In some of the other bay area threads I've seen lots of mentions of Oakland with comments that people are not to familiar with it, so I'm here to give the people what they want.
Oakland can be thought of as the Brooklyn to San Francisco's Manhattan. After being devastated by the crack epidemic, it's made a comeback and is now considered a very "hot", "up and coming" epicenter of culture in the bay area.
Geography: Oakland can be divided into 5 major portions. East, West, North, Lake Merritt, and the Hills.
Crime: Oakland gets a bad rap for crime, but its a lot more safe than people would have you believe. Most of the crime occurs in parts of the city you'd never want to go to, and murders are pretty much restricted to members of the criminal underworld. For the most part if you're not going the full retard flashing cash around on the street and you stay aware of your surroundings, nobody will bother you. And though it may go without saying, do not start fights. Shit will escalate to gunfire very quickly in Oakland. There are also a lot of very experienced street/prison fighters walking around. On the flip side, just about everybody is polite and minds their own business because of this.
Here is a link to the murder map of Oakland for 2013: http://www.insidebayarea.com/crime/ci_22942237
It does a pretty good job of showing the areas you want to avoid at night (East Oakland & West Oakland).
Culture: Oakland has traditionally been a blue collar, working class city, and that's very much reflected in the people there. They tend to be much less pretentious than in other parts of the bay area. I read once that all the guys in Oakland (yuppies included) think they're stevedores, and I'd say that's pretty accurate.
People are very liberal, in some cases radically so. 9/11 trutherism is not considered the fringe. However, keep in mind that a lot of Oakland residents were on the business end of COINTELPRO back in the 70's and Freeway Rick Ross' shenanigans in the late 80's.
Oakland is a "red pill" city. You could even say that it was ahead of its time in terms of mainstream realization of the game. There is a long tradition of pimps and players, and artists like Too $hort (Oakland native) were being called misogynists for rapping about red pill knowledge back in the early 90's. Even if you don't like rap, go ahead and listen to the lyrics of this song:
As a result a lot of guys in Oakland have pretty good game. However, good game still works, and because there are so many criminals and scumbags around game paired with a little bit of real status (only a solid job/career is necessary) goes far.
Talent: If you like white girls, you're probably better off going to SF or the peninsula. The white girls in Oakland tend to be beat and/or dress like shit, and have inflated egos. Oakland does however, have lots of very hot black, hispanic, and SEA women, most of which are open to interracial dating. That's not to say that there aren't hot white chicks out there, it's just that they're vastly outnumbered.
If you're especially into black women, Oakland is definitely for you. Atlanta is probably he only place I've been to that has it beat. Oakland has a very large black middle class and as a result many good looking non ghetto black women.
Because it's a liberal area women are pretty open to sex. ONS happen, and you should next any chick who makes you wait more than 1 or 2 dates. There are too many women who will fuck you on the 1st or second date to waste your time.
Where to Stay:
You want to be either by the lake (in the Adams Point neighborhood) or Uptown (by the Fox theater). Both are located within walking distance (or a 3 minute cab ride) away from numerous restaurants, bars, lounges, and day game venues. If neither of those two locations are feasible, then the Jack London Square area would come next. Use airbnb.
Logistics:
If you're in Uptown, or Adams Point you will have numerous restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues within a 3 min cab/car ride or 10 min walk. Jack London square has it's own little nightlife ecosystem, but it's 2nd banana compared to uptown. Getting to/from San Francisco is very easy on public transportation from uptown, a little more difficult from Adams Point (10 min walk to the bart station), and even more difficult from Jack London Sq. The lake and Uptown/Downtown are both very walkable.
Day Game Venues:
Because the nightlife is dead during the week daygame is crucial in Oakland. For the best success, you will either be daygaming to set up night time dates, or pipelining girls online during the week, and going out to bars on the weekend.
Oakland has lots of fantastic restaurants in all price ranges. I'm sure I've left some good ones off the list. In addition to good food offerings, you can definitely pick up chicks out of the trendier ones.
