Oakland: To Know it is to Love it (San Francisco, Berkeley: unemployed, neighborhoods)

[Stephen1110]

What to Do in Oakland

October 9, 2012
Conde Nast Traveler-The Daily Traveler

It’s been a long time coming, but Oakland is finally starting to get its day in the sun (which is convenient considering it’s actually on the sunnier side of San Francisco Bay). The city has a thriving art scene, proud local clothing brands, and cutting-edge eateries and drinkeries—and nowhere is all this uptick more noticeable than in the recent renewal of the formerly sparse and gloomy downtown district. Here are seven reasons you should check out Oakland right now.

Art Murmur
On the first Friday of every month, people flooding Oakland for Art Murmur. Galleries open their doors, food carts line the curbs, bars give drink specials, and people dance in the streets. Merriment made by all.

The Fox and Paramount Theaters
These two surviving theaters from the golden age of cinema have been lovingly restored and turned into world-class music venues. Acts from Leonard Cohen to Goyte regularly grace the stages, and many credit the opening of these venues with spurring Oakland’s revitalization.

Dogwood
Cocktails, cheese, and charcuterie are the holy trinity at Dogwood, a cozy spot right in the heart of all that’s happening on Telegraph Ave.

Flora
Housed in the beautiful Art Deco Oakland Floral Depot, Flora is a drinking and dining staple of the Uptown District’s recent renaissance. While the food is impressive, the cocktail program is worth a visit all on its own.

Linden Street Brewery
One of the Bay Area’s best and fastest growing breweries, Linden Street's beers are brewed in the style of the region's early production methods. While most eateries and bars will have Linden Street on draught, you can also get the suds directly from the tap room Tuesday through Saturday.

Oaklandish
What began as a covert street art campaign to rep Oakland pride, has since blossomed into a legendary local clothing brand with its own brick and mortar storefront. Not only are the threads here hip, but some of the proceeds from everything sold go to various community projects.

Cafe Van Kleef
Covered floor to ceiling in eclectic bric-a-brac, this bohemian-feeling art bar makes incredible Greyhounds with fresh grapefruit squeezed right before your eyes. It’s hard to determine if the bar is five or 50 years old. Not that it matters, you’ll meet too many interesting characters to care.

What to Do in Oakland : Condé Nast Traveler

[Stephen1110]

Oakland - Most Walkable Cities in the United States and Canada

Walk Score ranked the 50 largest U.S. cities by how easily residents can walk to amenities like shops, restaurants and parks, on a scale of 1 to 100.

Oakland is the 10th most walkable large city in the U.S. with a Walk Score of 68. In Oakland, 57% of residents have a Walk Score of 70 or above.

Most Walkable Cities in the United States and Canada on Walk Score

July 20, 2011
The Huffington Post

Downtown Oakland
It's almost too easy to compare Downtown Oakland to Brooklyn. Walk Score is liberal with its "downtown" moniker, including everything from Harrison Street to Uptown to Old City. No matter, we'll walk it all just fine. The neighborhood is rife with BART stations, art galleries, new bars and restaurants, the best music venues in the East Bay, and the coolest people we know.

Lake Merritt
This neighborhood features a picturesque lake with gondoliers and a bandstand for dancing lessons, a children's fairyland park, fantastic bird watching, and the headquarters for Kaiser Permanente, Pandora, and Clorox. Not joking. While Lake Merritt is a perfectly quaint neighborhood, it's also the place to get things done. And there's a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's about every 42 feet.

Piedmont Avenue
Piedmont Avenue may as well be Pleasanville with its old-fashioned ice creamery, independent movie theatre, and collection of super-cool-yet-trying-very-hard-not-to-be-pretentious restaurants. But even if the neighborhood is a little saccharin, there's nothing like a sweet little Sunday stroll down the Ave.

San Francisco, Oakland Most Walkable Cities In Nation By Walk Score Rankings (PHOTOS)

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Stephen1110

Oakland - The Real Oakland

December 6, 2012


The Real Oakland « Smart Meetings

???? The Claremont Hotel isn't in Oakland.

I think Lake Temescal is a tremendous asset to Oakland that's often overlooked. Just my 2 cents.

[Stephen1110]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

???? The Claremont Hotel isn't in Oakland.

