Oakland

Oakland is a port city in the Bay Area of California in the United States of America. Once an industrial area overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger neighbor to the west, this city of 440,000 people (2020) has begun to step out from under San Francisco's shadow with its notable natural and architectural features and its rise as the multicultural "hipster" city of the Bay Area.

Understand
"What I loved the most about Oakland was that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas, and religions as there are people on the planet. How lucky I was to know so many people that were so different and yet so much alike!"

- Patricia Polacco

While Oakland has neither the concentration of tourist amenities present in its western neighbor, San Francisco, nor the suburban sprawl of San Jose to the south, the visitor can easily spend a few pleasant days here. From the mid-1960s through the early twenty-first century, popular media stoked American racial and class biases to generate negative perceptions about Oakland. Since the late 1990s, however, the actual basis for these often exaggerated portraits of Oakland life have receded, as the city is experiencing an economic and cultural revitalization, as well as the more controversial hyper-gentrification. Oakland is now the Bay Area's most diverse city. Although still an underrated cultural center, its heady arts and culinary scene and ongoing revitalization have generated enthusiastic coverage in the world media of record, including the New York Times, The Guardian (UK), The Independent (UK), NPR, and the Los Angeles Times. The city gets its name because it has an abundance of oak trees.

Since the 1960s, Oakland has been a hub of progressive politics and radical, sometimes outlaw organizations. For example, while Oakland gave rise to civil-rights-conscious labor movements in the mid-century, it was also the birthplace of the Black Panther Party and a crucial hub for the early era Hell's Angels.

Oakland's history in the arts and entertainment arena is notable as well, as Oakland has nurtured or been a second home to novelists Gertrude Stein and Jack London; actors Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks; architect Julia Morgan; environmentalist Julia "Butterfly" Hill; classical conductor Calvin Simmons; rappers MC Hammer, 2Pac, Messy Marv, and notables in the liberal arts and sciences.

Climate
Oakland, like San Francisco, has a Mediterranean climate with temperatures moderated by the San Francisco Bay and the nearby, greater expanse of the Pacific Ocean. Rain generally occurs in winter, not summer, since rains share more similarity to monsoons than they do to thunderstorms. Also, the effects of the San Francisco Bay and the East Bay's Mediterranean climate mean that below-freezing temperatures are unlikely, and if they do occur, the air will be dry.

By plane


Other air travel options include the San Francisco and San Jose  International Airports which are connected by BART and CalTrain  if transferring by public transportation:
 * Coliseum Station to Balboa Park Station on the 'Blue' or 'Green' Line trains going towards Daly City. Transfer from the 'Blue' or 'Green' Line trains in Balboa Park Station to the 'Red' or 'Yellow' Line trains going towards SFO Airport/Millbrae Transit Center and get off at the 'SFO Airport Station' at the International Terminal
 * Downtown San Francisco is accessed through Embacardero, Montgomery St, Powell St, UN/Civic Plaza or Van Ness Stations. For going to downtown Oakland, take the northbound Orange Line train, going towards Richmond, and get off at either 12th St, 19th St, or MacArthur Stations.
 * For going towards San Jose Mineta International Airport stay on the 'Red' or 'Yellow' Line trains from SFO to the end of the line in Millbrae and transfer to the southbound Caltrain (going towards San Jose or Gilroy) to the Santa Clara Caltrain Station. Transfer to VTA #60 bus going towards Milpitas BART from the Santa Clara Caltrain Station, which goes by the airport terminals.
 * One can also take the southbound 'Green' or 'Orange' Line trains from the (Oakland) Coliseum Station, going towards Berryessa/North San Jose, and get off at the Milpitas Station. Transfer to the VTA #60 bus going towards 'Winchester Station via SJC Airport' from Milpitas to get to SJC airport.
 * Take Groome Transportation bus or van from Oakland to Marin and Sonoma Counties up north and from San Jose (SJC) for going to Monterey Bay in the south.

For private pilots, Oakland General Aviation Airport has a separate General Aviation area "North Field", essentially the equivalent of another airport to the north of the commercial facilities, with separate tower, taxiways, and radio frequencies. Its long runway is frequently used for jet travel, and Oakland makes a far better GA destination than SFO's complex, heavily trafficked field.

By train

 * Routes stopping in Oakland:
 * Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Lacey, Centralia, Kelso, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank.
 * 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. The Oakland Coliseum/Airport Amtrak station has no station agents. Passengers may board the train and buy the tickets from the conductor at no surcharge.
 * San Joaquins (Oakland to Bakersfield, California)Jack London Square station panorama, October 2018.jpg
 * San Joaquins (Oakland to Bakersfield, California)Jack London Square station panorama, October 2018.jpg


 * Adjacent to the northwest of Oakland in Emeryville, is Amtrak's area hub station with more train route options.
 * Connections to the Pacific Surfliner are in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, are available with Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches (see By bus below).

