I inquired about membership through email with a Keith. Sent information and a $100 check. a…read morerequirement. A medical situation changed my life. Requested a cancellation and return of $100.00. No return, call anything.

As a former employee who dedicated over ten years to Orinda Country Club, I feel it's important to…read moreshare my experience. During my pregnancy, I was asked by HR to work through what should have been my maternity leave. When I contracted COVID while pregnant, I received no support or consideration. After returning, I struggled to find any balance -- largely because there was still no support in place. Instead of being valued, I was repeatedly used as a talking point by the GM in board meetings, often humiliated and misrepresented. It became clear that ego, not leadership, was driving decisions. It was a painful and disappointing experience -- one no expecting mother should ever have to go through. I'm sharing this to warn others to be cautious before committing themselves to this workplace.

As a long-standing member of Oakwood, I am continually drawn back by the exceptional dance…read moreinstructors who enrich our community. Among them, Carah Hering stands out as my all-time favorite fitness instructor. She imparts her expertise in Line Dancing, ZUMBA, Aqua-ZUMBA, and Cardio Dance, fostering a sense of community that transcends the club. Carah helps coordinate dance parties and trips throughout the year, she also encourages the celebration of birthdays and other life milestones in a unique and memorable manner. These events provide an unparalleled opportunity for camaraderie and shared experiences. Recently, I underwent hip replacement surgery, and Carah's classes served as my greatest motivation to heal and resume dancing with my Oakwood Dance Sisters. If you are passionate about dance or eager to explore this art form, I wholeheartedly recommend all the dance classes offered at the Oakwood Athletic Club.

It's an amazing athlete club! The club has a dry sauna, steam sauna, many classes, and a super…read morestaff.

Hidden gem in the east bay! Definitely worth checking out if you're already at the Tilden steam…read moretrain. Sunday afternoon train ride with the kids is so much fun. The volunteers are very knowledgeable too and a pleasure talk about trains. Will be back thanks!

We had an amazing time! Tickets were $3 per person for the bigger train and it was scenic,…read morebeautiful and fun! The small train is free. Volunteers also operate the smaller train which is donation based so be sure to donate and thank them! There were lots of different props around the area and it was super nice viewing the props and exploring the backlands of Berkeley! The line moves fast too and the park is very cute otherwise. Afterward, it's about a 10-15minute drive back to Berkeley's campus so it's pretty close by to lots of other attractions! Definitely check it out if you're in the area! Bring your kiddos too!

Been going here as a guest from numerous friends when I grew up in the round house at 6956 Charing…read moreCross Road on the border of Oakland and Berkeley Ca Hills EVEN THOUGH MY HOME WAS DESTROYED IN THE 91 FIRE THERE ARE MORE GOOD MEMORIES THAN BAD! To trick or treating at Reggie Jackson's house to winning the Walkathon at Kaiser Elementary school down the road the place is filled with wonderful memories for me! As far as the club goes it is everything, they say it is and more from the spectacular views the people are nice, and the place is clean! So fun swimming there in the summer and working out and playing the single tabletop video game, they had in the 80's first it was space Invaders than later Galaga SO ALL IN ALL THE PLACE IS VERY NOSTALGIC TO ME AN ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY

We had our wedding and reception here and it was perfect! We got married outside, had drinks on…read morethe patio and then a small seated dinnen inside. Beautiful view made for some great pictures! I would highly reccomend this location to anyone looking for an intimate venue for a wedding!

"Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble."…read more I had the good fortune of seeing "Macbeth" recently, on a warm summer evening. The theater is just a short (and beautiful!) walk up the hill, but they have a free shuttle if you prefer to ride. The resident dramaturge, Philippa Kelly, gives a scholarly lecture before the show. She set the historical context for the play. I appreciated getting the background on Macbeth, and especially the purpose of the 3 witches. The amphitheater is a comfortable venue, and suits either the comedies or the tragedies. (I have seen both here.) For Macbeth, the stage had clear partitions, behind which the characters (and the witches) could traverse. This was also a handy place for the witches to toss "blood" in several scenes. I sort of knew it was coming, but the red gore still had a big impact on me. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Macbeth. The actors had clearly studied hard, and the play was professionally executed. I was especially impressed with Lady Macbeth, played by Liz Sklar. Of course, she has a meaty role, sleepwalking in one scene, and trying to get the blood off her hands in another. For cold nights, the staff has blankets for a nominal charge. I was delighted to also see many food options, as well as beer and wine. There are lots of wood tables to sit at and enjoy your meal. The only criticism I have is that for Macbeth the audio was spotty in a few places. For instance, the loud, background effects drowned out the 3 witches in one scene. I thought the ticket was pricey, but of course, buying a season pass is a better value.

