Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
HIKING & CYCLING THE BAY BRIDGE
Why should the Golden Gate get all the outdoor action? Inaugurated in 2013, the
Bay
Bridge Trail
(
www.baybridgeinfo.org/path
) is a separated pedestrian and bicycle path along
the new Bay Bridge span between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island. The path has two ac-
cess points: from outside the Ikea store on Shellmound St in Emeryville (1.5 miles from
the MacArthur BART station), and from the corner of Maritime St and Burma Rd in West
Oakland. One-way distances are about 5 miles from Emeryville and 3.5 miles from West
Oakland, and a number of benches line the trail so you can drink in the open vistas.
510-836-2311;
www.bayareabikerentals.net
; 427 Water St; rentals per day from $25 ;
10am-5pm
Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat & Sun) rents bikes with helmets and locks.
Oakland
Named for the grand oak trees that once lined its streets, Oakland is to San Francisco what
Brooklyn is to Manhattan. To some degree a less expensive alternative to the nearby city
of hills, it's often where people have fled to escape pricey San Francisco housing costs. An
ethnically diverse city, Oakland has a strong African American community and a long
labor union history. Urban farmers raise chickens in their backyard or occupy abandoned
lots to start community gardens, families find more room to stretch out, and self-satisfied
residents thumb their noses at San Francisco's fog while basking in a sunnier Mediter-
ranean climate.
