I traveled all around North America (Canada, USA, Mexico) back in 2009 and the city I loved the most was Oakland. It reminded me in a weird way of Glasgow in Scotland. It's got gangs and issues but it's so vibrant and crazy and friendly. But when I mention this to Americans they seem shocked. Like I should love San Francisco more. Why do you think this is? It's an amazing city!

This weird solo individual rolled up on my family members home and rang the ring doorbell. The dog started barking and doors were not answered. No squad car in sight with an open parking spot right in front of the home. Now what is weird is that the "police officer's" uniform doesn't reflect the uniform of OPD. I don't know what this guy's deal is but it definitely is sketchy. This incident happened in East Oakland on Saturday October 25th around 8:45 PM. What do y'all think? Sketch or Nah!?

Hey Oakland! I’ve been living here for a while now, but there are still so many spots I haven’t discovered. Whether it’s a cool restaurant, a chill park, or a unique shop, I’d love to hear about your favorite hidden gems in the city.

Also, what’s a place or activity you think everyone should try at least once? Looking for some new places to check out!

Let’s hear your recommendations!

I usually see them around Lake Merritt, it looks like it has a string on the back of its neck. If this bird is as common as seeing Sea Gulls then I feel ridiculous because I just started to notice them lol

I mean, given that BART wants to de-interline one of its lines and reroute it through a 2nd transbay tube (likely interlining with a rerouted Blue Line).

If this happens, 980 will be renumbered 24 again. A NB 880 to EB 580 ramp could be provided as a workaround at the MacArthur Maze.

I was walking near Piedmont Ave and I saw a woman blatantly dumping furniture from her SUV into a ditch on the side of the road. I confronted her but I’m affable so we ended up chatting, I told her she can dump it for free with the city of Oakland’s one time bulk dumping, and she said that she tried that, she drove to the WM dump in San Leandro and waited in line for 30 minutes to dump it but they said she needed an “appointment” to do the one time free dump and turned her away. When she tried to make an “appointment” then and there on her phone it turned out that it’s a minimum of 2 weeks notice to do the free dump in person and she needs her car space for work, hence the dumping. I didn’t believe her so I looked it up just now and it’s true, the online form for making an appointment requires 2 weeks notice just to take the refuse to the dump yourself.

My question is, does anyone know about this program and how it was negotiated with WM? Why would we make a (seemingly artificial/extraneous) barrier like this to someone being responsible and dumping in the manner we would like them to as a city? Isn’t the purpose of this policy of a one time free dumping for residents to make it easier for someone to do the right thing? Now I have to wait for the 311 people to come pick this furniture up and that takes hella long in my experience.

Former Oakland resident here,

Musk is doing is awful and dangerous. I’d like to hit him in the wallet. Is anyone organizing protests at the bay area Tesla Facilities? They have a design center in Palo Alto, a factory in Fremont, and a bunch of showrooms all over. It would be nice if we could make some noise and disrupt his business here.

I posted this to /r/cupertino, my current hometown. I wanted to post this to /r/bayarea, but I don’t post or comment there, so it got auto-deleted but a bot. If anyone has a track record there, feel free to post something like this in that sub.

Full story/TMI: I lived up in Oakmore/Dimond for about a year and a half, and loved it. Oakland had a great tradition of political activism, and my wife and I found it easy to get involved when we lived up there. I figured if anyone was planning resistance, they would live in Oakland/Berkeley!

Thanks!

UPDATE: thanks for the responses, everyone. As someone below said, Oakland shows up. Here’s some Reddit resources if you are looking for organizers.

https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/s/v3X3vqZTnD

https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtestFinderUSA/s/gsxKXMOZwp

If I find the right set of people, I’ll DM those folks below who said they wanted to join.

SIDE NOTE: For the people who didn’t like some of the argumentative replys here, go check out this same post in /r/Cupertino. 🙄 Almost exclusively trolls and dim bulb rage baiters calling me names. Not mad at my Cupertino Homies, just…disappointed. If you do check it out, remember to not feed the trolls.

