Page 19 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

THE NEW EASTERN SPAN of the San
Francisco Bay Bridge appears to merge with
the old span, with the Port of Oakland in the
background, left; Pismo Beach bluffs, San
Luis Obispo County, below; oak wine barrels
at a San Luis Obispo County winery, bottom.
OAKLAND: There’s a “There” There
Few California cities are as surprising as
Oakland. Long in the shadow of glamorous
San Francisco, the East Bay city of 390,000
has a mix of vibrancy, energy and diversity
all its own. Jack London Square is a hive of
restaurants, shops and bay ferries and
home to premier jazz club and Japanese
restaurant Yoshi’s. Right nearby, Ninth
Street’s lovingly renovated Victorian build-
ings are destinations for food,
independent retailers and vintage archi-
tecture. City center’s Lake Merritt offers
boating, waterside walking and jogging
and a fast-growing cluster of cafés, bars
and shops, plus the engaging Oakland
Museum of California and gloriously old-
school Grand Lake Theatre movie palace.
For nightlife, head to the Uptown district’s
colony of restaurants and bars, the gor-
geously restored 1928 Middle Eastern
fantasia the Fox Theatre and 1932 Art Deco
Paramount Theatre, which book headline
performers. Still-more great cuisine can be
found in foodie favorite Rockridge at
accomplished eateries such as Wood
Tavern, and in the Rockridge Market Hall.
SAN LUIS OBISPO:
Mission, Vineyards & the Outdoors
Nestled between the Pacific Ocean 11 miles
to the west and the San Lucia Mountains just
to the east, this central-coast city of 45,000
is located midway between San Francisco
and Los Angeles. Easily accessible by train
on Amtrak or via U.S. Highway 101 and
famously scenic California Route 1, the his-
toric core of the city clusters around the 1759
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. This is
the place to find restaurants, cafés and
shops. Music and theater productions are
mounted on the campus of California Poly-
technic Institute (“Cal Poly’’). Outdoorsy
visitors and locals hike and bike the Nine
Sisters hills. The marine-minded head to the
sometimes-chilly, foggy coast with their
wetsuits for surfing, kayaking and wind-
surfing. South of the city is prime territory
for winery touring and tasting: the expan-
sive Edna Valley wine-producing region.
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