Only the road is located within Berkeley city limits. Other than that, the Claremont Hotel and its adjacent property is located entirely within Oakland city limits.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Stephen1110

Only the road is located within Berkeley city limits. Other than that, the Claremont Hotel and its adjacent property is located entirely within Oakland city limits.

So, how does that work? Does "Oakland" loop around the Claremont (Berkeley) neighborhood? Why can't I find a map that details this?

[Stephen1110]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

So, how does that work? Does "Oakland" loop around the Claremont (Berkeley) neighborhood? Why can't I find a map that details this?

That's a good question.

I would assume that "Claremont" is used interchangeably when referring to the Berkeley neighborhood "Claremont" and the bordering Oakland neighborhood "Claremont Hills."

The Claremont Hotel and property is unequivocally located in the Claremont Hills, of Oakland.

There is a section of Tunnel Rd that runs through Berkeley, but the address of the Claremont Hotel leading to its only entrance, 41 Tunnel Rd, is located on the borderline of Claremont and the Claremont Hills.

I would suggest Google for a map.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Stephen1110

That's a good question.

I would assume that "Claremont" is used interchangeably when referring to the Berkeley neighborhood "Claremont" and the bordering Oakland neighborhood "Claremont Hills."

The Claremont Hotel and property is unequivocally located in the Claremont Hills, of Oakland.

There is a section of Tunnel Rd that runs through Berkeley, but the address of the Claremont Hotel leading to its only entrance, 41 Tunnel Rd, is located on the borderline of Claremont and the Claremont Hills.

I would suggest Google for a map.

That name is used in both places. Berkeley's Claremont is immediately adjacent to Elmwood. Also, the Claremont resort is mostly in Oakland but it's Address is in Berkeley. I believe it's in that area where the city limit goes through the property. This happens along Woolsey street between Shattuck and College I believe. May be Telegraph. The south side of the street has the city limit go right through the front yards. This puts the house in Oakland but the addresses in Berkeley. This means those residents get the more lax building codes of Oakland, making it easier to modify a home but the taxes, schools and voting in Berkeley. They fought to maintain that. I wonder if a similar situation may exist for the Claremont resort.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

That name is used in both places. Berkeley's Claremont is immediately adjacent to Elmwood. Also, the Claremont resort is mostly in Oakland but it's Address is in Berkeley. I believe it's in that area where the city limit goes through the property. This happens along Woolsey street between Shattuck and College I believe. May be Telegraph. The south side of the street has the city limit go right through the front yards. This puts the house in Oakland but the addresses in Berkeley. This means those residents get the more lax building codes of Oakland, making it easier to modify a home but the taxes, schools and voting in Berkeley. They fought to maintain that. I wonder if a similar situation may exist for the Claremont resort.

Thanks, people. Part of Berkeley "Claremont" is like a finger that extends into the Oakland Hills. I figured that much out. I had no idea until today about the "Claremont Hills" part of Oakland. I thought everything on the north side of Tunnel Road was Berkeley, up to near Hiller Highlands, but I was wrong. What a revelation! I grew up in that area (Berkeley side of Tunnel), and never knew Oakland wrapped around to that extent.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Thanks, people. Part of Berkeley "Claremont" is like a finger that extends into the Oakland Hills. I figured that much out. I had no idea until today about the "Claremont Hills" part of Oakland. I thought everything on the north side of Tunnel Road was Berkeley, up to near Hiller Highlands, but I was wrong. What a revelation! I grew up in that area (Berkeley side of Tunnel), and never knew Oakland wrapped around to that extent.

Great story about the Claremont Hotel. So there was a rule about where alcohol could be served in the 1930s or 40s. Anyway something like no alcohol allowed within 1 mile of campus. Some enterprising Cal studnet figured out that the bar in the Claremont hotel was just outside the limit, and him and all his friends went drinking at the bar there. Supposedly, he got free drinks for life, as at the time Cal was a dry campus.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by jade408

Great story about the Claremont Hotel. So there was a rule about where alcohol could be served in the 1930s or 40s. Anyway something like no alcohol allowed within 1 mile of campus. Some enterprising Cal studnet figured out that the bar in the Claremont hotel was just outside the limit, and him and all his friends went drinking at the bar there. Supposedly, he got free drinks for life, as at the time Cal was a dry campus.

Ah good info Jade. Sheds some light on it. The border Oakland has with Berkeley ( and to a lesser extent Berkeley's with Co Co County) are bizarre due to strange laws or desires of people back in the day.