I heard rumblings about the Richmond Ferry but I didn't realize it was officially in service on…read moreweekends to the Ferry Building until recently. Roundtrip for two was under $20 and the ride was around 30 minutes or so. The staff were all incredibly helpful for our first ride to SF during an evening with a kiddo. They gave us a pamphlet that has weekday/weekend times for future rides, and I noticed they have a 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' program that leaves from Richmond to an upcoming Giant's Game & back. There's plenty of parking (non metered) and even a Rosie the Riveter National Historic Park to explore if arriving early to the area. There's also a Columbia outlet (you can get a complimentary pass) from visiting the Park for entry there too. Not sure if the pickle ball at the Craneway Pavilion is still in action, it wasn't during our recent trip..or the restaurant Assemble either. If anyone has updates on that, feel free to share with me too! All in all, such a convenient way to enjoy a SF happy hour and dinner, with beautiful views on the adventure there/back. Also, there's snacks on the ferry AND drinks like seltzers, beer, wine, and spirits for purchase. So if you're looking to have a cheers during sunset on the boat, you can do that too! There's several times for the weekend ferry, I would do a bit of research ahead of time. We didn't have clipper cards to add money onto, so we purchased our roundtrip tickets once we boarded onto the boat with the staff. You pay/they print your roundtrip ticket that you keep with you for the return boat back. What a way to travel! Until next time...

The Richmond Ferry is one of the hidden gem of Bay Area transport. In about a half hour, you can…read morecruise across the bay to the Ferry Building without the stress of fighting highway traffic and bay bridge congestion. There's plenty of free parking at the Richmond ferry terminal, and once you are aboard, you can relax, get coffee from the concession onboard, or pull out your laptop and use the free wifi. The views across the bay are gorgeous on a sunny day. You sail by Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alcatraz Island, with the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop. Best of all, for 2024, the Friday service is free from November 1st until year end! What a great way to play tourist for a day.

As a 9th grader, I always took BART to Berkeley for high school…read more I never felt unsafe as a kid, probably more to do with that whole "ignorance is bliss" thing people talk about. Fast forward to today, this is one of the two stops that I park at when I'm going to San Francisco via BART. If certain family members are going to San Francisco, then we park and take BART from El Cerrito Del Norte station to our destination. If certain other family members are going with us we park and take another station on the other side of the line. I wouldn't necessarily recommend using this station late at night if you are alone as it can be a little unsafe on certain random nights. During the day I would say this station is relatively safe or if you are with a group, I would say the station is pretty safe. As with many stations outside of San Francisco and Oakland, parking is plentiful at Del Norte. Though you do have to pay for parking during work hours. Overall I say this is a pretty decent BART station as long as you're careful and aware of your surroundings, you should be okay.

El Cerrito Del Norte will always remind me of my dear late friend Brenda; when she dropped me off…read moreat this station sometime in mid-2017, I believe it was the last time she drove me anywhere. I saw her dozens of times at work afterward, and I may have given her rides to her distantly parked car or wherever, but this was the final place far from work that we ever saw each other. I've been back here a couple of times since, and I cried both times while waiting on the platform. In public. And I did not care--at least the first time. It's A-OK as far as East Bay BART stations go. You'll recognize its familiar design, the feeble attempts to make it slightly unique, and its atrociously confusing name. Really, BART, one station is named El Cerrito Plaza, and another is named El Cerrito Del Norte? That's what you've got? Do you think BART riders get confused because Lake Merritt, Fruitvale, and Coliseum Stations don't have Oakland in their names? No? Then why did you insist on putting El Cerrito in both El Cerrito stations' names? People generally do well with landmarks, but mainly, they don't like being confused. Using the same words in the names of stations that are close to one another isn't being usefully specific; it's being needlessly confusing. Pick something and go with it. This station seems to have more pigeons than most, or more accurately, there's more pigeon guano on its platforms than seems necessary and/or healthful. Why do they like this particular station? Who knows? I was leaning two stars, but then I thought of Brenda telling me to be safe when she dropped me off, and how could I two-star a place that still reminds me all these years later of that blue-haired weirdo?

An excellent Traction Power Substation! When last inspected, all H-Breakers and DC Feeder Breakers…read morewere in "Tip Top Shape"! ‍‼⁉‍‍‍ ok ok ooo o

the new fare gates barely work. clipper tags often don't register. and when they do, one or both…read moregates often won't open. commuting is enough of a struggle without missing trains on account of constantly malfunctioning equipment

Bains Taxi: Fast, clean, professional service. Great value airport rides to South San Jose.read more

This is the best cab company in the area. Bajawa is always punctional and polite. I highly…read morerecommend Non Smoking Cab

My husband and I begin to "enjoy" our trips from SFO now ( for past 6 yrs plus)…read moresimply due to the first phase of the journey with this Limo Service. We include Limo service into our Total Trip Price, as part of the Vacation. Bajwa and his drivers are reliable 100%, excellent drivers. Clean and comfortable cars, punctual, and reasonable price. And so SAFE on the road, amidst crazy commute hours. I've never tuned into calling into random taxis. Thank goodness for Bajwa and drivers!

Convenient station if you're commuting through here. Very busy station during regular commute…read morehours, so it's a popular station. Mostly working professionals and visitors seem to be the crowd here during the heavy traffic hours. You can visit the shopping district that's downstairs, with lots of different things you can check out. Station is clean and there's also parking available for any direction you're traveling to or from. As this station is still part of the Oakland corridor, though a well-traveled location, would still recommend to stay aware of surroundings.