"WAR OF THE ROSES" - FOUR SHAKESPEARES' PLAYS INTO ONE…read more My last class I ever took as an undergrad at UC Berkeley was Shakespeare. In fact my final semester Shakespeare was the only class I took as I had completed all my courses for my Art History major the previous semester. So I wanted to really enjoy learning for my final semester at UC Berkeley. From that Shakespeare course I read and studied plays such as Twelfth Night, Othello, Merchant of Venice,Taming of the Screw, Hamlet, Anthony and Cleopatra, and Richard III. I came here to watch the "War of the Roses" last month. One of my co-worker she saw the play "War of the Roses", which comprises of 4 Shakespeare's plays - "Henry VI (Parts I, II, and III) and Richard III - into one. I've read Richard III but never read Henry VI - Parts I, II, and III. That was a unique concept as each play can be at least 3 hours when performed. The snipets from each play resulted the play of "War of the Roses" 3 3/4 hours performance. A little history note "War of the Roses" is about the English Civil War between two branches of the Plantagnet family - The House of York and House of Lancaster. Also the "War of the Roses" influenced the HBO show "Games of Thrones." The magazine at the theater provided an insight for the summary of the play. This was helpful to understand the flow of the play. One thing I was fascinated was the stage as it was a two-story stage. Most of the acting was the first level stage, but the upper stage was also used as The Tower of London for "Richard III". During the play I was fascinated how the actors were playing two roles where in "Henry VI" they would play one role and "Richard III" in another role. That shows skills from the actors learning lines of two characters. Since the theater is small you can a great view of the play - there are no nosebleed seats. As an outdoor theater I recommend bringing a jacket as the weather tends to get cold at night. Another recommendation is instead of paying tickets online where the prices can be over $40 depending on the seats call the ticket office to get $20 tickets on the day of the show. As stated before since this is a small theater the seating is close to the stage so it's better to call the ticket office on the than order online. If you like Shakespeare and want to watch one of his plays I recommend coming here to this theater.

Odessa is one of the real dog saints in our county (we are so lucky to have a group of these). She…read moreworks with most of the other local shelters/rescues in the area to save small dogs of all ages and conditions....as she has space available. I have known Odessa for years and have so much respect for her incredible personal commitment to dog rescue. Most of the dogs 'roam' freely in her house, learning to get along with other dogs and with people. Puppies (and moms) stay in the puppy palace (a charmingly converted and furnished garage space). Rescuing and adopting dogs is very hard and very expensive work, since many dogs who were neglected or abused require a lot of love, medical care, and training. Please take any 'negative' reviews with a big grain of salt. All of us who have to deal with the public understand how unreasonable and uncharitable some people can be. This is a truly extraordinary woman who makes great sacrifices to rescue and place dogs in the best possible homes. It's an uphill battle with so many people allowing their dogs to breed and dumping them on rescue. And with some adopters/lookers who can be disrespectful of the process around placing dogs. Very few of us could do this work day in and day out with no reward other than seeing dogs go to the right guardians. Thank you to everyone who supports and adopts from rescue, saves lives, and appreciates those doing the really hard work. And please consider fostering a little dog if you can. It's a rewarding experience being part of the pipeline to forever homes.

Odessa Gunn and her commitment to animals is nonpareil (no equal or unrivaled in simpler terms)…read more Every animal that is cared for by Little Trooper Ranch is family, not a rescue or anything less. Little Trooper Ranch is an inviting, safe and loving place for all creatures. 5 stars for Odessa and LTR! https://www.littletrooperranch.org/how-you-can-help

Note the average age range for people attending these events is 40 and above…read more... My OOT friend and I happened to be in one of the hotels where they where hosting an event. We walked passed and heard DJ music and decided to check it out. I inquired with the folks monitoring the check-in desk and asked if we could peek in the door for 5 seconds to check out the crowd. It was around 11:30pm and the music was retro (80's style). The woman "screamed" NO! I thought "geez lady" relax.... Entry fee was $20. So we paid and checked it out. It was very clear why now she did not want us to preview the event---as there were only 2 dozen folks (including the DJ and bartender). The majority of the crowd was female. We stayed for 1 drink and no more people showed or left. We deserted the event about midnight. Overall, RUDE staff, not well attended and a waste of time and money. Definitely PASS on these events by this promoter. YELP the fact that you allow this review to be filtered shows that you are no more than a paid site!

One day, sometime early last year...my friend and I, heard about a singles party being thrown by…read morethe S of SP. We had never been to a singles party, so we thought it would be cool to check it out. The party was going to take place at the Golden Gate Yacht Club in the Marina. So far, so good, right? Um, yeah... So, it's the day of the event, and we finally make it to the parking lot. FIRST THOUGHT - OH.MY.GAWWWD. ARE.YOU.FKNG.KIDDING.ME? NO, FER REEEEEALZ? FER REEEEEALS? ARE WE ON CANDID CAMERA??? THIS IS A JOKE, RIGHT? IT'S NOT?!!!! We're sitting in the car in the parking lot, and I swear to you, everyone walking around, parking, leaving...had to have gone to high school with our grandparents!!! I believe the flyer we saw had read 30's and up crowd. WOW, THIS CROWD WAS DEFINITELY MATURE. Worse yet, these old guys were in button downed polyester shirts with chest hair flowing out!!! Yes, these guys just time-warped back into the 70's!!! *THE.FKNG.HORROR.OF.IT!* *MY.EYES.MY.EYES.ARE.FKNG.BURNING!* Needless to say, we sat in the parking lot for no more than two minutes and high-tailed it outta there!!!! We have since never attempted attendance to any singles party. ONE STAR = SUPER FAIL!!! THE NIGHT'S LESSON - I best stay a cradle robber, than a grave digger! MEEP-MEEEEEP! ========================= UPDATE: Aww, it looks like some of you are offended. When I say old, I definitely don't mean you folks in your 30's and 40's!!! I'm generation X, too! Duh!!

