I was here for the Annual Celebrity Sweat Flag Football Game featuring Dwight Howard's team vs…read more Quavo's team, which included athletes, entertainers, and influencers. The stadium is very clean, and the layout makes it easy to get around without feeling chaotic. Parking was smooth thanks to the nearby parking garage, which made arrival and departure stress free. The exterior of the stadium has a classic, almost Rome Coliseum-like vibe that gives it a grand, historic feel as you navigate around. Food wise, I decided to try the chicken tenders with a side of tater tots. The chicken tenders were decent, and the tater tots were too crunchy like it was overcooked. All in all, it's a nice stadium with good facilities, clean spaces, and a beautiful stadium exterior that stands out. It's worth a visit for games and special events, even if the concession food could use some improvement.

We attended a recent CAL game for the home opener and what a cool experience to also checkout the…read morenew Oski's Village x Football Fan Fest Zone essentially located right across the street from the Stadium on CAL's campus. Oski's Village is open three hours before kickoff for every home game. Our experience featured a chicken and waffle food truck, local brews from Almanac, an amazing live music performance (and conga line thru the crowd), an Oski appearance, fun kiddo/adult lawn games/entertainment, photo ops, and more festivities. It's been a minute since I've been to this Stadium, and I will say it's a beauty! I dig the local collabs with food and bev, awesome staff, and just nostalgic feels within the interior/exterior. And the marching band...the marching band! We def sat in the nosebleeds, but even the crowd is super cool and kiddo-friendly. There's just something about a hometown college team that you can't do anything but smile and root for..also, my college didn't have a football team so maybe that's a bias :)) All in all, Oski's Village made it quite the experience for everyone..appreciate game day inclusivity for young ones too! We took BART to/from the game, supporting East Bay transpo + athletics thru and thru. Highly recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time!

It's a great photo location during sunset…read more There is no parking unfortunately, so park on the side of the road with your emergency on. Be careful as cars are coming downhill and making a blind spot turn. Maintained extremely well and clean. Lots of history plaques here if you like to read. Can get very windy as it's on top of a hill.

This is a unique garden and information center, which provides information on fire and earthquake…read morehazards in the Bay Area. On the upper deck are information plaques that give a lot of helpful information. The lower portion consists of beautiful, rolling gardens. It appears that many of the plants are native California species. The lower portion has trails that you may used to stroll around the beautiful gardens. The entire facility appears to be professionally designed and well-maintained.. Probably won't be considered a five-star attraction, but it's worth a brief visit. This is a convenient way station for bikers going up the road. There's a drinking faucet right next to the road, making it super handy for the bikers. Free parking right next to the center.

This parade is the longest in the US at 3.3 miles with over 150 entries, 2,500 participants and…read moreannoying AF!!! Don't get me wrong I sometimes like a parade and hey, it's July 4th. You just need to plan accordingly. This parade has a little bit of everything for everybody from the Girl Scouts to car clubs to canoe clubs to horses and even our beloved mayor riding an electric bike. It's nice to see so many people walking in the parade for whatever group they identify with. Pro tip: Stay home or get out of town early or maybe the night before unless you want total frustration getting around. Unless you want to watch the parade which many do to the tune of 60,000 peoples. Because of a late night on the 3rd we weren't able to get supplies for the weekend (wink, wink). I started out driving and saw it was going to take about 25 minutes with all the detours and 13 by walking. Went home, parked car, grabbed backpack and hoofed it to TJ's.  Made it in 9.5 minutes even with waiting to cross the parade route and work my way through all the people jamming the sidewalk. This parade has been going on for years and years and years. This year, other than a TJ's run, it isn't impacting us much sitting on the deck watching butterflies and feeding peanuts to the critters. It's somewhat ironic that the country's longest Independence Day parade takes place in the Bay Area, which one could easily argue is somewhat opposed to many of the principles this holiday was founded on. Say whaaat!!!

A very long parade route, starts on Park Street and ends on Webster street…read more People get here really early to get their spots, seems like all of Alameda comes out for this. The Parade itself isn't big on big huge floats, feels more local than anything, their were a few flyovers from military helicopters, but other than that, nothing that stands out big time. Buts it's a great way to get the Holiday started, everybody comes out, and it does have the All America vibe. I always run their 5K race before the Parade, which is run on the Parade route. Fun times on the Island!!

It feels so important to have this museum, especially in Downtown Oakland. It is easily accessible…read moreby BART and free admission, though I recommend donating to help support. It is a small space but the exhibits are curated nicely. I went during the Happy Birthday Oscar exhibit and it was emotional but informative.

Easy to get to on the Bart transit system. You only walk…read moreabout a block from train station. Building is clearly labeled. Aliyah was welcoming when we walked in. We signed in using tablet. Aliyah explained the best place to start exhibit. There is comfortable se as ting to look at books and watch the video. Good information to add to what you may already know or not know. Great merchandise in store and online. Would definitely pop in again!