Bars/Lounges/Clubs
Oakland doesn't have a good club scene. Most night time venues are bars and lounges. This list isn't exhaustive by any means, but I've gone ahead and included some of what I think are the popular/better ones. Nightlift shuts down around 2:00 am and last call can be as early as 1:15 some places. Don't ever try going to a club on a weekday. You may get lucky with a good crowd, but most likely you'll be disappointed.
The Art Murmur is what sets Oakland apart from other places you might go. On the first Friday of every month, they block off the streets in uptown, bring in food trucks, and all of the numerous art galleries open their doors to the public. Many serve drinks and have DJs spinning records in the parking lots. Bands, rappers, etc give live performances in the street. It's just a cool scene all around. It also draws people from all over the bay area who then go on to hit up all of the restaurants, bars and clubs in the area. The level of talent that you see out on 1st Fridays dwarfs what you'd see around on any other night. If you do plan to visit Oakland, make absolutely sure that your stay encompasses the first friday of that month.
Here's a link: http://oaklandartmurmur.org/
Best Time To Visit Definitely the summertime or fall. During the winter, rain can put a damper on things. Weather in the summer is perfect. Never too hot, never too cold.
Oakland can be thought of as the Brooklyn to San Francisco's Manhattan. After being devastated by the crack epidemic, it's made a comeback and is now considered a very "hot", "up and coming" epicenter of culture in the bay area.
Geography: Oakland can be divided into 5 major portions. East, West, North, Lake Merritt, and the Hills.
- Lake Merritt is the center of Oakland. Most of the best day game venues, restaurants, lounges, and clubs are in close proximity to the lake. Lake Merritt itself is 3 miles around and can be thought of as having three major fronts. Lake Shore Ave, Grand Ave, and Downtown.
- East Oakland is made up of different ethnic neighborhoods. In order of increasing distance from the lake, the neighborhoods are predominantly SEA, Mexican, and Black. There aren't any distinct borders between them and ethnic groups aren't strictly segregated. International Blvd (called East 14th by natives) is the main corridor that connects the neighborhoods. Stay out of East Oakland unless you have a good reason to be there (know someone or buying drugs).
- West Oakland is predominantly black, but because of its close proximity to SF via public transportation is becoming increasingly gentrified by hipsters seeking escape from skyrocketing costs of living in SF. It's almost entirely residential. Stay out of West Oakland unless you have a good reason to be there (know someone or buying drugs).
- North Oakland is composed of three neighborhoods, Rockridge, Piedmont Ave, and Temescal. Rockridge is primarily upper middle class, has one or two decent bars and restaurants, and is pretty close to the UC Berkeley Campus. Piedmont Ave is solid middle class and also has its own little business district. Temescal used to be lower class, but is currently undergoing gentrification. It's also home to an east African enclave.
- The Oakland hills are where the people with money live. Lots of nice houses with views of the bay. It's almost entirely residential with lots of natural beauty. It's also pretty much inaccessible by any mode public transportation.
Crime: Oakland gets a bad rap for crime, but its a lot more safe than people would have you believe. Most of the crime occurs in parts of the city you'd never want to go to, and murders are pretty much restricted to members of the criminal underworld. For the most part if you're not going the full retard flashing cash around on the street and you stay aware of your surroundings, nobody will bother you. And though it may go without saying, do not start fights. Shit will escalate to gunfire very quickly in Oakland. There are also a lot of very experienced street/prison fighters walking around. On the flip side, just about everybody is polite and minds their own business because of this.
Here is a link to the murder map of Oakland for 2013: http://www.insidebayarea.com/crime/ci_22942237
It does a pretty good job of showing the areas you want to avoid at night (East Oakland & West Oakland).
Culture: Oakland has traditionally been a blue collar, working class city, and that's very much reflected in the people there. They tend to be much less pretentious than in other parts of the bay area. I read once that all the guys in Oakland (yuppies included) think they're stevedores, and I'd say that's pretty accurate.
People are very liberal, in some cases radically so. 9/11 trutherism is not considered the fringe. However, keep in mind that a lot of Oakland residents were on the business end of COINTELPRO back in the 70's and Freeway Rick Ross' shenanigans in the late 80's.
