Alameda - Wikitravel (2024)

Alameda is an island in the East Bay of the Bay Area, California. It is right across from Oakland. One can get there from Oakland via the bridges or the tunnel.

Get in[edit]

By car[edit]

The city is next to 880. It is very accessible from the 29th street exit off of 880, as well as the Webster/Posey Tube if you are arriving via downtown Oakland or from the north.

By ferry[edit]

The ferry [2] provides service from the San Francisco Ferry Building to Alameda. The ferry can be an enjoyable way to travel, given good weather. Service is provided to the north side of the island all day weekday and weekend. Commute and reverse commute service is provided to Bay Farm Island.

By air[edit]

Alameda is very close to Oakland International Airport. Car rentals and taxis are available there. For the bus, take route 21. From SFO, take BART to 12th Street or Fruitvale, then a bus to Alameda.

By train[edit]

Amtrak serves Oakland with their Jack-London Square station.

Public transportation[edit]

Alameda is served by regular AC Transit [3] routes 20, 21, 31, 51A, and O. O is the all-day transbay route from San Francisco. Supplementary routes 631 and 663 also serve Alameda, as well as special route 314. There are shuttles that connect western Alameda around Target to Oakland BART during commute hours

Get around[edit]

By car[edit]

Alameda is an island, and as such it is difficult to get truly lost if you have your basic bearings. The island is bordered on the north by the Oakland estuary and to the south by the San Francisco bay. The west end of the island is taken up by the now closed Alameda Naval Air Station. At the south end, you'll find a bridge to Bay Farm Island.

By bus[edit]

AC Transit is an option to get from one end of the island to the other.

By bike[edit]

A good way to get around with many bike lanes and bike paths.

By foot[edit]

Walking is a good way to get around this safe, tree-lined city.

See[edit]

• USS Hornet (CV-12), Pier 3, Alameda Point, ☎ +1 510 521-8448, [x]. The USS Hornet is a retired World War II aircraft carrier that fought numerous battles in the Pacific and also retrieved the astronauts of Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 after splashdown. The ship is currently run as a museum, with the hangar deck, flight deck, and some other areas open to wander around in, and tours offering the chance to see control rooms, engineering facilities, and other areas of this retired warship.Allow a minimum of three hours; ideally five or more. Admission is $14 for adults, $12 for students.
• Pacific Pinball Museum, 1510 Webster St, ☎ +1 510 769-1349, [x]. The Pacific Pinball Museum showcases the "science, art, and history" of pinball. With admission, play is free on all but the oldest three of their 90 pinball machines, so allow several hours to explore the many variations there. Admission is $15 for adults, $7.50 for kids under 12.
• Alameda Museum, 2324 Alameda Ave.. This museum showcases the history of the city.

Do[edit]

• Crown Beach, (Eighth Street and Otis Drive), [x]. A good beach on the bay. Very popular with kiteboarders.
• Pacific Pinball Museum, 1510 Webster St (Santa Clara and Webster), ☎ 510-769-1349, [x]. Tu-Th 2p-9p, Fr 2p-midnight, Sa 11a-midnight, Su 11a-9p. A 'museum' of over 100 classic pinball games, arranged approximately chronologically. The games are set on free play, so you can play as long as you like with the cost of admission. $15.

• Alameda Skatepark, located on the closed Alameda Naval Air Base; great spot to ride skateboards and skates and great views of the bay. Take the #63 bus to get there.

• Color Me Mine of Alameda, 2205 South Shore Center (Between Trader Joe's and Applebee's), ☎ 510.521.8893, [x]. Open Daily. World famous paint-your-own-pottery studio located at Alameda South Shore Centre by the beach. Hundreds of preformed ceramics to paint as you wish. No experience necessary. Kids and adults. No reservations needed on most days.
• Downtown Alameda, Park Street, [x]. The cultural center of Alameda is worth the trip for its wonderful variety of local businesses. There's nearly 100 food and drink places to choose from and entertainment includes the Alameda Theatre & Cineplex and High Scores Arcade.

