Alameda, CA Help
 

Have a business trip to Alameda--Clay ST to be exact. What's the area like, what's there to do after 5pm, any decent hotels nearby and how far is it to San Francisco? I was thinking of going early--should I stay in San Francisco and switch hotels for the business portion of the trip?

Hope you have a map. Alameda can be difficult for the first time visitor to find. Are you flying? The Oakland airport is less tha 15 minutes from your destination.<BR><BR>Alameda is like a small town next to the big cities. It is an Island off of Oakland with fabulous views of San Francisco from its shoreline. <BR><BR>Because it is a small town, there are not a lot of hotels. I have noticed a Day's Inn on the west side, but will tell you that that is not the best part of town for strolling--though overall the whole island is pretty safe even the west side where most of the low income housing is located (the west side use to house the naval base--now closed).<BR><BR>It is very close to San Francisco. 20-minute ride on BART train (have to catch from Oakland) or by ferry. Ferry schedule can be looked up on rapid transit information for San Francisco/Alameda/or Oakland. <BR><BR>The West Side ferry runs more often than the commuter only ferry on the East side which has very limited hours. <BR><BR>By Car it is also about 25 minutes to San Franciso (depends heavily on traffic).<BR><BR>If you can't find hotel in Alameda, Jack London square in Oakland has the Waterfront Hotel which is decent and looks across the estuary to Alameda. <BR><BR>Not alot of nightlife in Alameda, but Park Street stays busy with lots of restaurants, shops etc...and is pretty lively in the evenings.

AC transit buses have direct connection with San Francisco taking you to the bus terminal in SF Mission St @1st Street.

For quick proximity to Alameda..here's another vote for the Waterfront at Jack<BR>London Square. You are about two minutes from the tube which should take you right into Alameda.There are several restaurants in JLS(including Yoshi's for some good jazz and/or japanese food) There are also good movie houses within walking distance to your hotel. The ferry runs from JLS so you can take a ride over to SF. If you want you could stay in SF the entire time otherwise it is a relatively easy commute by bus or BART from the JLS area.

Jack London Square in Oakland is a great area to stay in and offers numerous options for nightlife. If you like seafood, try Scotts in JLS.<BR><BR>http://www.jacklondonsquare.com

If you are going early I would definitely stay in SF, then move to Alameda or Jack London Square. SF and Alameda are only minutes away from each other, but they are world's apart!!

I would stay in Jack London Square. There are many restaurants and shops and it has a nice waterfront location. I would not suggest staying in SF unless it is necessary. SF is best viewed from a distance.

I crossed the bridge to visit Jack London Square once - and that's all I can say and keep it nice.

AWESOME restaurant in Alameda: Arco Iris. Check it out, it won't disappoint (assuming it's still there, of course).