Oakland as a tourist destination (San Francisco, Berkeley: live, restaurant, safety)

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

If Oakland can work on fixing its crime issue, more businesses will move in and then the tourists using Oakland as a base for San Francisco... might think about spending more time in Oakland.

Youve already said this in previous threads, almost word for word and you already know the sort of responses that result so why say it again? How strange.

Furthermore, plenty of people spend time and money in Oakland, businesses too.

But you already know that.

[jsba]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

IMO, Oakland's biggest advantage over San Francisco is had by residents, not tourists.

Living in Oakland but having San Francisco so close is incredible.

I would agree although I don't find myself going to San Francisco all that much. My girlfriend moved down here from Seattle and thought she would be in SF every weekend and now 8 months into her being here she may have gone over there like 2 or 3 times. She says it just simply isn't worth it. I enjoy the shopping in SF and the museums though I really prefer LAs museums better and they are more affordable and larger.

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by jsba

I would agree although I don't find myself going to San Francisco all that much.

And that's the interesting part. I rarely go to the city anymore, I just dont need to like I did before.

[Stephen1110]

Originally Posted by matt345

I was just thinking the other day – Oakland has a TON of untapped tourism potential,

I agree. the fact that Oakland already attracts millions of visitors is good. To name a few, the city can market historic and scenic areas like Redwood Regional Park, Lake Merritt and estuary, USS Potomac, Oakland Mormon Temple

[Stephen1110]

Originally Posted by matt345

Oakland has a TON of untapped tourism potential, especially with the heart of SF being only a 15-minute BART ride away. Most tourist attractions out there rely mostly on promotion and publicity to bring in the crowds. Just look at how many visitors to Chicago absolutely “must” go out of their way to see the cloud gate, an attraction that wouldn’t bring in nearly as many people if it weren’t for the publicity it receives. If a giant kidney bean-shaped mirror can draw in throngs of tourists, I see no reason why the Grand Lake Theater, the Tribune Tower, the Fox Theater, and the Cathedral Building couldn’t do the same with the proper marketing and publicity.

Interesting! With the proper marketing and publicity, attractions like the humanitarian monument and gondola tours would attract larger crowds

[18Montclair]

Originally Posted by Stephen1110

Interesting! With the proper marketing and publicity, attractions like the humanitarian monument and gondola tours would attract larger crowds

Those Red Oak Realty YouTube vids are awesome but really promote living more than visiting.

[ashlandbus]

Funny, like the OP, I too thought Oakland was mysterious and wanted to know more. Over the years, I visited friends who lived in South Berkeley, but never saw the need to venture into Oakland. A few years ago on a business trip I stayed the weekend to play in San Francisco, but opted to stay in Oakland because it was cheaper and I could just hop the BART to the other side of the bay. Decided to spend a night exploring downtown and uptown and liked what I saw. 1 year later, I was living here and a year past that I was a homeowner. I think Oakland can best market what it has: Great food, great art scene, great outdoors, great festivals, etc. and not worry about competing against other areas around here that don't meet that mold. For instance, keep doing the things that bring people here and showcase it's uniqueness and beauty... this last weekend's running festival did just that for over 9k runners and countless spectators, many of whom were from out of town. Plenty of people will want to venture from SF to see what all the hype is about and what the mystery reveals.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by 18Montclair

Youve already said this in previous threads, almost word for word and you already know the sort of responses that result so why say it again? How strange.

Furthermore, plenty of people spend time and money in Oakland, businesses too.

But you already know that.

And you have said Oakland has many safe areas and businesses in other threads, so why say it on this thread?

See your logic?

[matt345]

Originally Posted by Stephen1110

A lot of people are stuck on the "on the level of SF" part. Amazing. Red Flag, Red Flag

Which is why I prefaced my original post with that, but of course, no one paid attention. Surprise, surprise.

Originally Posted by Stephen1110

Interesting! With the proper marketing and publicity, attractions like the humanitarian monument and gondola tours would attract larger crowds

Exactly! All I was saying is that Oakland has quite a few landmarks, festivals, events, and neighborhoods that have just as much, if not more substance than the landmarks/etc. that tourists flock to in droves in other cities. And why are those other places perceived as tourist destinations, while Oakland is not? It really comes down to marketing and publicity. In my opinion, Temescal feels like a more happening version of Fremont in Seattle, yet I'm pretty sure that Fremont attracts a larger tourist base, mostly due to marketing (the Fremont troll and other public art in the neighborhood is plastered all over Seattle tourist literature).

Like I said earlier, look at Portland. It's not like it's considered to be one of the big boys of tourism like SF, Boston, NYC, etc. Heck, I'd even argue that Portland is overshadowed a bit by Seattle when it comes to attracting visitors. Yet, they've built quite a healthy tourist base by really just doing their own thing, without trying to "outshine" anyone else.

[dragontales]

If it's as simple as just marketing then why not go ahead and do more of it?