Things to do in East Bay
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La Note
A good spot to fuel up before exploring, La Note serves a French-cafe menu of omelettes and pancakes at breakfast, and croques monsieurs, Niçoise salads and baguette sandwiches at lunch.
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Berkeley Bowl
A Berkeley institution since 1977, the Berkeley Bowl got its name from its original location in a former bowling alley. Its narrow aisles offer the absolute best and worst of Berkeley: produce, deli goods, wines and organic dry goods of the very highest quality threaten to topple off the shelves, while incredibly cranky and arrogant shoppers try to navigate oversize carts through the gridlock.
The self-centered rudeness amidst piles of celery and bulk granola bins can be exasperating and at times downright laughable. (Yoga, so popular in Berkeley, doesn't seem to put people in a positive mindset for the Bowl.) Get a picnic lunch here (weekdays, well ahead of the dinner…
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People's Park
Just east of Telegraph Ave, between Haste St and Dwight Way, is the site of People's Park, a marker in local history as a political battleground between residents and city government in the late '60s. The park has since served mostly as an unofficial residence for Berkeley's homeless. A publicly funded restoration spruced it up a bit, and occasional festivals do still happen here, but on the surface it's still just a mangy patch of trampled grass.
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Albatross
A block north of University Ave, Albatross is one of the most inviting and friendly pubs in the entire Bay Area. Some serious darts are played here, and poker games and Trivial Pursuit will be going on around many of the worn out tables.
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Café Intermezzo
Mammoth salads draw a constant crowd, and we're not talking about delicate little rabbit food plates. Bring a friend, or you might drown while trying to polish one off yourself.
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Phnom Penh House
An excellent Cambodian restaurant.
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Walking
The large parks of the Oakland Hills are ideal for day hiking. Information is available from the East Bay Regional Parks District. The district manages 59 regional parks, preserves and recreation areas in the Alameda and Contra Costa counties, which contain some 1000 miles of trails.
Off Hwy 24, the Robert Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve is the northernmost of the Oakland Hills parks. It has great views of the Bay Area from its Round Top Peak (1761ft), an old volcano cone. From Sibley, Skyline Blvd runs south past Redwood Regional Park and the adjacent Joaquin Miller Park to Anthony Chabot Regional Park. A hike or mountain-bike ride through the groves and along the…
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Telegraph Ave
Telegraph Ave is undeniably the throbbing heart of studentville in Berkeley, pumping out a sidewalk-flow of students and shoppers, vagrants and vendors, brisk walkers and sluggish strollers, those trying to squeeze their way out and those who never seem to leave. The frenetic energy buzzing from the university's Sather Gate on any given day is a mix of youthful post-hippies reminiscing about days before their time and young hipsters who sneer at tie-dyed nostalgia.
Ponytailed panhandlers press you for change, and street stalls hawk everything from crystals to bumper stickers to self-published books. It's all very interesting, but the street is also immensely useful to…
reviewed
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International Boulevard
Formerly known as E 14th St and once a neglected part of town, International Blvd is now a great place to stroll on a Sunday afternoon. Latino and Asian immigrants have turned it into a 3-mile carnival of food and festivities. You'll find an impressive fleet of excellent taco trucks parked along Fruitvale Ave or at the corner of High St and International Blvd. The Bay Area's best pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) joints are just blocks away.
Mexican and Central American restaurants rub elbows with Vietnamese. Dive bars selling cheap beer and margaritas open their doors here and there. Families out for the paseo, squads of young men, bevies of young women, strolling musicians…
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North Berkeley
Just north of campus is a neighborhood filled with lovely homes, parks and some of the best restaurants in California. The popular Gourmet Ghetto stretches along Shattuck Ave north of University Ave for several blocks, anchored by Chez Panisse. Northwest of here, Solano Ave, which crosses from Berkeley into Albany, is lined with lots of funky shops, more good restaurants and a couple of movie theaters.
North Berkeley, heading up into the hills, is also chock-full of magnificent homes. You can see many examples of Bernard Maybeck's superb architecture, including 1515 La Loma Ave and at 2704, 2711, 2733, 2751, 2754 and 2780 Buena Vista Way. Wander these and other streets to…
reviewed
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University of California, Berkeley
'Cal' is one of the country's top universities and home to 35,000 diverse, politically conscious students. The Visitor Services Center has info and leads free campus tours (reservations required). Cal's landmark is the 1914 Sather Tower (also called the Campanile), with elevator rides ($2) to the top. The Bancroft Library displays the small gold nugget that started the California gold rush in 1848.
Leading to the campus's south gate, Tele-graph Avenue is as youthful and gritty as San Francisco's Haight St, packed with cafes, cheap eats, record stores and bookstores.
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Lake Merritt
Oakland’s visual centerpiece, Lake Merritt is a gorgeous place to stroll, jog or lollygag on a sunny day. Once a tidal marsh teeming with waterfowl, it became a lake in 1869 with the damming of an arm of the Oakland estuary. It still supports migratory birds and remains connected to the estuary, but its 155 acres are briny and unfit for swimming. You’ll spot hundreds of Canada geese (and their droppings) along a 3.5-mile perimeter path. You can also rent boats. Those crew teams whipping past? They’re the Lake Merritt Rowing Club.
