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Old 01-07-2012, 03:28 AM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911

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Things to see and do in Oakland

Are you visiting Oakland for the first time? While I think of myself as a resident of the suburbs, I was born and lived a small part of my youth in Oakland, California. Dryers Grand Ice Cream, based in Oakland, California, is what I think of when you mention Grand Avenue. Locals to the area will know what I’m talking about. Enjoy this list of “Insider Tips” for things to see and do in Oakland, California.

When I have a visitor from out of town, I take them to a concert at one of our Art Deco theaters. The Fox Theater is a popular spot for indie rock acts and the Paramount Theatre is a great place to catch a performance from top musicians and comedians. The Grand Lake Theater is also a fun spot for a movie, followed by a trip to Fentons for the best ice cream in town. My personal Fentons favorite – the Black and Tan sundae.

Growing up in the suburbs of Moraga – through the Caldecott Tunnel, I often rode my horse into the Redwood groves in the Oakland hills. Although you’re only a few minutes from the bustling city, you’ll feel hours away in this serene atmosphere. For a list of parks, visit East Bay Regional Park District.

When you come to Oakland, get your picture taken with the iconic cranes on the waterfront. You’ll see them in artwork, on t-shirts and wine labels throughout the city. They are said to be an inspiration for the All Terrain Armored Transport, or AT-AT, featured in the Star Wars classics The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Dining in Oakland, California

As one of the most diverse cities in the country, Oakland is known for having a bit of every type of cuisine. The city takes pride in its wide-ranging culinary options.

The best item on the menu at Bakesale Betty is theFried Chicken Sandwich. In fact, most times it’s the only item on the menu. Patrons line up around the block to order the famous sandwich.
Fruitvale taco trucks are the place to go for cheap food in Oakland. Located along International Blvd., you’ll find a plethora of vendors ready to serve up some fresh selections, including al pastor (spicy pork), carne asada (steak), or lengua (beef tongue). Culinary journalists such as Anthony Bourdain have even taken note of the excellent options in Oakland.

For an upscale, quality meal, go to Flora and splurge on a creative cocktail in a restaurant reminiscent of the prohibition-era. Or head to Pican, serving up some of the best authentic southern eats – the fried chicken and mac and cheese are my personal favorites.
Oakland Trivia – did you know that Movie Star Tom Hanks was a graduate of Skyline High School? If you walk to the top of Skyline Boulevard, you’ll be rewarded with a great view; you can see the entire San Francisco Bay on the peak of the hills.

If you are visiting Oakland, you’ll want to hike, bike, horseback ride, walk, sail or go kayaking – it’s all available here. Oakland is a popular destination for recreational activities.

Looking for a little exercise? Walk along Lake Merritt, the nation’s largest urban lake, with a three-mile path around the perimeter. Take a stroll or jog or snag a spot on the lawn. Perfect for picnicking with friends, enjoying the sunshine and watching the action in the area.
If you are a museum lover, headto the Oakland Museum of California. Explore a collection of art, people and natural sciences from California. The Museum also hosts late night events with live music, food and activities, bringing visitors and community members together to experience arts and culture.

Enjoy a night out on the town? For a night of dancing, head to Luka’s Taproom. In the evening, this restaurant is full of diners, but after hours, groove to disco, soul and more. On first Fridays, make sure to head to Uptown for Art Murmur, art walks held on the first Friday of every month.

Oakland has a lot of different neighborhoods. While it is true that not all neighborhood are charming and unique, Oakland neighborhoods show visitors different flavors of the city.

There are plenty of activities to keep you entertained in Oakland. In the spring you may attend the Oakland Running Festival, Oakland International Film Festival, Strictly Sail Pacific Boat Show or the Oakland Greek Festival - all wonderful events.

In Oakland – take the kids
In the summer, take the kids and head to Chabot Space & Science Center for an overnight stay. Sleep under the stars at this observatory, teaching students and adults of all ages about the Universe and Planet Earth.

Don’t miss Children’s Fairyland if you have kids traveling with you. Set on the shores of Lake Merritt, this park brings nursery rhymes to life. Fairyland was even an inspiration for Walt’s Disneyland. True confessions – I had a magical birthday party at Children’s Fairyland. The Oakland Zoo is also a must-see for families. The zoo houses more than 440 native and exotic animals. If our paths ever cross in person, ask me about the time I was chased by an animal at the Children’s petting zoo. Insider Tip: drop the ice cream cone filled with feed pellets when an animal is chasing you!


