Situated on the mainland side of San Francisco Bay, Oakland is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the U.S. (more than 80 languages and dialects are spoken there). Several of its attractions are related to author Jack London, who spent much time in the city. Jack London Square is a colorful waterfront area that has been refurbished with shops, restaurants and bars, including Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, once the favorite haunt of the author. London's sod-roof cabin is also in the area. Jack London Village is a turn-of-the-20th-century shopping center one block south.
Preservation Park is one of the state's most attractive commercial centers. Located in downtown Oakland, the district contains dozens of restored Victorian homes that now house businesses and nonprofit organizations. The Paramount Theatre is a lovingly restored art-deco theater, now home to the Oakland Symphony Orchestra—see whatever's playing, if only for the experience of sitting in the theater.
The Oakland Museum of California is a large and diverse museum with exhibits on the environment, history and art of the Golden State. It displays both a permanent collection and limited-run exhibits. Visitors interested in African-American culture will want to visit the Ebony Museum of Art. Housed in a restored Victorian building, the museum features works and memorabilia of black artists.
Lake Merritt is a picturesque lake that's a good place to rent a boat and go sailing. At night, the lake is transformed into a giant reflecting pool by the 3-mi/5-km necklace of lights that circles the water. On the north shore of the lake is Lakeside Park, one of the prettiest urban parks in the U.S. Lakeside's reasonably priced Children's Fairyland offers child-size depictions of fairy tales along with puppet shows, animals to feed and carnival rides. Fairyland's Play Island gives kids a chance to dig for buried treasure and have fun in a treehouse. (We really like the simplicity of the Fairyland: It's the antithesis of the giant theme parks.) You can also visit the presidential yacht Potomac, which served as former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's floating White House. (The yacht was later owned by Elvis Presley, but the current interior decorations reflect the president's spartan tastes rather than the King's more lavish style.)
Knowland Park is the home of the Oakland Zoo, which is home to 300 exotic animals and includes an African Savanna habitat. At the Oakland International Airport is the Western Aerospace Museum, a full-scale aviation-history museum. Exhibits cover early aviation, women in aviation plus more—all illustrated with vintage aircraft.
Oakland is known for its jazz and blues clubs. If you have a free evening, try Yoshi's (jazz served with a side of sushi at Jack London Square) or Eli's (known as the home of the West Coast blues).
About a half-hour east of Oakland is the small town of Danville, home to two oft-overlooked but worthwhile museums. The Behring Museum, devoted to vintage automobiles, contains a collection of splendid one-of-a-kind luxury cars that includes Rudolph Valentino's Isotta-Fraschini, a maharajah's Daimler, Clark Gable's Deusenberg and FDR's Packard. At the eclectic Blackhawk Museum, which partners with the Smithsonian Institution, are rotating exhibits on natural history, pop culture and other wide-ranging subjects. Oakland is 5 mi/8 km east of San Francisco.