Oakland is a "red pill" city. You could even say that it was ahead of its time in terms of mainstream realization of the game. There is a long tradition of pimps and players, and artists like Too $hort (Oakland native) were being called misogynists for rapping about red pill knowledge back in the early 90's. Even if you don't like rap, go ahead and listen to the lyrics of this song:
As a result a lot of guys in Oakland have pretty good game. However, good game still works, and because there are so many criminals and scumbags around game paired with a little bit of real status (only a solid job/career is necessary) goes far.
Talent: If you like white girls, you're probably better off going to SF or the peninsula. The white girls in Oakland tend to be beat and/or dress like shit, and have inflated egos. Oakland does however, have lots of very hot black, hispanic, and SEA women, most of which are open to interracial dating. That's not to say that there aren't hot white chicks out there, it's just that they're vastly outnumbered.
If you're especially into black women, Oakland is definitely for you. Atlanta is probably he only place I've been to that has it beat. Oakland has a very large black middle class and as a result many good looking non ghetto black women.
Because it's a liberal area women are pretty open to sex. ONS happen, and you should next any chick who makes you wait more than 1 or 2 dates. There are too many women who will fuck you on the 1st or second date to waste your time.
Where to Stay:
You want to be either by the lake (in the Adams Point neighborhood) or Uptown (by the Fox theater). Both are located within walking distance (or a 3 minute cab ride) away from numerous restaurants, bars, lounges, and day game venues. If neither of those two locations are feasible, then the Jack London Square area would come next. Use airbnb.
Logistics:
If you're in Uptown, or Adams Point you will have numerous restaurants, bars, and nightlife venues within a 3 min cab/car ride or 10 min walk. Jack London square has it's own little nightlife ecosystem, but it's 2nd banana compared to uptown. Getting to/from San Francisco is very easy on public transportation from uptown, a little more difficult from Adams Point (10 min walk to the bart station), and even more difficult from Jack London Sq. The lake and Uptown/Downtown are both very walkable.
Day Game Venues:
Because the nightlife is dead during the week daygame is crucial in Oakland. For the best success, you will either be daygaming to set up night time dates, or pipelining girls online during the week, and going out to bars on the weekend.
- Lakeshore Ave - Weekend mornings/afternoons, this is the place to be. Even during the week it can be pretty good. Inside Starbucks or outside of Arizmendi (pizza joint) are pretty good locations to set up shop.
- City Center Plaza - Lunchtime here can be pretty clutch. Lots of young female office drones buzzing around.
- 24 Hour Fitness (19th st) - If you have a membership to 24 hr, this is the place to go. It has a reputation as a meat market. The Wednesday evening yoga class is an absolute gold mine.
- Bay St. (Emeryville) - Technically, it's not Oakland, but it's the closest thing that the area has to a mall. I've seen some good talent almost every time I've been. Women have been known to troll the Barnes & Noble there for guys.
- Laney College - A community college near Lake Merritt. As with all community colleges there are a lot young, hot, dumb chicks. There's a pretty high turnover rate for students, and many older students attending as well, so nobody will know whether you actually go there or not. First few days of every semester are a meat market.
- UC Berkeley Campus - What Cal lacks in talent, it makes up for in sheer numbers. UC Berkeley is easily accessible from Oakland via public transit and offers a large selection of college girls.
- Lakeshore/Grand Ave Farmers Market - Think this one is on Saturday mornings.
Oakland has lots of fantastic restaurants in all price ranges. I'm sure I've left some good ones off the list. In addition to good food offerings, you can definitely pick up chicks out of the trendier ones.
- Coach Sushi - This place goes off on weekends. Either get a reservation or its a 2 hour wait. Young crowd, lots of beautiful people/professionals. Tables are packed pretty tightly with a party atmosphere so its pretty easy to start conversations with your neighbors f if you so desire. They have bottomless sake for a few bucks and their sushi is pretty good too. Either that or I've always been too trashed tell.
- Ozumo - Another sushi place. I personally think it's overrated, high prices for not that good food. But their bar is packed on weekends. The crowd is aiight. You might see something you like there or not.
- Mua - Hipster turned scenester. The food isn't as good as they pretend it is, but its a place where people go to see and bee seen. They have an upper level lounge that opens on weekends. The talent level here is usually pretty good.
