but from Scott's Seafood next door, as well.
I strolled by myself along a
four or five block area and had some incredible experiences, dining, pubbing,
shopping, taking photos and walking along this winter wonderland that's vibrant
and fun. Each time I've gone to Oakland I feel an attraction for the warmth of
the people I meet, the variety of restaurants that offer very ethnic flavors
(Oakland has a large Afro-American population that enjoys BBQ or Chicken &
Waffles), next to China Town with Asian faire. I settled for my favorite (BBQ),
then shopped at a futon store run by a Japanese mother and daughter. Next I
wandered down to some unexpected waterfront chain shopping--Cost Plus, next to
Bed, Bath & Beyond. The Oakland holiday shoppers looked like a similar crowd to
back home in The OC. They were all were focused on purchasing gifts in an effort to
meet deadline (December 25).
Sundays you can enjoy the
Farmer's Market in the Square. I've never seen such a quality mix of fancy
foods, organic vegetables and artist's paintings, photographs and crafts.
From crafted goat cheeses (several cheese companies come from Bodega Bay or
Oakdale), to delicious muffins, cookies and cupcakes (the most beautiful you've
seen), you need to stay over for the morning and treat yourself to samples of
the wonderful foods. You can make a meal of it, but better yet, get their
business cards and have items shipped if you prefer not to take them home on
your flight.
Speaking of flights, this one
airline is what my friend calls, "da bomb." It offers more leg room, leather
seats and individual TVs in each seatback. Jet Blue is pure joy compared
to many other cattle call airlines I've taken recently. I flew out of Long Beach
Airport (an awesome airport with loads of history and places you can relax),
into Sacramento to see a friend and travel to Yosemite Mountains on Amtrak. Jet
Blue sells its tickets in one-way portions so you never have a fuss about
arriving in one place and returning from another. When we left the mountains and
headed for Oakland where this friend had to attend a holiday party, I simply
caught a Jet Blue flight at Oakland Airport only a few miles from Jack London
Square.
Places such as Oakland that
you want to explore, grab you with a hook. Just one visit is seldom enough, and
that holds true for the legs of this trip...Sacramento, Yosemite and Oakland. I
must return to them all. Sacramento is a city I've been to dozens of
times and have never tired of. It has great character and offers some incredible
people. Yosemite - can you take a crummy picture there? I don't know, but
nature's splendor makes you realize why Ansel Adams, the famous black & white
photography with the zone system, found so much inspiration.
