Oakland is known for its environmental sociability and history of political background and activism. Being the 45th most popular city in the United States with a population of 43, 02,500. If you like sunny cities, Oakland should be on your priorities list, spreading sunshine over 200 days in a year. Undoubtedly, the cost of living in Oakland is comparatively expensive, then other cities of the United States, this city will bring the best out of you and your family. People living in Oakland will never run out of the bundle of excitement and adventure throughout the year.
While everyone leaves their hearts in San Francisco, entrepreneurs, foodies, artists call Oakland their home. Oakland is situated on the other side of the Bay area having the best restaurants and acts as a treat to food lovers, being a cultural city it has many things to offer that only locals know about. The city offers some of the best food to its visitors. Do you have spare time from the day-to-day activities, or in the evenings? Or planning a relocation to Oakland then visit Oakland local movers, visit the Oakland hidden gems listed below.
Hidden Gems in Oakland
● The Hidden Lake
Do you know that Oakland is the only city that has a natural saltwater lake? Lake Merritt is the lake and a big attraction of Oakland. However, if you’re wondering that this is the only water body in the city then it’s not. Do you want a quiet place where you can sit and take a deep breath, go and visit the reflecting lake on top of the kaiser Centre’s parking structure? The environment will help you find yourself, and serenity in a busy City.
● Fentons Creamery
Do you love ice creams? Do you know Oakland is known for its delicious ice creams, well, if you’re not a local you might be missing creamy delicious ice creams that awaits your arrival to this beautiful city? Fentons creamery offers a plethora of options to choose from, not only does it provide ice cream, it does have many secret options that will be a treat to all the foodies out there.
● Ba Le Sandwich shop
With the most peculiar of appearances, the sandwich shop is surely an unmissable spot in Oakland. The shop is owned by a Vietnamese and serves the best “bang me” i.e bread. Other than being famous for its bread the shop also serves the best meatball and fried egg sandwich, lemongrass spa, and grilled chicken sandwich along with the steaming bowls of pho. The shop has the facility of sitting in the shop and eating but if you are running short on time, it is not a matter to worry because the shop also offers to-go boxes that can be taken in the cold case.
● The Crucible
If you have an interest in art, then you should visit The Cubicle in Oakland which has an edgy art scene for its viewers. This is a huge space of around 56000 square feet that has studios inside it where the artist and professionals practice their craft and also take classes for aspiring students. The place also has an amazing facility of free guiding tools that help the visitor in getting an inside look at the kinetic art, blacksmithing, industrial art that is created by local artists and the fire performance is that goes on inside the place. This place is surely a sight to behold for art lovers.
● Hidden Staircases
Want to enjoy sightseeing along with the hint of workout? The hidden staircase is more or less like a two in one place that includes a little workout along with regular sightseeing. Run up and down on one of the Oakland historical hidden staircases and you are done with your workout for a day. This place was historically made to provide pedestrians with shortcut ways down to streetcar stations and these staircases are present in many neighborhoods in Oakland. Merriewood Steps on Thornhill are the city’s longest-connected secret staircase with more than 630 steps.
● Port View Park
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park was one of the city’s best secret keepers, until 2011. a concert was held by Mumford and Sons over there once and since then the public park has become a much-crowded venue. Port Vue Park is also known as “The Park at the end of the World” and has amazing water views and extremely quiet surroundings. This small Park also has its small history museum along with the part that moves out to the outer limits of the city and it is located at the end of 7th Street.
● Nido
Nido is a farm-to-table Mexican restaurant situated in an industrial neighborhood and is something much more than your normal taqueria. Nido serves a variety of a special dish which, by the natives is called the “slightly off the beaten path of Mexican food”. This includes a lot of specialties is like Kale salad with a cojita dressing, Ahi tuna tostadas, and eggplant enfrijoladas. Chef Jose Ramos specializes in creating unique and new classic dishes using a lot of products like seasonal ingredients, humanely raised meat, and family recipes giving them district California touches. He once worked at San Francisco’s Nopalito when it opened.
● Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve
Shibli Volcanic Regional Preserve is one of the best places for hikers and nature enthusiasts in Oakland that offers an amazing combination of outdoor recreation along with the hint of beautiful scenery. This place has a Round Top that is formed from the remnants volcano that happened almost 10 million years ago and hence, has become one of the most notable features of the place. This place in Oakland also has two hidden labyrinths that are made from rock formations and are built right into the park’s quarry pits. If you follow the signs of the “quarry pits”, you can find the smaller heart-shaped labyrinth, which is a sight to behold.
We hope this article makes your trip to Oakland a lot more interesting and saves a lot of time that goes into looking for the best spots in the city.