Insider Tip: You don’t have to make the trek to Napa or Sonoma to taste award-winning California wines. Oakland’s urban vintners bring in varietal grapes from regions throughout Northern California. Hop on a bike with East Bay Winery Bike Tours for an urban wine tasting experience.

Have you been to Oakland? What are your favorite things to do in Oakland, California?

Insider Tips for Things to See and Do in Oakland, California | Nancy D Brown - StumbleUpon
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Old 01-07-2012, 03:39 AM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911
Oakland #5 in "Top 45 Places to Go in 2012"

New restaurants and bars beckon amid the grit.

Tensions have cooled since violence erupted at the recent Occupy Oakland protests, but the city’s revitalized night-life scene has continued to smolder.
The historic Fox Theater reopened in 2009 and quickly cemented its status as one of the Bay Area’s top music venues, drawing acts like Wilco and the Decemberists. Meanwhile, the city’s ever more sophisticated restaurants are now being joined by upscale cocktail bars, turning once-gritty Oakland into an increasingly appealing place to be after dark. James Syhabout, the chef who earned Oakland its first (and only) Michelin star two years ago at Commis, followed up in May with the instant-hit Hawker Fare, a casual spot serving Asian street food. Big-name San Francisco chefs are now joining him. Daniel Patterson (of two-Michelin-star Coi) opened the restaurant Plum in late 2010 and an adjacent cocktail bar later, and another restaurant, called Haven, in the recently renovated Jack London Square last month.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/travel/45-places-to-go-in-2012.html?pagewanted=all


http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/2a/20/4d/oakland-skyline.jpg

http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0002/1183/products/0824_OzumoOak_large.png?100194

http://www.ibabuzz.com/education/files/2010/08/Pican.JPG

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Old 01-07-2012, 03:47 AM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911
Oakland Named a Top Tourist Destination - # 5 of Top 45


http://www.jessamynharris.com/2008/davidjames1008133.jpg


This isn't the first time Oakland has made a travel list. Lonely Planet's 2011 Guide of America's Top 10 suggests Oakland's taco trucks along with San Francisco burritos.

About 9.6 million tourists visited Oakland in 2011, according to the Oakland Convention and Visitors Bureau.

(You may be wondering where San Francisco placed on the list. Well, apparently bacon-laced donuts and artisanal ice cream weren't enough to earn the city a place on the list at all.)

http://blogs.kqed.org/newsfix/



http://www.keyhousing.com/upload/32.Landing_1.jpg


http://www.brianrose.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/jacklondoncabin.jpg

http://www.business2oakland.com/opportunities/Summer2009/images/UptownUnveiled556150dpi_000.jpg

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Old 01-07-2012, 07:39 AM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
36,631 posts, read 67,212,236 times
Reputation: 21169
9.6 Million visitors in 2011! That's great.
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Old 01-07-2012, 02:14 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911
Oakland TripAdvisor Page

Oakland, in the hub of the Bay Area, is both historic and modern. Visitors will find a little bit of everything in this diverse metropolis, from the picturesque waterfront to expansive hills. Explore Oakland's growing arts, entertainment and food scene or enjoy recreational opportunities like hiking, sailing and biking. Root for one of the three professional sports teams or take a tour of a historic landmark. The city is easily accessible through Oakland International Airport, train, automobile, BART, bus and ferry.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g32810-Oakland_California-Vacations.html
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Old 01-07-2012, 02:21 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911
Is Oakland Safe for Tourists?

This is just a forum from the Oakland Tripadvisor page. This is what you call common sense.


Person A: Hey!!

I'm plannig a trip to SF with a good friend of mine (we're 2 girls mid twenties), and we want to pass 1 day in Oakland ... what are the safe districts and what are not?!

Also, anyone ahave a suggestion of things to ABSOLUTLY do in Oakland ? Thx so much!!

Person B: I Assume that your plan is not about touring distressed neighborhoods. In that case, yes, Oakland is safe for tourists.
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Old 01-09-2012, 08:45 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
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Oakland is a beach town?

So we all know that Lake Temescal is located in the northeastern hills section of Oakland. Lake Temescal has an artificial recreational beach. Every year, 200,000 people come to Lake Temescal to swim, picnick, fish, bike, hike, and enjoy nature.