By car
From San Francisco, Interstate 80 east leads over the beautiful Bay Bridge to I-580, I-880, and I-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 I-580 and cross the Richmond Bridge. I-580 leads directly into Oakland.

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

From Tracy, Modesto, and San Joaquin Valley's southern portion (Southern California, too), take the scenic I-580 over Altamont Pass.

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

From the outer East Bay, Route 24 leads to north Oakland through the Caldecott Tunnel.

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

Alternatively, you can connect to Highway 123 and San Pablo Avenue in Richmond, and follow it to Oakland, if there is trouble on the parallel I-80. It's city streets, so will likely take extra time, and it will mean driving into and through everything between Richmond and West Oakland, including both El Cerrito and Berkeley.

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
The is also the bus stop location for the following intercity bus lines in Oakland: This BART station is also the bus transit center for routes #29, 36, 62 and 800. The 800 only stops at the corner of 7th and Mandela Pkwy.
 * Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches connects Amtrak trains in Emeryville and Oakland Jack London Stations with downtown San Francisco, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo by bus.
 * Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches connects Amtrak trains in Emeryville and Oakland Jack London Stations with downtown San Francisco, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo by bus.
 * Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches connects Amtrak trains in Emeryville and Oakland Jack London Stations with downtown San Francisco, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo by bus.
 * Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches connects Amtrak trains in Emeryville and Oakland Jack London Stations with downtown San Francisco, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo by bus.

By ferry
The San Francisco Bay Ferry has departures from both Pier 41 and the Ferry Building in San Francisco. Its Oakland terminal is at the foot of Clay St. in Jack London Square, a block from the AC Transit stop and easy walking distance to the Amtrak Station.

Get around
Oakland is a good-sized city, with attractions more than a fair distance from the center of town. Car rentals tend to be more expensive than other locations in the country, and streets are frequently lined with meters, unless they're in completely residential zones. Some of the larger attractions have their own parking of course, and some of the more visitor-friendly neighborhoods have sizable parking lots - some paid and some not. Most residential areas allow parking for only a limited time for non-residents, so the wise traveler is best-advised to use public transit of some kind.

Clipper
The frequent and long-term visitor to the area may be best-advised to acquire a Clipper card, which is touted as an 'all-in-one' transit electronic flash pass. It allows much easier use of almost all of the entire Bay Area's public transit agencies, allowing the user to use simple cash value or a specific transit agency's monthly pass. Cash value may be added at any of BART's stations, as well as a certain stores in Oakland or throughout the Bay Area.

By bicycle
Oakland has a wide and increasing infrastructure of bicycle lanes. If you need a bike, rental shops are close to nonexistent. Oakland enjoys a pumping bike culture, with lots of bike parking, and especially at some "parklets" at many of the city's coffee shops. If you like mixing bikes with your nightlife, you can join the 300+ people that cycle together monthly at East Bay Bike Party.

Bike sharing
Most of the bike sharing in Oakland is through Ford GoBike and their trademark blue bikes and docking stations. LimeBike is known for its trademark lime green rental scooters. Both tend to be quite pricey. GoBike's machines allow only a limited time of use, 30 minutes at a time for a day-long access pass or 45 minutes a ride for an annual membership fee.

By car
Unlike the often-tightly packed and crowded streets of nearby San Francisco, many locations of Oakland are much more friendly to cars. Parking lots are a more frequent sight, some requiring a nominal fee, as well as larger parking structures near the airport, and some of the BART stations.

In addition to the freeways and route mentioned in the "Get In" section, there are a couple of smaller intraurban freeways in Oakland:

The Warren Freeway (CA 13) is a two-way narrow four-lane highway that intersects CA-24 near the Caldecott Tunnel at one end and follows the feet of the Oakland Hills, passing alongside the wealthy Montclair neighborhood, through a wooded valley until it merges with I-580. It's often used to bypass the often-circuitous route taken by I-580 and the MacArthur Maze, but its narrowness can turn it into a traffic jam far more easily. Interstate 980 is a north–south freeway that becomes CA-24 when it nears the Cloverleaf merge with I-580. It meets I-880, passing around the western edge of Old Oakland.

Car sharing
Car sharing has been available since 2001 in Oakland, when City Carshare (absorbed by Getaround in 2016) opened its doors for the first time. Rates are usually by the hour or the day, depending on the individual service. Getaround, Gig Car Share, Upshift and Zipcar offer easily-accessible services to account holders city-wide.

