OAKLAND - CITY ACROSS THE BAY

Oakland is located just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco and that is probably its claim to fame. The city is trying to attract tourists away from San Francisco through advertising; the most amusing copy was on the top of a taxi, stating "I Left My Parka in San Francisco". It it true that Oakland is significantly warmer than its chilly counterpart, but there isn't a great deal to see there. Nonetheless, Oakland does have two major sports franchises, including the Athletics who are one of the most historic franchises in baseball, as well as the Raiders, perhaps the most famous NFL team in history.

Perhaps the most interesting thing that we discovered in our research about Oakland is that it claims to be the most ethnically diverse city in the United States. However, it was not clear how this was determined, and after spending time in Seattle and San Francisco, both of which seemed to me more diverse, I am a little doubtful.

Of course, we didn't spend much time in Oakland, other than at the ballpark. Therefore, the Attractions, Where to Eat, and Trivia sections above contain the same info as the San Francisco pages. But you will find some detail on the ballpark and game recap pages, so please enjoy those.