What can I say? It's…read morean honor and privilege to go inside the Giants' Clubhouse. When I got an invite to attend a very special and private tour of AT&T Park by people from the MLB during their playoff run in 2012, I jumped at the opportunity like a cop at Dunkin Donuts. I love the park and it's the best ballpark, IMHO. I've taken the regular tour before and have been to several FanFests so I've seen the visitors' clubhouse and other areas. I'm usually a reserved guy and have to stay professional in my line of work, but once we got inside the Giants' Clubhouse, I turned into a 10 year old kid again. Hey, I wasn't the only 40 something in our group that transformed magically just by stepping foot inside the Holy Grail of 24 Willie Mays Plaza. I couldn't contain my glee and started searching for Posey's, Lincecum's and Panda's locker. Yes, I probably took several dozens of photos inside the locker room and of course I had to post one on FB just to make them jealous. The clubhouse itself looks a lot bigger on TV, but it's glorious and beautiful nonetheless. It's classic yet modern and state-of-the-art at the same time. They have a vast array of amenities, services and equipments that a modern ballplayer needs. This is where the magic happens. This is where the players prepare for every game and where shenanigans occur courtesy of the Panda and Romo as we were told. This is where Barry Bonds had his massive reclining chair and where he and Jeff Kent probably duked it out on several occasions. I can still feel the presence of Barry Bonds in this locker room, and how could you not? This is where the celebration occurred after Matt Cain's Perfect Game. This is where the players celebrated all those playoff victories and where champagne showers never felt so good. This is where history is made. If you are lucky enough to get an invite, you would be a fool not to jump at the opportunity. I can cross another one on my bucket list.

If you ever get a chance to attend an event at AT&T Park that includes hanging in the Giants…read moreClubhouse.....GO! Its a gorgeous room with the dark wood and leather chairs. The decor of the room showcases the Giants through the years. There's even a tribute to Sue Burns. Yes, you can usually see the Clubhouse during FanFest but its roped off and they move you through like cattle then. On gameday there's no way security is even letting you anywhere near it. For the Holiday Heroes fundraiser tonight, we got to sit where a Giant hung his jerseys, put his cap on his shelf and stored his belongings. Plus we got to hang with the 2012 World Series Trophy! WooHoo!

This league is a great way to meet new (fun) people. Even if u haven't played kickball since middle…read moreschool, everyone is supportive & really just there to have a good time. All ages & abilities are welcome, & there's always McNally's after the games to socialize &/or brush up on your flip-cup skillz!

I don't do reviews often, but GSK has earned one. The league is a ton of fun and a great way to…read moremeet people. I've been playing for something like six to eight seasons now and have enjoyed every one of them. Some of my closest friends I met through kickball, and a lot of the others I've convinced to join and come much closer with because of it! The league does their best to keep the games fun and lighthearted while leaving enough room for those of us that enjoy the competition of team sports. The group of people running the league are fantastic - I've become very close to a few of them (partially through seeing them so often at the games and parties, partially through arguing some calls in close games!). If you're looking for a way to meet a fun group of people, enjoy a little friendly competition, or just want to run around and drink some beers on Thursday nights, I would highly recommend giving Golden State Kickball a shot.

Tours at the Cohen Bray House only occur one Sunday per month, but are well worth it for lovers of…read morelocal history, Victorian art, interiors and architecture. We bought our tickets on their website and the two hour tour we attended was led by a descendant of the family, who shared stories of an entrepreneurial family who came to California during the Gold Rush. It's rare to find an intact Victorian that allows a public tour. This one is in the Charles Eastlake stick style, with working sliding pocket doors with their original hardware, period fireplaces and mirrors, painted stained glass and period furniture from the original house. Let alone the vintage textiles, vintage photos and old clothing, and ephemera all intact. They are doing a slow recovery of the home given funding constraints, and are currently in need of a new foundation. It's rare to find a Victorian in the Bay Area with its original redwood carved doors, pillars and staircases not ruined with a thick coat of paint. The garden could use additional care, but that too requires funds. This family-run nonprofit allows limited public tours of this delicate, aging & formerly magnificent Victorian home and that is a treat. It's nice to visit to support this unique, aging architectural beauty.

I came here for a tour with my family. There were two other people on the tour with us and a tour…read moreguide who was a descendant of the family that originally owned the house. Nice little tour of the place with anecdotes included. Lots of history and artifacts present. Tours are booked by calling in advance. Occasionally they serve tea too. Haven't come here for that, although I do know they have a festive dinner coming up in December that will be like a historic reenactment of Christmas time there. I assume you have to call to reserve for that too. I would give yourself about an hour for the tour and any questions you might have. Parking is free along the street. The house is located in a residential neighborhood.

Yesterday I attended my first event at Studio Grand. Studio Grand is a culturally and community…read morefocused event space located a few doors down from the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland. My fiancé and I have walked by many times since we live in the area and we have seen lively events that seem to attract cool folks. Yesterday we finally stopped by when a friend of ours told us about a wedding vendor event that was scheduled that she was djing at. We got engaged in October and have attended a few super annoyingly cheesy wedding events. This one was exceptional in comparison and it was because it was curated with local Oakland and east bay based vendors and not big companies trying to sell us over priced crap. [Side note, anyone that has planned a wedding before knows that the mention of the word "wedding" will jack up a cost to at least 4x the listed value!] Back to the lovely event space, it was put on by An Affair to Remember and we loved it! The vendors were genuinely kind and helpful, not pushy at all, and offered great information and wedding resources. We met Vanessa, the director and business owner of Studio Grand, who is a down to earth person and dedicated to cultural and diverse event offerings. The space itself is cozy, it has large windows in front and hardwood floors. It felt very homey and community based. They host dance classes, film screenings, and a wide variety of other events. My fiancé and I enjoyed our time at #marrymeOakland, and I hope to come back one day soon and try out a dance class!

This place is empty. Nothing inside except a painter working. Nothing on yelp or in window to say…read moreif its still operating or not.