Rental cars
Rental car facilities may be found scattered throughout the city, though Oakland Airport has a dedicated facility; including a connecting rental car bus. Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Fox, Hertz, National and Thrifty all maintain offices and rental lots at the Rental Car Center at 7600 Earhart Road (entrance is at the corner of Langley and Doolittle), outside of the Airport proper.

In addition, Avis, Enterprise and Hertz all operate smaller car rental facilities at various locations in the city itself.

Ride hailing
Uber and Lyft both do a bustling business in the entire Bay Area, including Oakland. As of August 2018, Uber offers services for a minimum fare of about $7.20 and $1.33/mile, and Lyft about $3.50 minimum and about $1.50/mile or $0.18/minute. Uber offers wheelchair-accessible services, and both offer SUV services. Both services have additional fees for rides beginning or terminating at Oakland Airport. Surge pricing applies during certain heavy traffic hours with both services. Be careful - with heavy traffic during rush hours, surge pricing and mileage can result in a very hefty bill.

By taxi
Taxi services in Oakland tend to be a very mixed experience. Prices tend to be high, and even the more reliable taxi companies can be very hit and miss for reliability and prompt response time. There are a large number of companies with "Yellow" and "Cab" in their name, without being the same company.

See
Oakland has many attractions to the eye and for the mind. Where some believe that it is a city of run-down Victorian houses or endless stretches of urban blight, this is very far from accurate. Oakland is a city with roots as far back as the earliest years of the admission of the State of California, and as such, it has architecture extant from many different eras. The Victorian architecture preserved and restored in Old Oakland, the Art Deco glory of Uptown, and the history of the Port of Oakland itself are among the many things to see. New York City has Manhattanhenge, towers of glass and steel; Oakland has the valleys of stone.

Neighborhoods
The first place many visitors are likely to visit is Downtown, especially if they are in town on business, or simply do not know where to start. The center of transportation by BART and by bus is there, if you want to branch out. Only a few streets away is Old Oakland, along 10th Street, just west of Broadway. Just east of Broadway and continuing north and south is Oakland's famous Chinatown, where many of the buildings and streets of Chinatown reflect the diverse nature of its history, in architecture and in the bilingual signs seen throughout the neighborhood.

The curious traveler can venture to take a bus southwards along Broadway, and come to Jack London Square. The unlikely mixture of warehouses and very expensive restaurants and posh atmosphere alongside some of the landmarks of the city's waterfront makes the Square an interesting place to visit and explore, even for locals. It's the home of the USS Potomac and the site of the namesake author's residence, still preserved and humbly standing not far from a saloon from the same era.

Just west of Downtown and slightly north of the Financial District is Uptown. In the evening it buzzes with art galleries, theaters and residents and Bay Area visitors coming into the area to see concerts. A popular area on the weekend with a mixed vibe of hipster and hip hop. It's a burgeoning neighborhood of performing arts ranging from nightclubs to music halls, and some of the best in the city's vintage architecture, like the Gothic Revival Cathedral Building and the Art Deco Fox and Paramount Theaters, as well as several nationally renowned restaurants, including Flora, Duende, and Pícan.

North Oakland is a sweeping term, referring to just about everywhere north of Uptown and Lake Merritt. Temescal is a neighborhood that lies north-northwest from Downtown; it is home to a range of restaurant cuisines, from Korean to Ethiopian. Northeast of Temescal lies Rockridge, a picturesque and affluent neighborhood mixed with family friendly and artistic vibes. South of Rockridge lies Piedmont Avenue, a street home to many renowned eateries, close to the small, sleepy and wealthy town of Piedmont. East along I-580 are the Grand Lake and Lakeshore neighborhoods, which share a friendly, early 20th-century suburban ambiance. The Grand Lake Theater stands at the entrance to the neighborhood that bears its name, a matter of a few hundred feet from Lakeshore Avenue - both neighborhoods have a range of eateries no matter what your budget, be it burgers or a romantic meal.

West Oakland was once a burgeoning working-class neighborhood with its roots tracing as far back as the opening decades of the 19th century. The neighborhood is a gritty paradox, featuring separate blocks of slums and industrial sites and on others, stately restored Victorians and arts-rededicated warehouses. Marred by among the city's higher crime rates, West Oakland also boasts a growing number of stylish hipster cafés, drawing a clientele ranging from the port's dock workers to concept-conscious hipsters from around the Bay Area.

Parks and gardens
Public parks are a very common sight no matter what part of Oakland you are in. From green gardens to athletic fields and playgrounds to the massive open space of the Oakland Hills, if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle for a breath of fresh air or the like, there are plenty of places to relax in.





Art galleries
News on many of Oakland's fine arts exhibitions can be found at Oakland Art Murmur.

