Things to Do in the East Bay

Berkeley

▪ Tilden Park &emdash; Grizzly Peak (at the top of Marin Avenue ); and Oakland Hills; Skyline Drive&emdash;Redwood Regional/Joaquin Miller Parks.  Stunning views; strong cycling; naturalists, hikers, tree huggers.

▪ Gourmet Ghetto (1500/1600 blocks of Shattuck and environs)&emdash;Chez Panisse, Cesar, Chaam, The Cheese Board Collective, Cheese Board Pizza, coffee at the French Hotel and Peets, Black Oak Books, and Saul’s Deli, for starters.

▪ Solano Avenue (Berkeley/Albany)&emdash;Another shopping mecca; Peets; restaurants galore, including Rivoli; cafes, bookstores and a plethora of apparel and specialty stores.

▪ Fourth Street (near University Avenue Exit for I-80)&emdash;Bourgeois consumer heaven: high-end outlets like Crate and Barrel, stores like Sur La Table, restaurants like O Chame, and Peets.

▪ Rose Garden (Euclid Avenue at Eunice Street)&emdash;Striking 1937 WPA creation with a vast array of beautiful and fragrant roses; marvelously contemplative setting.

▪ Berkeley Marina/Waterfront&emdash;Striking views, good walks, kiting, fishing pier, restaurants, and children’s playground. 

▪ Berkeley Public Library (2090 Kittredge)&emdash;Wonderful main branch of recently restored city library; interesting architecture; wide array of services. Downtown Berkeley has a good variety of restaurants, movie-houses, specialty and retail stores, and a bustling theater district anchored by the world-famous Berkeley Repertory Theater.

▪  Telegraph Avenue&emdash;Unmatched for people watching; university types; locals; street people; craftspeople; cafes; two exceptional music stores&emdash;Rasputins and Amoeba; restaurants and fast food galore; bookstores&emdash;notably Moe’s, Cody’s, and Shakespeare’s; apparel and specialty shops (notably head shops); earthy, gritty flair.

▪ University Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2625 Durant)&emdash;A fine museum with strong collections, challenging exhibits, good bookstore, outstanding café; Pacific Film Archive has outstanding archival film collections, first-rate film series, and a theater (2575 Bancroft).

▪ University Press Bookstore (2430 Bancroft)&emdash;Excellent specialty bookstore with a wide and exciting stock of those common and uncommon university press titles you crave.

Oakland

▪ The Peralta House and Historic Park (Coolidge Ave.)&emdash;The Peralta house and park, once the center of the Peralta family’s Mexican land grant that encompassed most of the contemporary cities of Oakland and Berkeley, have been designed as a space for local culture and history with substantial NEH, California Council for the Humanities, and Oakland city funding. Reflecting the rich history of the Fruitvale area of Oakland from precolonial times to the present, anyone interested in public history will find this site worth the visit.

▪ Yoshi’s (510 Embarcadero West) and Jack London Square&emdash;This world-class jazz club in the Jack London Square area is a local treasure, featuring superb live jazz in a smoke-free, friendly environment with a good Japanese Restaurant. Indeed the Jack London area is well worth a visit on its own for its interesting array of restaurants, clubs, galleries, and stores and its compelling history. For instance, the Potomac, FDR’s yacht restored to its vintage 1930s condition, is docked at the foot of Clay St., just a short distance from Yoshi’s, and is open for tours and even bay cruises. The exhibits include a lot of material on the Roosevelts and the New Deal.

▪  Grand Lake Theatre and Lake Shore Area&emdash;This grand movie house is a local favorite and a wonderful place to catch a movie; the general area is another consumer haven.

▪  Rockridge/College Avenue&emdash;Wonderful restaurants, like Oliveto, and a wide variety of cafes, stores, galleries, and specialty shops, easily accessible by BART.

All of the Following Are Easily Accessible from Oakland’s 12th or 19th Street
BART Stations

▪ The Pardee House&emdash;Takes up the block of 11th and Castro Streets in the Preservation Park district of downtown Oakland and is a short walk from the African American museum. It’s the former home of Dr. George Pardee, the mildly Progressive Oakland mayor and California governor who served at the very beginning of the twentieth century. The house and its extensive grounds are maintained as a museum dedicated both to the Pardee family and to the lifestyle of prominent Oaklanders at the turn of the century.

▪  African American Museum and Library (659 14th Street). A warm and well-run institution with a strong community presence; solid collections and exhibits.

▪  Chinatown&emdash;Vibrant and bracing community right in central downtown area; good restaurants and shopping.

▪  Lake Merritt&emdash;Picturesque; excellent for jogging and walking; accessible from downtown.

▪  Oakland Museum (1000 Oak)&emdash;Another underrated gem of a museum with outstanding regional and state collections; good bookstore.

▪  Paramount Theatre (2025 Broadway)&emdash;A tastefully restored Art Deco gem in the downtown area quite worthy of those weekend tours; very popular concert venue.

San José’s Entertainment Districts

Courtesy of the San José Convention and Visitors Bureau

Japantown

Japantown, one of the last remaining in the United States, dates back to the late 1800s when Japan-born bachelors migrated to Santa Clara Valley. Today, modern neighborhood streets, lined with cherry blossoms, share space with many architectural treasures and historic sites.

Willow Glen

Willow Glen’s roots can be traced back to the mid-1860s. Located less than ten minutes from downtown, this charming area is known for its eclectic collection of housing styles and variety of shops and restaurants.

SoFA (South First Area)

The SoFA (South of First Street) is regarded as downtown San José’s arts and entertainment district. It emerged as a club district in the late 1980s, and has coalesced into a full-fledged hot spot with landmark restaurants, nightclubs, theaters and art galleries lining the five-block area.

San Pedro Square

Downtown San José ’s oldest district, San Pedro Square , is enjoying a return to its glory days as an outdoor dining destination. Just a short walk from HP Pavilion at San José , San Pedro Square offers a mix of dining and nightlife options. San Pedro Square also serves up some great entertainment year-round with it the Downtown Farmers’ Market and performances at Theatre on San Pedro Square . San Pedro Square is also home to two of San José ’s most historic buildings&emdash;the Peralta Adobe (circa 1797) and the Fallon House (former Victorian home of one of San José ’s nineteenth century mayors). These properties give visitors insight into San José ’s rich and colorful past before it became the “Capital of Silicon Valley.”