Things to do in San Francisco Bay Area
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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.
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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.
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Shopping Strips
Shopping Strips offers everything for the urban hippie, from handmade sidewalk-vendor jewelry to head-shop paraphernalia. Most appealing are, irrefutably, its terrific book and music stores.
Another strip of shops is along College Ave in the Elmwood District.
On 4th St, north of University Ave, you'll find upscale clothing, kitchen supply, book and gift stores.
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Old Oakland
Old Oakland, immediately west of Broadway, is lined with historic buildings dating from the 1860s to 1880s. The buildings have been restored and new, upscale restaurants have begun to make this a hub of evening activity. The area also hosts a lively Chinese-influenced farmers market every Friday morning – a great time to visit.
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Gregoire
The best takeaway by the bay offers classic French. The weekly menu features what's in season locally, maybe grilled artichoke with aioli, impeccably fresh salad, steak in a wine reduction and always, the ethereal potato puffs. Just a few blocks from the park-like UC campus or the Berkeley Rose Garden (on Euclid at Rose), this is a perfect place to outfit a picnic.
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Chinatown
Oakland’s Chinatown is much smaller than its San Francisco sister, but bustles with commerce. English is infrequent and tourists few. Oaklanders argue that its Chinese restaurants are more authentic than those in San Francisco’s Chinatown. We’d prefer to take this argument on a case-by-case basis; otherwise it’s a draw.
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Camino
Kick-back-chic Camino’s short daily-changing menu showcases the best of local organic produce and meats, most cooked over an open fire in slow-food-meets-California-now style. The tables are of recycled old-growth redwood, and the place buzzes with the city’s bon vivants, high on European biodynamic and organic vintages. Reservations essential.
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Paramount Theatre
This gorgeously restored art deco theater is fabulous from every angle; check out the gentlemen’s smoking room and the ladies’ chamber. In any given month there’ll be rock concerts (Morrissey, Nelly Furtado), the Oakland Symphony or stand-up comedy. Tours ($5, starting at 10am) are on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
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San Pablo Ave
San Pablo Ave was formerly US Rte 40, the main thoroughfare from the east before I-80 came along. The area north of University Ave is still lined with a few older motels, diners and atmospheric dive bars with neon signs. South of University Ave are pockets of trendiness, such as the short stretch of gift shops and cafés around Dwight Way.
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Museum of Children's Art
This museum, also known as MOCHA, is a combination children's art gallery, and children's art class, where your kids can create their own masterpieces. Not surprisingly, it's a very popular venue for children's birthdays. A lively farmers market takes place every Friday morning outside the museum, making this a particularly good time to visit.
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Piedmont Ave
North of downtown Oakland, Broadway becomes a lengthy strip of car dealerships called Broadway Auto Row. Just past that is Piedmont Ave, wall-to-wall antique stores, coffeehouses, fine restaurants and an art cinema. At the end of Piedmont Ave, Mountain View Cemetery is perhaps the most serene and lovely man-made landscape in all the East Bay.
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Berkeley Rose Garden
On Euclid Ave just south of Eunice St is the Berkeley Rose Garden and its eight terraces of Technicolor explosions. Here you'll find quiet benches and a plethora of almost perpetually blooming roses. Across the street is a picturesque park with a children's playground (including a fun concrete slide about 100ft long).
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USS Potomac
The 50m (165ft) USS Potomac was once Franklin D Roosevelt's presidential yacht; he fondly referred to it as the 'floating White House'. It's now moored by the ferry dock and is open for dockside tours. Two-hour history cruises are also held several times a month from April to October; call for reservations.
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Mountain View Cemetery
OK, it’s not your typical park, but Mountain View Cemetery was designed by Frederic Law Olmstead, the man behind NYC’s Central Park, and its gardens and statuary are gorgeous. Once you overcome (or indulge) the macabre aspect, it’s a lovely place for a picnic.
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Chez Panisse
Genuflect at the temple of Alice Waters: the birthplace of California cuisine remains at the pinnacle of Bay Area dining. Book one month ahead for its legendary prix-fixe meals (no substitutions); or book upstairs at the less-expensive, à la carte cafe.
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César
This airy tapas bar recalls a rustic Andalucían taverna with its heavy wooden benches and tables and open hearth. It turns out simple and delicious small dishes that change with the season. It's jammed at mealtimes, but is a perfect spot for an impromptu snack or a lazy afternoon beer.
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Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology
In Kroeber Hall, the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology showcases the diversity of human cultures from around the world, with artifacts from ancient Peru, Egypt and Africa, among others. There’s also a large collection highlighting native California cultures.
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Tamarine
Palo Alto's most beautiful restaurant is this contemporary Vietnamese place. The dishes have a slight seafood bias and are finely prepared in the style of California cuisine. Most mains are suitable for sharing, and this is one of the Bay Area's best destinations for exotic cocktails.
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4th St Shopping District
Hidden within an industrial area near I-80 lies a three-block area known as the 4th St Shopping District, offering shaded sidewalks for upscale shopping, or just strolling, and a few good restaurants too. Take heed, it's often very hard to park in this area, especially on weekends.
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Zatar
Zatar’s mishmash Mediterranean–Middle Eastern cooking spans Morocco to Iran. We like the bold spicing, homemade Iranian bread and fresh ingredients – many from the restaurant’s own organic garden – but the food’s pricey and a tad precious.
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Wood Tavern
The daily-changing New American brasserie-style menu features what’s in season, with earthy, soulful dishes like pan-roasted lemon-rosemary chicken, chopped salads, cheese boards, charcuterie plates and a damn good burger. Very local, happening crowd. Make reservations.
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Shan Dong
Hand-cut sesame noodles, giant pork buns, fresh dumplings – you can’t go wrong at this authentic Mandarin hole-in-the-wall with plastic chairs and fluorescent lighting. This is the real deal, so don’t expect fortune cookies, which are American in origin.
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Julia Morgan Theatre
To the southeast of People's Park is the beautifully understated, redwood-infused 1910 Julia Morgan Theatre, a performance space (formerly a church) created by Bay Area architect Julia Morgan, who designed numerous Bay Area buildings and, most famously, the Hearst Castle.
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À Côté
Small plates are the specialty at this foodie-scenester restaurant, and they’re deliciously creative – our favorite is the knock-out lobster-corn fritters. Great cocktails. Women can sport high heels without standing out; men can wear jeans and blend in.
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UC Berkeley Art Museum
A campus highlight with 11 galleries showcasing a wide range of works, from ancient Chinese to cutting-edge contempor-ary. Across the street, its world-renowned Pacific Film Archivescreens little-known independent and avant-garde films. Both are scheduled to move to a new Oxford St location by 2014.
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