Pho 84 - Not super trendy or crowded, but they have some of the best vietnamese food I've had. If you go, order the Ga Nuong and thank me later. - Le Cheval - The trendy Vietnamese restaurant. The food isn't as good as Pho 84, but the crowd is much prettier.
- Bake Sale Betty - This is a lunch time spot that gets absolutely mobbed. It's run by a Chez Panisse alum, and they serve fried chicken sandwiches (good but overrated). It's not uncommon for them to have a line going around the corner.
- Chez Panisse - World famous and about as high end as it gets. For the dining room you need to reserve a month in advance, but they also have a little upstairs cafe where you can just walk in. Not good for pickup, but if you want a world class dining experience that's not Gary Danko, this is it. Technically this is in Berkeley.
- Chicken and Waffles - Never been myself, but I know groups of attractive females that go here, so I figured I'd mention it.
- The Paragon - This is the bar/restaurant at the Claremont Hotel. It's upscale and pricey, and I was never too impressed with their food or drinks. But if you want to hunt cougars for the ONS, the place simply can't be beat. They also have live jazz on the weekends.
- Yoshi's - A Restaurant/Jazz Club. Good food, great venue.
- Lakeshore Cafe - Great for breakfast/brunch on a weekend morning. Good eggs Benedict, cheap mimosas, and lots of talent here.
Bars/Lounges/Clubs
Oakland doesn't have a good club scene. Most night time venues are bars and lounges. This list isn't exhaustive by any means, but I've gone ahead and included some of what I think are the popular/better ones. Nightlift shuts down around 2:00 am and last call can be as early as 1:15 some places. Don't ever try going to a club on a weekday. You may get lucky with a good crowd, but most likely you'll be disappointed.
- Air Lounge - Nobody ever wants to admit to going here, but everybody does. It's the only real nightclub in Oakland. It's mostly ghetto people trying to dress up like they're not (with some of the black bourgeoisie mixed in), but the music is good, the talent is usually pretty good, and there are ONS to be had here. Suit game kills it here. On Wednesday nights, they have spoken word.
- Lukas Taproom - Great location and unpretentious with a good crowd and good music. You can show up here in a suit or a t-shirt and jeans and you fit in either way. In terms of quantity of talent it can be hit or miss.
- Liege Lounge - I've been meaning to go here, but for some reason never make it. I can't personally vouch for it, but I've heard good things about it from trusted sources.
- Era Across the street from Lukas with a similar crowd. Hit or miss. When it's on, it's on. When it's not it's empty. Good talent when it's popping
- Easy Lounge - Has been a good Thursday night sport in the past. It tends to go in and out of style every few months, so it might be dead or it might be packed with a line coming out of the door. Good crowd/talent when it's crowded. Definitely a place for ONS pickups.
- The Ruby Room - This place is a real shithole of a dive bar, but its dark, the drinks are strong, they let you smoke indoors, and it's easy to buy weed here. They will randomly have DJs and groups of drunk chicks, but you can't rely on it. Crowd is hipster, but the more grimey scumbag type. Great place to pregame.
- Ben & Nick's - If you like sloppy white girls, this is for you. I fucking hate this place. Don't think I've ever seen anyone get laid out of here.
- Mua - Discussed in restaurants
- Paragon - Discussed in restaurants.
- Bonus: Crogans (Walnut Creek) - A good 30 min drive away, but absolutely teeming with young, slutty suburban chicks.
The Art Murmur is what sets Oakland apart from other places you might go. On the first Friday of every month, they block off the streets in uptown, bring in food trucks, and all of the numerous art galleries open their doors to the public. Many serve drinks and have DJs spinning records in the parking lots. Bands, rappers, etc give live performances in the street. It's just a cool scene all around. It also draws people from all over the bay area who then go on to hit up all of the restaurants, bars and clubs in the area. The level of talent that you see out on 1st Fridays dwarfs what you'd see around on any other night. If you do plan to visit Oakland, make absolutely sure that your stay encompasses the first friday of that month.
Here's a link: http://oaklandartmurmur.org/
Best Time To Visit Definitely the summertime or fall. During the winter, rain can put a damper on things. Weather in the summer is perfect. Never too hot, never too cold.