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Rockridge
Rockridge is a popular shopping district. The lively, upscale neighborhood is centered on College Ave, which runs from Broadway all the way to the UC Berkeley Campus. College Ave is lined with clothing boutiques, good bookstores, a vintage record shop, several pubs and cafés, and quite a few upscale restaurants - maybe the largest concentration in the Bay Area. You could easily spend a satisfying afternoon or evening browsing, eating and drinking here.
Exiting BART at the Rockridge station puts you in the thick of things.
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Berkeley Marina
At the west end of University Ave is the Berkeley Marina, frequented by squawking seagulls, silent types fishing from the pier, unleashed dogs and, especially on windy weekends, lots of colorful kites. Construction of the marina began in 1936, though the pier has much older origins. It was originally built in the 1870s, then replaced by a 3 mile-long ferry pier in 1920 (its length was dictated by the extreme shallowness of the bay). Part of the original pier is now rebuilt, affording visitors sweeping bay views.
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Fox Oakland Theatre
Downtown Oakland has plenty of buildings adorned with art nouveau or art deco details; unfortunately, many now stand empty and are in need of care, particularly those further out from City Center. One success story is the 1928 Fox Oakland Theatre, once the largest cinema west of Chicago. A two-year renovation ended in 2009, and now the theater hosts the likes of Sonic Youth and Kylie Minogue; it also houses the Oakland School of the Arts.
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Downtown Berkeley
Berkeley's downtown, which centers on Shattuck Ave between University Ave and Dwight Way, has far fewer traces of the city's tie-dyed reputation. The area has emerged as a bustling area with numerous shops and restaurants, restored public buildings and a burgeoning arts district. At the center of that district are the acclaimed thespian stomping grounds of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Aurora Theatre Company; nearby are several good movie houses.
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Farmers Market
The waterfront where writer and adventurer Jack London once raised hell now bears his name. It's hardly a roughshod district anymore, but a tourist-oriented shopping mall dotted with chain restaurants, chain stores and cute little gift shops. The waterfront location is lovely, though, and for that reason it's worth a stroll - especially on Sunday, when a weekly farmers market takes over. Catch a ferry from San Francisco and you'll land just paces away.
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Children’s Fairyland
In oak-shaded Lakeside Park, on Lake Merritt’s eastern shore, Children’s Fairyland was apparently Walt Disney’s inspiration for Disneyland. Through adult eyes, it has a weirdly dilapidated charm; little kids love it. The boating center lets you sail or paddle beneath Oakland’s downtown towers. At night, the lake is ringed with little lights, the kind you see decorating Christmas-tree lots.
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Camron-Stanford House
In the late 19th century, Lake Merritt was lined with fine homes, only one of which remains: the 1876 Camron-Stanford House . You can take a tour on the second and third Wednesday (11:00 to 16:00) and on the third Sunday (13:00 to 17:00) each month. But the best aspect of the house is really its wonderful lakeside setting and the hint it gives of how Oakland looked in its Victorian heyday, which can be admired from the sidewalk.
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Oakland A's
Giants on the road? Across the Bay Bridge, the A's are usually at home, expanding the possibilities for a summer baseball fix - BART stops just outside the ballpark. The A's most recent championship came at the Giants' expense in the quake-addled 1989 series, but they are still fierce contenders, having made the first round of playoffs in 2006. Sadly, this team will likely be moving away from the aging, inhospitable Coliseum.
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Campanile
The Campanile, officially named Sather Tower, was modeled on St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The 328ft spire offers knockout views of the Bay Area, and at the top you can stare into the carillon of 61 bells, ranging from the size of a cereal bowl to that of a Volkswagen. Recitals take place daily at 7:50am, noon and 6pm, with a longer piece performed on Sunday at 2pm.
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Yukon cabin
A replica of Jack London's Yukon cabin stands in an awkward spot near a parking lot at the eastern end of the square. It's supposedly built from the timbers of a cabin London lived in during the Yukon gold rush, though many of the original materials had to be replaced during reconstruction. Another worthwhile stop, adjacent to the old cabin, is Heinhold's First & Last Chance Saloon.
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Lake Chabot
At the southern end of Chabot Park is the enormous Lake Chabot, with an easy trail along its shore and canoes, kayaks and other boats for rent from the Lake Chabot marina (510-582-2198).
AC Transit bus 53 runs daily from the Fruitvale BART station to the Chabot Center and Joaquin Miller Park. Bus 46 runs from the Coliseum BART along Skyline Blvd, during weekday commute hours.
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Kayaking & Boating
At the southern end of Chabot Park is the enormous Lake Chabot, with an easy trail along its shore and canoes, kayaks and other boats for rent from the Lake Chabot marina (510-582-2198).
AC Transit bus 53 runs daily from the Fruitvale BART station to the Chabot Center and Joaquin Miller Park. Bus 46 runs from the Coliseum BART along Skyline Blvd, during weekday commute hours.
reviewed
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Buildings
North Berkeley, heading up into the hills, is also chock-full of magnificent homes. You can see many examples of Bernard Maybeck's superb architecture, including 1515 La Loma Ave and at 2704, 2711, 2733, 2751, 2754 and 2780 Buena Vista Way. Wander these and other streets to examine the elaborate gardens and Asian-influenced front gates that are a feature of this neighborhood.
reviewed