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Old 06-03-2010, 01:04 PM
 
11 posts, read 49,799 times
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So I have a 4 day vacation coming up and trying to decide between spending it in Oakland or San Francisco, O Town seems the cheaper option all around and seems to have more culture/less touristy but SF has lots of historic sights & things to see. So what would be a better use of my time, going to Oakland or San Fran?
Interested in nightlife, dice games, beaches, meeting people
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Old 06-03-2010, 01:09 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
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You do know that Oakland and San Francisco are a 20-minute subway trip apart right? You can definitely enjoy both no problem...I mean, its like going from Queens to Manhattan..very close.
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Old 06-03-2010, 01:14 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
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Agreed. If you're in one you can easily do the other several times in one day if you wanted. I'd stay in Oakland personally and take BART into the city.
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Old 06-03-2010, 01:33 PM
 
Location: Los Altos Hills, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gentoo View Post
Agreed. If you're in one you can easily do the other several times in one day if you wanted. I'd stay in Oakland personally and take BART into the city.
yeah, plus if he/she's renting a car-its 10 minutes downtown to downtown in no traffic...in traffic is another story obviously.

the point being, we're not talking about two different regions-these 2 are 9 miles apart.
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Old 06-03-2010, 01:35 PM
 
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Ignore the predictable troll from 500 miles away who will come in here spewing repetitive BS.

You'll save money and get to see other parts of the Bay Area if you stay in Oakland, most people don't venture to the east bay out of media perpetuated fear or convenience of just staying in SF.
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Old 06-03-2010, 01:42 PM
 
Location: South Korea
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SF is more touristy and has a lot more going on compared to Oakland which is more spread out and suburban. There's no reason not to visit both while you are here and decide for yourself since they are a short BART ride away from one another.
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Old 06-03-2010, 01:58 PM
 
Location: San Diego, California Republic
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 18Montclair View Post
yeah, plus if he/she's renting a car-its 10 minutes downtown to downtown in no traffic...in traffic is another story obviously.

the point being, we're not talking about two different regions-these 2 are 9 miles apart.
Yep, SF and Oakland (along with Berkeley) are as close to the geographical center of the Bay Area as it's possible to be. I find that staying near downtown Oakland or Lake Merritt puts one pretty much in the middle of everything.
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Old 06-03-2010, 02:33 PM
 
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Thanks for the feedback, I only have 3 days, is that enough for both cities? I just want to maximize the use of our time
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Old 06-03-2010, 02:47 PM
 
Location: Oakland, CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cream_hustler View Post
Thanks for the feedback, I only have 3 days, is that enough for both cities? I just want to maximize the use of our time
I think it's definitely enough time. If you're staying in downtown Oakland (say, at the Marriott) you could plan to head early into the city, and check out the tourist sites (Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, GG Park, etc), then come back into Oakland for dinner (see this Diablo Magazine article for great suggestions), then head over to an Oakland bar for nightlife - Uptown Bar if you're into trendy/eclectic, Liege for cocktails, Trappist for the beer connaisseur, etc.

You may not necessarily save money if you stay in Oakland, though - most of the places that are convenient for public transportation are fairly expensive, though you may be able to wrangle a deal with the Marriott if there are no conventions going on. Staying in SF may be comparably priced, and would have the advantages of a more exciting nightlife, and the ability to step out the door and immediately be in the "big city", which Oakland's downtown wouldn't give you.
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Old 06-03-2010, 07:54 PM
 
2,145 posts, read 5,050,353 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oakland Uptown View Post
Ignore the predictable troll from 500 miles away who will come in here spewing repetitive BS.

You'll save money and get to see other parts of the Bay Area if you stay in Oakland, most people don't venture to the east bay out of media perpetuated fear or convenience of just staying in SF.
um, most people don't venture to the east bay, b/c there's, well San Francisco!!! c'mon, people-SFO is such a gorgeous, unique city...if you've never been, OF COURSE you are doing to stay there. And there's plenty of culture in SFO, if you venture out of fisherman's wharf and don't only go to chinatown, OP! [and btw, if people stay in SFO due to 'convenience', doesn't that say something? Who wouldn't want to stay close by to where they wanted to be? And who doesn't want 'convenience' on a vacation?]

That said, having lived in SFO (currently in so cal, though) but hung in the O town with friends living there, alot, they both have their merits. IF you live in the area, Oakland and Berkeley can be great to explore-great restaurants, and different ethnic groups than SFO. But if you are a first timer to the area, SFO really should be experienced. As should a trip across the GG bridge to see the sklyine from afar. Angel Island, Sausalito, etc.

You can stereotype 'touristy this and that' all you want, but it's flat out gorgeous in both marin and SFO, and is WELL worth seeing/visiting at least once in one's life.

As far as where to stay-your choice. But I'd prefer SFO as a base. As mentioned, Oakland isn't necessarily 'cheaper'. And, say what you will about media inflation of crime, but oakland does have it's share (and certainly SFO does, too, and you will need to be cautious as you would in most cities), and is not to be minimized.

I don't think that Oakland's crime stats are to be ignored, simply b/c SFO's are hidden by the tourist/PR boards. You know? Neither is something to brag about, IMO. And cable cars are still pretty cool, too.

Oakland does have things to offer culturally, but SFO is in a different league, architecturally and geographically. C'mon, folks, you can't say that isn't true!

And, I'll share my own recent experience for comparison-first time to Italy, wanted to venture to lesser travelled areas-so we went to puglia in the south, and planned to do the Marches, very little time in Rome, and wanted to avoid tuscany [you know, i'm from CA, yada yada yada]...so we're there, LOVE Rome,wish we had more time there, and end up in a medieval village in tuscany-BLOWN FREAKIN' AWAY by the beauty of tuscany (unreal-like the topography of CA wine country with the sky of Montana)...Standing a the top of the town, in the plaza, looking at the views, my 9 yr old says 'Mom, this is the real deal'. lol. true story.

Sure, it was springtime, so the crowds were not there...
But here we were, thinking we'd go for less tourist, more culture...
I personally would go headlong into SFO, do the trip to Muir Woods, etc. It's still beautiful, regardless of how many people do it. That's the reason they all do it not *just* b/c the guidebooks tell them to.

I was just in the bay area over memorial day weekend-we based ourselves in marin; last time we visited we flew into oakland, this time we drove. You know, I really never had a thought the whole time I was there recently, of 'hey, i'ts been awhile since i've been to oakland'...I did, however, find myself in complete awe of the beauty of sfo, the redwoods, southern marin, and the short ferry ride to angel island. I surprised myself at how in awe I was, years after living there.
Different strokes, of course; my opinion stands for first timers to the bay, however.

Last edited by lrmsd; 06-03-2010 at 08:05 PM.. Reason: typo
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