I have attended the White Elephant Sale since I was 12, and now at 26 I feel that the sale has…read morediminished in quality, quantity, value, and overall experience. The White Elephant sale has honestly felt very different since 2020. Before the pandemic, there were walk up donations, the warehouse was always full, and the March sale was still packed with treasures to be found. Now the warehouse feels empty even during preview, all walk up and drive up donations have been eliminated, and the March sale is advertised as a "clearance sale" because of how empty the warehouse is. Stopping walk up and drive up donations has seriously hurt the sale. The number of small trinket items to be found is much smaller than it used to be. While there may be costs saved by not having to sort through and discard items that are not sellable, is the loss of profit from not having those smaller items greater? People like me used to donate all the time to the sale, but now donate to thrift stores that have walk up and drive up options instead. How many other people also have a bag full of great items but are not donating them because pickup donations are the only option? I have also found that in recent years the staff has become less and less kind. This year there was not a single visit to the warehouse that was not met with rude or unprofessional behavior by volunteers. That is not to say there are not wonderful volunteers, because I have had great experiences as well, but the number of negative interactions I have had seems to be increasing. I have been accused of stealing, had snarky comments made toward me, and have been accused of price switching. It has gotten to the point where going to the White Elephant is no longer bringing me joy, and it is difficult to see volunteers act with such low levels of kindness. You often emphasize being kind to volunteers, but shoppers deserve that same level of kindness and respect. One thing that stands out when it comes to how empty the warehouse has been, as well as the general morale of the volunteers, is the changing culture of reselling. I recognized dealers from Alameda Point and various antique markets as new volunteers, which makes me wonder if they are partially contributing to the diminished quality and quantity of items this year. In the past, almost all volunteers seemed to be there because they believed in the mission of the Oakland Museum. Now it appears that some newer volunteers may be more motivated by making money. It also raises the question that if they are pricing items they later purchase, were those items priced fairly? Especially when their ultimate goal is to resell items and make money. In addition, there seems to be a lack of willingness to receive feedback. As another reviewer mentioned, it can feel like the organization operates under the idea that because it is for charity and run by volunteers, feedback should not be given. That approach is simply unsustainable. I attempted to provide feedback both in person and on Instagram and was met with very combative responses. This is confusing, as feedback is essential when running such a large sale, and experiences like that make me hesitant to return. I have heard from others that the White Elephant has been "cleared out" this year. Without the return of more casual donations, stronger screening of volunteers, and limitations on what volunteers are able to purchase during presale events, the White Elephant will likely continue to decline. As a loyal shopper, I truly hope the organization will begin taking feedback seriously and consider changes that can help bring the sale back to its former glory.

I've gone to the white elephant for years, 10+ to be specific. This year the selection was…read moredrastically different than previous years (I'll get back to this). Not only that, the prices were the highest I had seen. I included photos of some examples of what was priced super high in bric a brac (on your Facebook page the admin said to 'show specific examples') so I took photos of items I couldn't fathom being that high (even after looking on eBay to compare- the prices were just outrageous considering condition and quality). Not only that, but the selection on preview day (im usually in the first 30 people- and first to the department I shop) it already looked picked through. From what I understand the volunteers shop the sale before- but it's very disheartening and worrying when I recognize people who are new volunteers and I regularly see them sell at local things as resellers (nobody is saying you can't do that!), but it's more so the piecing together the lack of vintage and quality goods this year on preview, and the new volunteers, it's easy to assume there is a correlation. I worry that the integrity of the sale may be lost- and will only worsen as the years carry on. I know departments can vary year to year- of course that's a factor I consider. This is not a normal amount of variation- it's not like there was 30% less of something I have ALWAYS seen at your preview sale- it was 100% gone. And when I'm the first person looking- I know someone at preview didn't get it ahead of me. I heard from others who attended- even some people who didn't! They both said the same thing- white elephant was cleared out this year. Culture shifting about second hand and thrifting should be a consideration and something to keep in mind- the structure of this sale will collapse if it isn't. I'd imagine in the next couple years, the amount of resellers volunteering will outnumber the volunteers who have been there for years due to them retiring/ no longer doing it - and in turn will diminish the sale itself. I think how the preview tickets sold out in a little over a day vs a week last year, should convey how there is an increase in demand, to the degree that people will try to covertly get around it and 'ahead' by volunteering. Correct me if I'm wrong, but many new volunteers this year didn't follow through with their commitments after they shopped on their preview- it makes you wonder.