I live in Oakland and this Bart station is my go to versus others in the area. Great restaurants…read moreand stores to go to that are nearby as well as free parking here on Saturdays and Sundays which is always a plus in the Bay Area.

Tight on your money? Don't have a car? Need to get to the city fast and almost free?…read more Casual Carpool is your alternative to transportation to the city. You may wait awhile but if you have time or if you plan accordingly it is worth the wait. I avoid jumping in sketchy old cars, vans with only 2 seats, or those vehicles that remind me of those horror movies where they get kidnapped. But if you put all your paranoia aside, and willing to take a chance its a good ride to sf. As for the drivers you never know what you are getting. They could be quiet drivers, aggressive, talkative, slow, .... but just enjoy the ride. I avoid going in cars that smell like the san francisco air ... u know .... that hotbox smell... TIps: *Bring a pair of headphones if u want to avoid being talked to *Have $1.50 ready for morning commutes (its almost expected from every driver *Don't talk on your phone *Don't get caught snoring and drooling in the backseat

At first I was pretty skeptical about jumping into some random person's car not knowing how they…read moredrive or how they are as a person. But what the hell free ride to San Francisco from way out in the Herc is worth a try. It isn't available on Weekends because the carpool lane isn't open. Carpool hours are Monday through Friday 5am-10am and 3pm-7pm. What's better then waiting thirty minutes for the toll booth to pay four dollars? FASTRAK! What's better then paying four dollars for FASTRAK or WestCAT Lynx bus fare? Casual Carpool! Zip through the sea traffic and make to the city from Hercules in a mere 25 minutes, just enough time to listen to some of the fav tracks from Crown City.

The Hotel Mac (built in 1911) is a historic hotel and restaurant located in Point Richmond. The…read moremain hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The hotel originally closed due to a fire in 1971, but it reopened in 1978. The hotel came under new ownership in 2013 and had a brief shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant space was leased out in 2023 and reopened as Biancoverde at Hotel Mac. [Check in]: Our party had one of the most interesting hotel check-in experiences. I originally booked through the Capital One Travel portal. Unlike other standard hotels, this hotel has no front desk. Guests planning to arrive outside of normal check-in hours are supposed to receive an email within 24 hours before arrival with check-in instructions and an access code. The hotel does not allow check-in after 12 AM and the room is ready at 3 PM. Our party arrived at the Hotel Mac at 8:45 PM only to realize that the front entrance (Washington Ave) is for the restaurant (Biancoverde) while the side entrance (Cottage Ave) is for hotel lodging. I pushed the "Ring for Manager" button but received no immediate response. After waiting for two minutes, a lady got out of her parked car on the street and said that she had been out and heard the doorbell ring. [Issues with check in]: Apparently the manager said she was unable to send me instructions by phone or email because I booked through Capital One Travel and the platform didn't show my actual email and phone number. Once I gave the manager my phone number, I received the full instructions. It was not until this moment that I realized our party was going to stay in the Hotel Mac Annex rather than the actual Hotel Mac. Our party had no trouble getting into the Hotel Mac Annex as the entire check-in process was contactless. The building's front door code, room code, location of the annex, location and entry codes for the designated parking lot, and Wi-Fi password were provided by text. [Parking]: The parking lot right next to the Hotel Mac restaurant is for restaurant customers only. The actual hotel parking lot is a gated lot just steps away (21 Washington Ave) with a gate entry code and a separate pedestrian gate code. [Price]: Approximately $185 per night for a queen bed at the Hotel Mac Annex (36 Railroad Ave). [Experience]: I was able to hear railroad sounds, so I recommend not leaving the window open. Our party could not hear much outside noise once the windows were closed and the hotel also provided disposable earplugs next to the bed. The old-school central AC controls was functional and the room was nice & cool at 70°F. The shower water pressure was good and the water was hot. It would have been nice if one of the bottles had been labeled as body wash or conditioner. Hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door to skip housekeeping service. The text message included a number to text for any issues. No microwave, but there was a K-Cup machine. The hair dryer and mini-fridge were in the drawers and the room also had a small TV. The text message also included a website about what to do while visiting Point Richmond ( https://www.pointrichmond.com/ ) and Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park was at the top of the list of recommended places to visit. [Check-out]: Check-out is at 11 AM. I went back to the Hotel Mac and pushed the "Ring for Manager" button for check-out. The manager popped her head out of a window above and said that I did not have to do anything for check-out and can just simply leave. [Conclusion]: The one word to describe this hotel is charming. This hotel pays attention to small details from the towels, toilet paper (yes you heard that correctly), mirrors, vase, bookshelf, bathrobes, etc. There was a slight noise issue from the railroad, but once the window was closed it became a non-issue. The room was a bit small, but it had all the essential items. Overall, it was a pleasantly positive and memorable stay.

A nice cozy historical spot to meetup with friends for dinner and drinks, or a romantic night out…read more I enjoy coming to this side of Pt. Richmond, so rich in history. You're almost transported to an old spot in Virginia City, but it's in the Bay Area. The entrees are savory, the drinks are strong, and staff are attentive. Very welcoming restaurant, except when it's super quiet right after the holidays, live music may not happen. One day, I want to stay here and have breakfast in bed or simply walk downstairs. It's adorable, glad the new owners re-opened after Covid, be a waste not to. 'Til next time ~ cheers and see you on Yelp (SYOY)!