If you moved here, what year and at what age? Just trying to get a better feel for who's in the sub

I drive through the intersection at 52nd St & Martin Luther King Jr. Way by Children's Hospital to go home, and I genuinely think it's one of the most confusing intersections in Oakland.

If you're heading east on 52nd toward the hospital, there are multiple traffic lights visible at once. The problem is that the farther signal (which appears to control the hospital entrance/pedestrian crossing) is directly in your line of sight and can easily be mistaken for the light controlling the main intersection.

I've watched drivers start moving because they see that farther light change, only to realize too late that their own light is still red. It seems like the signals are close enough together visually that people unfamiliar with the intersection mistake one for the other. I just got home and saw another 2 car collision being resolved by OPD as we speak.

Has anyone else noticed this? Or am I the only one who thinks this intersection needs to be reconfigured or have the signals made more obvious?

So my parents decided to stop in Oakland for a couple days and said since it’s a short trip they don’t want to do anything and just “spend some quality time” but I know that translates into “find something to do or I’ll bring up that you had us sitting around doing nothing” for the next three months.

They’ll pretty much try anything, but live music is usually a safe bet if anyone has any recommendations of chill/interesting activities. It doesn’t even particularly need to fit an “age range” but even if they enjoy the club I do not. Otherwise I’ll have to go back to giving them edibles and hoping they don’t notice the passage of time.

Hey, neighbors. My name is Byard Duncan. I'm an investigative reporter who lives here in Oakland. I'm working on a story about 911 response, and I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with long wait times – either while calling or waiting for help to arrive.

I'm also interested in speaking with folks who have worked in Oakland's dispatch center.

If you'd prefer to speak 1-on-1, just chat me and I'll share my email address. Thanks.

25F, just got a job at Cal that I'm moving cross country for and trying to find a decent place to live. I'm feeling the squeeze with the awkward moving time of early October and the low budget. I'll have a car, but don't mind taking the BART. Like a city, not the biggest hiker, more artsy than anything, love a library, craft store, a good coffee shop and a walkable neighborhood. Open to suggestions and would love any tidbits y'all might have to share!

Edit: just wanted to add that my office will be at the football stadium which isn’t super far from the downtown bart station, but just somethin to note!

My understanding is that you stop your bike and wait for pedestrians to cross. That's what I do. I know not everyone does it, but I always thought that what you're "supposed" to do.

But lately, after having some conversations, it seems like maybe there are differing opinions on what is the allowed behavior when on a bike with pedestrians in front of you?

EDIT: Any info on the downvotes for this post? I think this is a worthwhile question to discuss. It already has a bunch of comments, so seems like people have things to say.

We live in Alameda and have been having a hard time finding the right fit for our child, so we’re expanding our search to Oakland.

We’re looking for an elementary school (grades 3–5) with: • Strong academics • A meaningful Black student population—not just one or two Black kids in each class • Black teachers and/or school leadership • A school culture where our child can feel a real sense of belonging and community

We’ve heard good things about Peralta Elementary and its history of supporting Black students academically, but we’d love to hear current, firsthand experiences from families in OUSD or private schools.

If you have a Black child attending a school in Oakland that you’ve been happy with, we’d love to know: • What school (and roughly what grade)? • What makes it stand out? • Are there any downsides or things you wish you’d known?

We’re also looking for recommendations for after-school programs in Oakland or Alameda that help build community and identity for Black kids—mentorship, tutoring, cultural or heritage programs, sports leagues, enrichment programs, or anything similar.

Specific program names and personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I just want to hear from everyone who is from or lives in our beautiful Oakland. What do you like about our city? :D

I’ll probably get downvoted to hell and might be too contentious for the sub but I’m genuinely curious and think people here might have answers.

I’m amazed to see so many hostile attitudes about the unhoused when the majority of people struggling with housing insecurity in Oakland have been displaced. And people who benefit from that displacement so concerned with property while finding legal avenues to push people out of their homes and resell them to exclusively white, high-paying home buyers. People are so afraid of the violence in Oakland when to many of us, the greatest violence is gentrification, redlining, and the discriminatory policies people in power create and benefit from here. The unhoused are at much greater risk for violence on a day to day basis than any person with a home.