Do
Oakland is a city of passionate interests - among the strongest of them are the love of the performing arts. Theater, live DJs, nightclubs, concerts, dance and even more unusual avant-garde activities are common sights and experiences in the city. Not just the obvious locations like the convention center or the Oracle Arena are home to the passion of performance. The Fox and Paramount Theaters host live concerts; the Paramount in particular is home to Oakland's East Bay Symphony, but that is by no means the end of the list. The nightlife of Oakland swings to the beat too, with popular spots like the Uptown and Yoshi's (Found in the Bar/Nightclub section under Drink) keep the music moving far into the evening hours. And that is only the beginning.

Events
Oakland is an amazingly diverse city, with roots in a range of cultures and traditions. Reflecting this, many annual events are held in Oakland usually but not always centered around Downtown.



Recreation and film




Buy
Most shops in Oakland are local establishments, some with distinctive personalities that reflect local culture. If you're looking for big-box chains, try Emeryville instead.

Bike shops
Bike shops are a reasonably easy find in Oakland - used as an alternative means of transportation, to say nothing of exercise, throughout the city.



Shopping centers
Though once a common sight, with Eastmont Mall (the last operating fully enclosed mall) being used almost exclusively for other services, large enclosed malls are a thing of the past in Oakland. There are however a few open-air spots.



Eat
The third great passion after art and music that is shared by residents and visitors to Oakland alike is food. Oakland is foodie country. No matter what your budget is - if you want to find something to eat from a hamburger to a full-course meal, you're going to find both and just about everything in between. Though any city would look spartan and lackluster next to San Francisco, Oakland is not found wanting.

Crime
Oakland has some problems with both property and violent crime. Smash-and-grab attacks on parked cars are common, so do not leave any valuables visible in your car, not even bags that might look like they could contain valuables.

The parts of the city with the most serious crime problems are unlikely to be interesting to tourists, but be careful when you venture into areas where there are not many people on the streets, keep your wits about yourself, and be aware of where you are at all times. The hills of Oakland are safe when it comes to violent crime but there is still property crime there. Think twice about going to West Oakland (south of 580 and west of 980) or East Oakland (southeast of Lake Merritt), especially at night.

Traffic
The number of reckless drivers in Oakland seems to be higher than in the average US city. As a pedestrian, pay attention when crossing the street, even if you have the right of way; as a driver, drive defensively; and as a cyclist, stay alert and don't rely on cars to accommodate you. International Boulevard in particular is notorious for traffic fatalities and speeding.

The quality of Oakland's roads is relatively poor. Residents complain bitterly about persistent potholes, and if you're driving or biking, you should take that as a warning.

Connect
The area codes for Oakland are 510 and 341; the latter is an overlay added in 2019. You only need to dial the seven-digit phone number for calls within the city. For calls within the US or Canada, dial 1+area code+number, and for international calls, dial 011+country code+city code(if applicable)+number. Pay phones are getting less and less common with the increasing popularity of mobile phones. Unfortunately, broken phones and empty phone booths are also a common sight. When you do find one, keep in mind that they only take coins and phone cards with a dial-to-use number. Local calls start at $0.50.

Internet access is available for free or with a fee in cafes and coffeehouses in several neighborhoods throughout the city, most notably the Financial District, Piedmont Avenue and Rockridge. Internet cafes, though once a common sight in Oakland, have dwindled down to nothing. The best bet for finding free Wi-fi Internet is to find one of the larger hotels, one of the branches of the Oakland Public Library, or one of the more well-known coffeehouses especially Starbucks or Peet's.

Parks
Parks are a common sight in Oakland, ranging from the small green with attached baseball field to the large wilderness of Redwood or Joaquin Miller in the hills. They are therefore easy to find, and if one needs some time away from the hustle and bustle of city streets and traffic, especially in the case of Lake Merritt, they may be a short walk away.

Smoking
As with the rest of California, tobacco-friendly venues are very rare in Oakland. State labor laws prohibit smoking in places of employment with only a few exceptions. Hotel lobbies may have a smoking section, and many hotels and motels have rooms and areas specifically for smokers. There are a handful of tobacco shops in the city, and the laws permit smoking in places such as privately owned casinos and bingo halls and such, but by and large, smoking in public is very rarely permitted.



Go next

 * San Francisco. Oakland's neighbor across the Bay.  Take BART, or the ferry for some great views.  (Bridge tolls are paid crossing into San Francisco, not exiting it.)
 * Berkeley. Eclectic, political and always interesting neighbor to the north.
 * San Leandro. Oakland's quieter suburban neighbor to the south, home to worldwide firms, malls, regional parks and shorelines.
 * Alameda. Oakland's sleepy island suburb to the southwest, home to the former Alameda Naval Air Station, and miles of pretty beaches and Victorian houses.
 * Emeryville. Home of Pixar and several major animation schools, as well as plenty of shopping and industry.

Oakland