Jack London Square

Jack London Square Review

Shops, restaurants, small museums, and historic sites line Jack London Square, which is named after one of California's best-known authors; London wrote The Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf, among many other books. When he lived in Oakland, he spent many a day boozing and brawling in the waterfront area. The Klondike cabin in which London spent a summer in the late 1890s was moved from Alaska and reassembled here, next door to Heinold's saloon, in 1970. The square also contains a bronze bust of London. Since it's on the waterfront, the square is an obvious spot for tourists to visit and it's worth a peek if you take a ferry that docks here; to really get a feel for Oakland, though, you're better off browsing downtown, or at least in Rockridge.

The tiny, wonderful Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon was one of London's old haunts. It has been serving since 1883, although it's a little worse for the wear since the 1906 earthquake. 48 Webster St., 94607. 510/839-6761.