Destinations
Places, not just towns
The Bay Bridge is in here, along with the parks, ferries, campuses, and downtowns that give the counties a weekend.
Bridges
Bridges
San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge
The bridge East Bay residents actually use. The eastern span’s white tower is the front door between Oakland and San Francisco.
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Golden Gate Bridge
The orange bridge is not in the East Bay. It is still part of an East Bay weekend: a ferry, a north crossing, or a long golden walk if you plan it.
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Waterfront
Jack London Square
Oakland’s ferry landing, working waterfront, and weekend boardwalk.
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Alameda waterfront
Beaches, a bay trail, and the island’s long edge facing San Francisco.
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Richmond Marina
Boats, a bay trail, and the ferry’s neighborhood.
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Antioch Marina
The San Joaquin riverfront and Antioch’s civic view of the water.
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Martinez Marina
The Carquinez waterfront below the county seat.
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Pittsburg Marina
Pittsburg’s spot on the river, next to the old downtown.
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San Leandro Marina
A bay marina and shoreline park just south of Oakland.
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Parks
Point Pinole Regional Shoreline
A point of pier, meadow, and bay that feels farther away than it is.
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Tilden Regional Park
Berkeley’s hill park: lake, trails, steam train, and a botanical garden.
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Redwood Regional Park
A redwood canyon in the Oakland hills, five minutes from being unbelievable.
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Lake Chabot Regional Park
A reservoir park for fishing, loops, and a marina in the Castro Valley hills.
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Briones Regional Park
Rolling cattle country between the Lamorinda valleys and Martinez.
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Mount Diablo State Park
The mountain in the middle of the view, with a summit that explains the whole map.
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Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
Ridge trails and a waterfall between Danville and the Moraga side.
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Lime Ridge Open Space
The open ridge between Walnut Creek and Concord.
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Shell Ridge Open Space
Grass hills and ranch trails on Walnut Creek’s south edge.
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Black Diamond Mines
Former coal and sand mines in the hills above Antioch.
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Contra Loma Regional Park
The reservoir in the golden hills on the Antioch side.
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Round Valley Regional Preserve
A wide valley of trails east of Mount Diablo, near Brentwood.
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Del Valle Regional Park
Livermore’s reservoir: swimming, camping, and a long shoreline.
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Downtowns
Point Richmond
A village downtown on a point, with the ferry and the hills close by.
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Todos Santos Plaza
Concord’s central square: the market, the Thursday music, and the restaurants on the block.
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Downtown Livermore
Tasting rooms, restaurants, and a main street that grew up.
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Downtown Pleasanton
A finished small downtown: Main Street, side streets, and a Saturday crowd.
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Downtown Pleasant Hill
Crescent Drive: the restaurant row Pleasant Hill treats as its plaza.
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Downtown Danville
Hartz Avenue, the walk Danville uses as a town square.
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Rivertown
Antioch’s old downtown on the river, with a Sunday market in season.
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Old Town Pittsburg
Railroad Avenue: New Mecca, the Saturday market, and the walk to the marina.
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Culture
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Downtown Berkeley’s flagship theater, a block from BART.
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Lesher Center for the Arts
Walnut Creek’s downtown theater complex.
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California Shakespeare Theater
The Bruns Amphitheater in the Orinda hills, trees around the seats.
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Oakland Museum of California
Art, history, and natural science around a courtyard by Lake Merritt.
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Chabot Space & Science Center
A planetarium and observatory in the Oakland hills.
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Oakland Zoo
A zoo in the hills of Knowland Park, with a view attached.
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Campuses
UC Berkeley
The campus that anchors the north East Bay, and a public place to walk.
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Cal State East Bay
A hilltop campus above Hayward with a view that surprises people.
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Chabot College
A community college campus in Hayward and a local landmark.
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Ohlone College
Fremont’s community college, with a mission that predates the subdivisions.
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Las Positas College
The Tri-Valley’s community college, on the Livermore side of the hills.
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Diablo Valley College
A big, busy campus in Pleasant Hill and a central-county institution.
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Contra Costa College
West County’s community college, in San Pablo.
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Saint Mary’s College
The chapel, the valley, and the college that gives Moraga its other population.
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Shopping
Fourth Street
Berkeley’s designed shopping street, west of campus and east of the water.
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Broadway Plaza
The open-air center at the middle of downtown Walnut Creek.
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Stoneridge Shopping Center
Pleasanton’s regional mall, separate from the downtown.
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Sunvalley Shopping Center
Concord’s big mall, a regional habit more than a downtown.
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The Veranda
Concord’s outdoor plaza on Diamond: crepes, tacos, a cinema, and a fountain.
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