Hello everyone:
I actually found this e-mail I sent to an entering first year coming from Miami who wanted to know what there was to do around the East Bay. So I thought to share this with you all. Some of the links may not be working (I didnt check them all).
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Your registration fees pay for an annual bus pass with the AC transit (
http://www.actransit.org/) so it will be free for you to take the bus to school. Driving (especially if you are going to be taking the highway or freeway) and parking is a separate deal which costs a lot more money. =) I drive to school from my apartment at El Cerrito which I don't mind. It takes me about 20 minutes to get into school (probably 5 minutes to get to the University Ave exit and then the other 15 minutes driving to the campus which is pretty far from the exit on the 80). I like living away from campus because it allows me to get away and not always be around that area.
I'm probably not the best person to ask about recommendations for places to visit since I'm pretty much a stranger to the East Bay myself. I was born and raised in San Francisco but I never really came to the East Bay when I was growing up. When you begin school, the student government actually gives out to the freshmen an orientation booklet that lists local restaurant, theaters, attractions, pubs, etc. I still have mine somewhere, but it would take me forever to type out for you. =)
In Oakland, there is Jack London Square which has upscale shopping and restaurants. I do enjoy Yoshi's (
http://www.yoshis.com/), which is a Japanese restaurant and Jazz Bar as well. You can buy tickets for the show on their website or just show up at there box office. You don't have to eat dinner there to enjoy the show, but if you do, your waitress will hold a seat for you so you can eat your dinner at leisure (it's open seating).
For good sushi, I would recommend Sushi House (
http://www.e-sushihouse.com/) in Alameda which a lot of optos go to.
There is also Lake Merritt in Oakland which is quite beautiful. A walk around the lake takes about 30 minutes, and there is a Rotary Nature Center. If you are interested in rowing, there is a crew club that you can inquire about (
http://www.rowlakemerritt.org/).
There is also Chinatown in Oakland which I think is cleaner than the SF Chinatown. =) There is an abundance of cheap eats around that area and a nice culture introduction.
Coming closer to Berkeley, we have Bay Street in Emeryville (
http://www.baystreetemeryville.com/). It's basically an outdoor shopping mall with a little bit more high-end stores (Coach, Banana Republic, Pottery Barn, etc.). They also have a nice AMC theater there. The restaurants they have are typical chain places - Pasta Pomodoro, California Pizza Kitchen, Fuddruckers, Zao Noodle Cafe, Askew Grill, Rubio's Baja Grill, and a P.F. Chang's opening up. I probably have been to all of them before. =) I'm not sure if you had Pasta Pomodoro before because it's mainly a West Coast place but I think they serve pretty good pasta for a chain restaurant. CPK is not bad, and the pizzas are really inventive. Zao is overpriced for noodles. =) Askew Grill is good! I usually go there with my sister or with friends and just get a skewer with a side of potatoes and a nice fruit drink (they make their own fruit blends). Rubio's is fine if you never had it before (really good fish tacos), and P.F. Chang is just Asian fusion food which I find is OK.
Near the bay of Emeryville, we have Chevy's. The one thing they have is a gorgeous view of the Bay. They are located at 1890 Powell Street; Emeryville, CA 94608. (510) 653-8210
There is also Hong Kong East Ocean Restaurant at 3199 Powell St.; Emeryville, CA 94608. (510) 655-3388. They serve OK dim sum but the view is worth the cost of going there. You need to get there early for dim sum because there are no reservations for small parties, and all the seats next to the windows are taken up first.
Not too far from Ocean Restaurant, we have Trader Vic's (
http://www.tradervics.com/rest-emeryville.html). Their restaurant is like a Tiki hut and has a "Polynesian" feel to it. Its a pretty high-end place but I had a great time there with a friend (not too pretentious).
All those places in Emeryville are near the shore so you can walk or bike around.