Buy[edit]

• Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire (Flea Market), ☎ +1 510 522-7500, [x]. Monthly extravaganza of antiques and vintage items. Hundreds of vendors.
• Farmstead Cheeses and Wines, 1650 Park Street, ☎ +1 510 864-9463, [x]. Great staff, great cheese, and great wine. Located in the Alameda Marketplace [1].
• St. George Spirits, 2601 Monarch Street, ☎ +1 800 782 8145, [x]. Distillery where you can buy spendy but excellent spirits (plain and flavored vodkas, Scotch, eaux de vie, etc.) and/or enjoy a $10 tasting menu.
• South Shore Center, ☎ +1 510 521-8100, [x]. South Shore is an outdoor shopping center featuring Trader Joes, See's Candies, Bed Bath & Beyond & Old Navy. It has Pearl's Burgers, Sushi House, Panera Bread, Chipotle & Applebee's to eat. There are also plenty of local businesses.

Eat[edit]

• Calafia Taqueria, 1445 Webster St., ☎ +1 510 522-2996. Good burritos, surprisingly uncrowded.
• India Palace, 737 Buena Vista, ☎ +1 510 814-8778. India Palace has an excellent (if small) buffet of Northern Indian dishes every lunch, and an equally good set of dishes every dinner.
• Speisekammer, 2424 Lincoln Ave., ☎ +1 510 522-1300, [x]. A traditional German restaurant. Great food, great beer.
• Sushi House, 2375 Shoreline Drive, ☎ +1 510 865-0999, [x]. Very good sushi hidden in a mall. Often crowded at dinner.
• Ole's Waffle Shop, 1507 Park St., ☎ +1 510 522-8108. Old school retro diner. Been around since the '30's--and stayed the same since, good variety of greasy spoon food. Lines for tables are out the door every morning for the waffles and the pancakes. Somewhat similar to Jim's Diner which is right nearby.
• Julie's Coffee and Tea Garden, 1223 Park St., ☎ +1 510 865-2385, [x]. Friendly coffee and tea shop with huge loose tea selection and excellent vegan baked goods. Free wifi and a beautiful backyard garden with abundant seating.

Drink[edit]

• Alameda Island Brewing Company, 1716 Park St., ☎ +1 510 217-8885. Numerous craft beers on tap, pints and flights, large tasting room, bring your own food

• Fireside Lounge, 1453 Webster St., ☎ +1 510 522-7400. There is a beautiful bar, nice lounge feel and pool table.

• Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge, 1304 Lincoln Ave., ☎ +1 510 749-0332. One of the owners is a former bartender of the venerable Trader Vic's so it's not surprising he and his cohorts have opened a bar that comes with all the 1960s-esque island interior fixings--waterfalls and bamboo trimmings.

• Lucky 13, 1301 Park St., ☎ +1 510 523-2118. Great beers on tap, motorcycle friendly, a jukebox that pumps out good music, and they have a bbq in the back if you want to grill something up.

• Lost Weekend Lounge, 2320 Santa Clara Ave., ☎ +1 510 523-4700. This is a great neighborhood bar with a solid selection of beer, friendly, zero-attitude bartenders and a good jukebox. Check out their collection of lava lamps above the bar.

Read[edit]

• Alameda Sun, 3215J Encinal Ave., ☎ +1 510 263-1470 (fax: +1 510 263-1473), [x]. Alameda's only locally owned and operated newspaper.

Sleep[edit]

• Days Inn San Francisco/Alameda/Oakland, 1925 Webster Street, ☎ +1 510 521-8400, [x].
• Hampton Inn and Suites Oakland Airport - Alameda, 1700 Harbor Bay Parkway, ☎ 510-521-4500, [x]. Near Oakland International Airport just few miles distance from San Francisco and closest to MacAfee Coliseum.

• Hawthorn Suites Oakland/Alameda, 1628 Webster St., Alameda, CA 94501, ☎ +1 510 522-1000 (fax: +1 510 522-1011), [x]. checkin: 3:00PM; checkout: 12:00PM.

Get out[edit]

• San Leandro is across the bay by using California State Route 61, there are plenty of shorelines and beaches here, as well as malls, hotels and worldwide industries (including Otis Spunkmeyer's and Ghirardelli's worldwide headquarters)
• Take the ferry to San Francisco.
• Oakland has cleaned up its city recently and makes a good place to visit during the day.

wts:Category:AlamedaWikiPedia:Alameda, California

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!