Bay Area Real Estate & Development Blog | Oakland, Piedmont & Cupertino - Restaurants

Small Town America in Oakland,CA-The Glenview District

If there was ever a small town neighborhood within a larger town, it would be the Glenview District, in Oakland.  Located adjacent to the the Trestle Glen and Oakmore neighborhoods, it, like all small towns, has it's "main street" --in this case, Park Boulevard--which is filled with local shops and small merchants that serve the needs of its residents.  For most of these residents, these amenities are within walking or biking distance.  Many of the restaurant in the small complex are highly rated, the market is handy and well stocked, and an excellent coffee shop attracts Saturday and Sunday morning get togethers among friends.

Developed the 1920's and 1930's along the trolley lines running up and down Park Boulevard, it grew, as the areas around it…

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A Busy Week At Oakland's Jack London Square

While Oakland's Jack London Square is always busy with events for people of all ages, this week is especially active.  The weather is going to be warm and inviting, and the views across to San Francisco are always pleasant at any time of the year.  In the last few years, the Square has become one of the major social centers of a reviving Oakland downtown. It is visited by boaters, by tourists off the latest San Francisco ferry which stops there, and young couples with their children arriving from all over the area. For the more adventurous, they can choose to  rent a kayak, and get out on the water on their own. 

Located at the foot of Broadway, here are some things that are scheduled for this week on the Square:

A. CELEBRATE EARTH DAY-Sunday,…

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Four Important Steps to Consider When Picking Your Bay Area Neighborhood

As you begin to consider purchasing your new home, your choice of neighborhood, no matter what part of the San Francisco Bay Area tht you choose, becomes paramount.  I want to assist you in every way to find the very best home for you and your family.  It takes time to find the neighborhood that best suits your needs.  Not only do we want to find it for your use now, but we also want to have it be suitable enough so that its resale value is assured.

Here are some thing we will consider when looking for the right place to call home:

1. Does It Have Good Access to Employment, Shopping and Transit?  Will it be a hassle to drive to work everyday or to catch public transit?  Are there reasonable shopping areas nearby to meet your needs for food,…

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Out On San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay is one of the most inviting recreational areas in the United States.  You can see bulky container ships moving slowly among the graceful sailboats that are racing each other from one point to another.  Every portion of the bay has sweeping views of some portion of the city that the Gold Rush built. 

Recently, I was able to get out on the water with some friends, and really began to appreciate all that the area has to offer.  We went on one of the best ways to see it in comfort-The Oakland/Alameda Ferry.  Whether you have a home in Oakland, or one in Alameda, it is just a short trip to their ferry terminal. We left from Alameda's terminal because the parking is often easier, and then, after a brief stop at Jack London Square to pick up…

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Discovering Oakland's Jack London Square

A recent trip to Jack London Square made me aware of the amazing variety of things for a family to see and do there. While you can go any day, planning your trip to coincide with some of the scheduled events there make things so much more fun for you and your children. It is located at the foot of Broadway in Oakland, where Broadway meets the Oakland Estuary. On the Estuary you will see boats of every size and description from the huge container ships loading their cargo, to the yachts in the adjacent harbor, to the little kyacks in the water trying to avoid them all. If you are looking for adventure on the water, the San Francisco Bay Ferry docks there, and leaves for San Francisco on a regular basis. From there you can go to the Ferry Building,…

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Oakland real estate film from the 20's and Heinold's Saloon

I found some great vintage footage from the 20's that a real estate developer made of the Oakland area. It was trumpeting all of the great things about the Oakland in regards to shipping and transportation. Oakland had one of the largest train hubs and continues to have one of the largest shipping ports on the west coast. There are some great shots of Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon built in 1883, it looks the same today as it did back then. The name was based upon the fact that Alameda was a 'dry' town. If you were coming or going to Alameda on the ferry, Heinold's was your first and last chance to get a drink. There are also some great shots of the Tribune tower and downtown Oakland as well as the shipping ports that made Oakland famous. I will…

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A walk down Alameda's Park Street

While on my way to meet a friend at the new Alameda Theater I was reflecting on the diversity of retail opportunities on the 3 short blocks of the central Park Street shopping area.  After the movie, we wandered down to Tomatina for an early dinner.  As we walked, I began to take note of which businesses were on Park St. and I was pleasantly surprised.Starting at Lincoln and Park Street, and continuing down just 3 short blocks to Encinal, a shopper can find two antique stores, a large bookstore, four children’s stores selling toys and clothing, your standard Peet’s and Starbucks, a coin dealer, two bicycle shops, a store devoted to dogs, a large shoe store,  a handsome high end clothing store, and restaurants too numerous to list, but with food choices…

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Alameda is Changing

One of my favorite quick lunchtime meals is sushi from Sushi King in the Marketplace on Park St. in Alameda. It is a very small open air stall with only 4 seats and lots of fabulous to-go sushi. Everyone working there is pleasant and friendly and they treat their customers like 'kings'. They don't have as many fancy fish options like toro or aji but the fish is very fresh and healthy. My usual is the spicy tuna roll and a maguro nigiri. Where else can you sit in between a fresh fish market, JP Seafood, and a butcher, Baron's Meats, and eat fresh sushi?

Baron's has been around since 1915 and they store aged beef in glass lockers for their customers. You can order your personal steaks cut from your very own side of beef. Very Cool.

Also…

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