The Beginning of a New Way to Think About Driving!
The Beginning of a New Way to Think About Driving!
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Driving OaklandBacktrack to California 24 and continue west to Oakland (Convention and Visitors Authority +1 510 839 9000 or 800 262 5526). At I-580 go southeast to the Grand Avenue exit and take the second right onto Lakeshore Avenue. This busy thoroughfare traces Lake Merritt, a natural saltwater lake edged with some 150 acres [61 hectares] of paths and gardens.Follow Lakeshore Avenue around the lake, and turn right on Twelfth Street to the Oakland Museum of California (1000 Oak St. +1 510 238 2200. Wed.-Sun.; Adm. fee), which has three major galleries. One provides a crash course in California history, proceeding from Indian baskets and a gold rush assay office to a pumper from the 1906 San Francisco fire, beatnik coffeehouse, and Apple computer. Another gallery focuses on natural sciences, and the last features artwork from the early 1800s and on, including old photographs, a light-drenched painting of Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt, and 1920s arts and crafts furniture. Oakland is a port city, whose booming waterfront is lined with nearly 20 miles [32 kilometers] of berths and terminals. Overlooking the activity you'll find the rather touristy Jack London Square (Foot of Broadway), named for the writer of The Call of the Wild, who spent most of his life in Oakland. Stop by Heinold's First & Last Chance Saloon (1883) (+1 510 839 6761) , where London sold newspapers as a youngster; its floors are slanted from the 1906 quake. The Jack London Cabin, moved from the Yukon, is where London lived as a prospector in 1897. At the Jack London Museum (30 Jack London Sq. +1 510 451 8218. Closed Mon.) are signed first editions; a model of London's sailboat, the Snark; and photos of the author. Docked nearby is the 165-foot-long [50-meter-long] Potomac (+1 510 839 8256. Ship tours April-Oct. Wed. and Sun.; Adm. fee. Call for schedule of bay cruises; fare). A restored former Coast Guard cutter, it served as FDR's floating White House. The route ends with a crossing of the Bay Bridge, which stretches 4.5 miles [7 kilometers] in two sections, linked by Yerba Buena Island. You'll be driving on the top deck, affording a panoramic view of San Francisco. Quoted from nationalgeographic.com. |
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