually find in standard restaurants. As there is no where to sit, one must eat food standing next to the taco truck (which is the option of many workers who have lunch/dinner there) or eat elsewhere, preferably on a bench in the pleasant "Fruitvale Village" adjacent to the Fruitvale BART station 5 blocks west.

• Saigon Wraps, located inside the Fruitvale Transit Village.

This is home of the original Banh Mi Sandwich. The restaurant's origins and claim to fame is that they introduced banh mi sandwiches to California in the early 80s. The $2.50 sandwiches are cheaper than many taco-truck burritos.

Rockridge

• A Cote, 75478 College Avenue, (510) 655-6469. Lunch & dinner; Charming small portion french meals in great ambiance.

Chinatown

To get the real essence of "Chinatown," Oakland rather than San Francisco is your best bet. There are innumerable places to eat, not only Chinese restaurants, but Japanese and some Vietnamese as well. Chances are, any place you choose to venture in will have inexpensive and great food.

• Shan Dong Restaurant

Although Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown has visited this place (a framed picture of him and the restaurant owner is proudly displayed), this restaurant has the characteristics of a local, "dirty but delicious" gem. Entrees are inexpensive and flavorful. Often crowded with local Chinese, and so when busy one may have to wait a while to get a table. And another note; that manager in the framed picture with the Mayor? Yes, that was the same man that led you to your table and gave you the menus.

San Antonio District

The neighborhood centered on International Blvd and 8th Avenue is not officially named "Little Saigon" but may as well be, as this area has predominantly Vietnamese shops and restaurants. As Vietnamese is the language of choice, it will take some creativity when seeking restaurants and ordering food, but it's well worth the effort for those unbeatable $2 French-inspired Vietnamese sandwiches and the infinite varieties of Pho.

Drink

• Easy Lounge, 3255 Lakeshore Avenue (at Lakeside Drive, next to Arizmendi), (510) 338-4911, [21]. The reigning see-and-be-seen king in Oakland.

• Pacific Coast Brewing Company, 906 Washington St. (at 10th St. in Old Oakland), (510) 836-2739, [22]. A popular brewpub.

• Radio Bar, (13th Street between Webster and Franklin). A small hipster bar with a cool DJ.

• Ruby Room, (14th Street Between Madison & Jefferson, across from the Central Library). A larger bar with a similar ambience to the Radio Bar.

• Lucky Lounge, 3332 Grand Avenue. A more upscale bar with a mixed crowd of people.

• Pat's, (on Franklin near the corner of 15th street). An ordinary after-work bar with a really cool Blues Open-mic night on Wednesday nights, hosted by the charismatic Bird Leg. If you like live music, this is a highlight of the Bay Area.

• The Golden Bull, (on 14th Street between Franklin and Broadway). Great bar, laid back, but not too divey. The bartenders and the owner-operator are always fun and usually remember your drink by the second visit. Great punk shows as well as Hip Hop or R&B DJ's depending on the night.

• Cato's Ale House, 3891 Piedmont Avenue (near Montel street on Piedmont Avenue), (510) 655-3349, [23]. A popular pub with a great local feel.

Sleep

• Best Western Airport Inn and Suites, 170 Hegenberger Loop, +1 510 633-0500, Fax: +1 510 633-1040, [24].
• Best Western Inn at the Square, 233 Broadway, +1 510 452-4565, Fax: +1 510 452-4634, [25].
• Courtyard Oakland Airport, 350 Hegenberger Road, +1 510 568-7600, Fax: +1 510 568-7695, [26].
• Courtyard Oakland Downtown, 988 Broadway, +1 510 625-8282, Fax: +1 510 625-8882, [27].
• Fairfield Inn Oakland Airport, 8452 Edes Avenue, +1 510 568-1500, Fax: +1 510 430-8360, [28].
• Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 66 Airport Access Road, +1 510 569-4400, [29].
• Motel 6 Oakland - Embarcadero, 1801 Embarcadero, +1 510 436-0103, Fax: +1 510 436-7428, [30].
• Motel 6 Oakland Airport, 8480 Edes Avenue, +1 510 638-1180, Fax: +1 510 568-7501, [31].
• Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway, +1 510 451-4000, Fax: +1 510 835-3466, [32].

Get out

• San Francisco. Oakland's neighbor across the Bay.
• Berkeley. Eclectic, political and always interesting neighbor to the north.

Stay safe

Like other large cities around the nation, Oakland must contend with high crime rates in various parts of the city. West Oakland, East Oakland, and parts of North Oakland remain mired in poverty, crime, unemployment, and violence. Visitors should exercise caution when entering these troubled areas.