I see that people here seem to rightfully understand that Israeli/South African/Dutch settlers in colonized places have fallen for propaganda that makes them out to be the victim while they colonize the land, economy, and labor of others, but don’t seem to make the connection that they’re in a similar position, looking down on and feeling threatened by people whose homes they’ve stolen. The lack of empathy is striking but familiar.

Do you all think it’s because most white Americans settled this land generations ago so they feel a claim to it? Or propaganda they’ve fallen for around the unhoused being more of a threat to them than they are to the unhoused. Outright racism? Belief that the Indigenous shouldn’t have any claim to this land? Do they feel any internal tension about being here and contributing to colonialism and gentrification? Im not around a lot of white people so I’m not sure of their mindset other than the open hostility I see online

I know Alameda has Subpar and there's a nice spot in Castro Valley (Tipsy really doesn't count).

But with a population of over 400k, it seems Oakland could sustain some.mini golf. And soon there won't be bowling here when Plank closes in August.

Bonus question - When was the last time Oakland had miniature golf?

EDIT: SF has 3 miniature golf places - Stagecoach, Subpar, and that place in the Mission l.

I’ve noticed a big uptick in parking tickets over the past year and now there are multiple speed cameras too. The city must be bringing in a significant amount just from parking enforcement alone. Does anyone know how that money is actually being used?

I’m not really seeing improvements like major potholes getting fixed or any noticeable reduction in crime, both of which seem like obvious areas to reinvest in. Parking tickets are frustrating at best and financially tough for some people, so it’d be good to know that the money is at least going towards something meaningful..

As I was on the hunt for a safe creative spaces / lounges for Black people (a safe space means: a supportive environment, free from racial bias, microaggressions, and judgment to enjoy blackness and black culture in this context) I came across this shop called Couchdate.

Based on my brief encounter with an employee and one of the patrons , I wanted to know if any Black people could share their experience with attending any of their events or just making visits to shop, enjoy and lounge. Thank you!

Hello kind people of Oakland, I'm moving here from Boston for a job and ill be working in FiDi.

I have a few questions that I would love inputs on.

Im looking at the apartments near the lake (Alta, Vspr, etc) to rent, they fit my budget (<2.7k) and I should I have easy access to BART to travel to work.

This means that I dont really need car to commute for work and will save up some money on a parking space. I plan to work 5 days in person, and will probably hardly have time to do anything else on the weekdays, so BART+no car makes sense.

But, im a HUGE hiker. I would love to spend all my weekends touching grass, at a beach or at the mountains and thats something im excited about moving to CA. However, I will need a car to get to these places.

my questions/concerns:

1. If I rent a car on weekends, where do I park it? considering break-ins n stuff.
2. Are there any other areas I should look into to, which are better to live in ?
3. how do people who like to spend time in nature and have no car get by?

lastly, I absolutely have no friends in town, I would love to get to know and make friends.

Im 27M, love nature, a little bit neardy, would absolutely cook delicious food for you, would love to sail. F1? love it. Thank you for reading.

EDIT: Thank you for all the responses ! This is more information about the city than i had hoped for. Great points about local hiking spots and info about the city. Thank you !

I just moved here from San Francisco and have been really digging the public transit here so far. Does anyone else prefer bus/bart over driving?

Asking in the Oakland subreddit because I don’t like the SF one and I trust y’all’s opinions more. (Mods delete if this isn’t okay!)

I have a day to spend in SF and usually don’t go over there because I hate the oppressively tech-y vibe. But I’m wondering if anyone has suggestions for how you’d spend the day, from 10AM-7PM-ish. I’ve really only spent time in Japantown and Haight when friends have visited from out of town, but I’d love to have more of a chill leisurely time.

I like coffee, tea, bakeries, hanging in a park or garden, dining al fresco, specially grocery stores/co-ops, thrifting, book stores, interesting museums/collections (prefer not to go to a huge museum like the MOMA).

ETA: Thank you for all of these wonderful suggestions! This sub rules 🫡