To fully enjoy Berkeley, you need to come and just visit it yourself. There are so many places to see and eat that it's going to be impossible for me to type out for you. There are free campus tours given each day (
http://www.berkeley.edu/visitors/free_tours.html). Telegraph Avenue is also a place you need to walk around to appreciate. Don't go walking there when it gets dark though! I do recommend walking around in the mornings or afternoons when there are a lot of students and tourists around. I'm sure you are smart enough to avoid certain people and to avoid People's Park around there. If you are coming to Berkeley, go visit Cafe Stratta which is at the corner of Bancroft and College. It is a wonderful cafe next to the Bancroft Hotel and one of the closest cafes to the optometry building. So you'll become very familiar with it.
North Berkeley is a lot different from South/West Berkeley. Mainly professionals and families live in the area. There is a wonderful grocery store called Andronico's (
http://www.andronicos.com/) at Shattuck and Cedar St. Their deli is really good, and they are right across the street from Elephant Pharmacy (
http://www.elephantpharmacy.com/) which is cool to visit. Right across the street is Barney's (
http://www.barneysrestaurant.com/) which has gourmet burgers. And a few stores away is the EXCELLENT Cheeseboard Pizza (
http://cheeseboardcollective.coop/). The pizzas are made fresh each day they are open and usually sell out before they close. Across the street from Cheeseboard is the FAMOUS Chez Panisse (
http://www.chezpanisse.com/). Extremely expensive but one of the best meals I've ever had in my life. The cafe (located upstairs) is less expensive and less formal but still serves wonderful food. Cesar (
http://www.barcesar.com/) is located next door to Chez Panisse and is a great tapas bar. There is always a lively group of people but no reservations are taken. Getting a table (or even getting a seat at the bar) on a Friday night required myself and a friend to wait almost 1.5 hours. I should also mention that Gregoire (
http://www.gregoirerestaurant.com/gregoire/home.html) is right across the street from Elephant Pharmacy. The BEST (and most expensive) take-out food there is.
There is also Fourth Street in Berkeley (
http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/eastbay/neighborhoods/fourth.shtml) which is another outdoor "mall." The difference is that they have smaller shops and more unique boutiques. Plenty of restaurants there but I should mention Spenger's (
www.spengers.com/). A huge restaurant with a good selection of seafood. My friends and I went to their happy hour (
http://www.msmg.com/main.cfm?action=location&element=sample&type=happyhour&locID=49) which is pretty good there also. Don't go there expecting to meet anyone though, most people there are families. The best deal during happy hour is their $1.95 cheeseburger and fries. Very good!
There is also a great breakfast place on 4th Street called Bettes Diner. The wait can be up to an hour (no reservations), so I would recommend just putting your name on the list, and then go next door to their café which has great sandwiches and pastries and really good hot chocolate.
I'm getting a bit tired so I'm going to try to wrap this up.. hahaha. =)
Okay, in Albany, there is Solano Avenue which has great shops and coffeehouses as well. Rivoli Restaurant (
http://www.rivolirestaurant.com/) is located there and is one of my personal favorites. If you can't make reservations, they have a small bar and a few tables in the front that has open seating. Go for the HOT FUDGE SUNDAE .. the BEST! The portabella mushroom fritters are to die for also! There is also Gilman Grill on Gilman and 4th Street (may actually be considered in Berkeley) which is a great breakfast place.
Ok, El Cerrito/Richmond, there is the 99 Ranch Market complex (3288 Pierce St, Richmond, CA 94804). Basically an Asian grocery store inside a complex that has a lot of Asian restaurants. Really good Vietnamese, Thai, and shanghaineses restaurants in there.
A few blocks away is the El Cerrito Plaza (
http://www.elcerritoplaza.com/) which has Barnes & Noble, Trader Joe's, Macaroni Grill, Pasta Pomodoro, Albertson's, etc. They have a Farmer's Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays. The one on Tuesday is fairly small, so I would recommend coming on a Saturday.
Ok, I know there are a few thousands places I'm missing but I hope I give you some idea of what's around the area.
If you can tell me your favorite cuisine, maybe I can help you out some more with the local restaurants of if you want to travel into San Francisco.
One more thing I can recommend is the 511.org website that has a pretty good taketransit planner (
http://transit.511.org/tripplanner/index.asp). You can put in the address from where you are leaving and where you are going and they will calculate how far away it is, the fare you need to take, the route (either BART, BUS, etc.).
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