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DNjo2PDM6q...ano1_small.png


http://oaklandnorth.net/wp-content/u...7/temescal.jpg



Do we all know that Oakland has a natural beach along it's shoreline, called Radio Beach. While it's open to the public, it remained unimproved. This strip of unimproved shoreline offers great views of the new Bay Bridge construction, Mount Tamalpias, and the bay north of Oakland from a 400-500 foot beach near the area's radio transmission towers.
Radio Beach « Oakland Geology

I do not know how many people utilize Radio Beach, and I do not know if the City of Oakland has any plans to promote this beach as an attraction of some sort.

Any Opinions?


http://oaklandgeology.files.wordpres...ach1.jpg?w=450


http://oaklandgeology.files.wordpres...ach2.jpg?w=450


http://oaklandgeology.files.wordpres...obeach3big.jpg



Lastly, Oakland has a beach in Middle Harbor Shoreline Park.


http://oaklandliving.files.wordpress...idge.jpg?w=490
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Old 01-10-2012, 05:38 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
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The Office of Mayor Jean Quan responds to Oakland's position as #5 in "45 Places to Visit in 2012"


Oakland ranked as the 5th most desirable destination to visit this year in "The 45 Places to Go in 2012." The story appeared in the Travel section of The New York Times on January 8, 2012. Oakland placed between #4 London and #6 Tokyo in the coveted list and was the highest ranked North American city.


"The buzz about Oakland’s growing restaurant and entertainment scene around the Fox and Paramount theaters in Uptown along with our beautiful parks and regional attractions like Chabot Space & Science Center, the Oakland Zoo, and the Oakland Museum of California make Oakland the ideal, affordable destination," said Mayor Jean Quan.


She noted that a growing choice of airlines at the Oakland International Airport and Oakland’s central location make our city an ideal base for exploring the Bay Area and beyond. Last year, more than 9 million visitors came to Oakland. In a post on January 9, 2012, about the ranking, Huffington Post called Oakland "the coolest new kid in the country" and stated, "we are reminded why our Oakland is on the international radar."


Locals can discover Oakland, as well. Oakland’s 2nd Annual Restaurant Week runs January 20 through January 29 with 10 days of special prix fixe menus lunch and dinner deals at more than two dozen local restaurants. For details go to http://visitoakland.org/restaurantweek2012.cfm?

http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca/gro.../oak032866.pdf
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Old 01-10-2012, 06:17 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911
Oakland-San Francisco is the "#1 Market for Female Executives"

Bizjournals used a nine-part formula to identify the markets that offer women the best business opportunities, both as entrepreneurs and employees.

The study focused on the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas, which had 195.5 million residents as of mid-2006, accounting for 65 percent of the nation's total population. These areas included 4.5 million businesses owned by women, 69 percent of the national total.

The highest scores in Bizjournals' rankings went to markets where a substantial number of well-educated, well-paid women hold responsible positions in local businesses.

The San Francisco Bay area emerged as the clear national leader. The mix of industries in the San Francisco-Oakland area has made it possible for women to do extremely well, says Tucker Hart Adams, president of The Adams Group Inc., a Colorado Springs economic-research firm.

San Francisco-Oakland is the only market to rank among the three national leaders in three of the study's key categories: the percentage of women who hold bachelor's degrees, the number of woman-owned businesses per 10,000 residents, and the share of female employees with salaries of $100,000 or more.
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Old 01-10-2012, 06:48 PM
 
Location: East Bay Area
1,986 posts, read 3,590,240 times
Reputation: 911
Oakland Has America's Talent

A famous Oakland R&B dynasty just reestablished itself. The band PopLyfe, which includes two children of Toni Tony Toné frontman D'Wayne Wiggins, two children of local jazz drummer Ranzel Merritt, and 14-year-old singer Kehlani Parrish, announced that it just made the finals on NBC's America's Got Talent

Oakland Teen Band PopLyfe Makes the Finals on America's Got Talent | Ear Bud (http://www.eastbayexpress.com/EarBud/archives/2011/09/06/oakland-teen-band-poplyfe-makes-the-finals-on-americas-got-talented - broken link)

POPLYFE was one of the most popular acts on season six of ‘America’s Got Talent’, finishing in 4th place out of almost 100,000 entries.

October 7 Is 'POPLYFE DAY' In Oakland! | AGTNews.com


POPLYFE, 12-16 ~ America's Got Talent 2011, Seattle Auditions - YouTube



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