The Ultimate Locals’ Guide to Visiting Oakland

Think “hip, up-and-coming city in the U.S.,” and there’s a good chance Oakland, California, will immediately come to mind. The city has always been cool — home to diverse residents, multicultural cuisine and natural sights — but increasingly, it’s been adding more quintessentially Oakland attractions to the mix, and the masses are catching on.

The city offers a cultural urban vibe that, compared to its pricey San Francisco neighbor, is enjoyable on a budget. But the real heart and soul of Oakland is its locals — warm, friendly and abundantly creative. Look around, and you may spot them busking, guitar-strumming or decorating the city with brilliant, socially conscious street art. After visiting, you might very well decide to stay forever, too.

Staying forever is exactly what Jessie Fetterling and Diane Tadano have decided to do.  Both have lived in the city for several years and are bona-fide experts on all it has to offer.

Jessie is such a fan of the city, she penned the guidebook “100 Things to Do in Oakland Before You Die,” available on Amazon.  A travel aficionado by passion and trade, she has written about wanderlust for Where San Francisco, TravelAge West, Prevue, Diablo and Time.com. 

Diane was previously the manager of one of Oakland’s most Oakland-y haunts: the New Parkway Theater, which connects locals and visitors to the community through Doc Nights, film festivals, special screenings and Karma Cinema, which kicks back part of ticket profits to local nonprofits.

We asked both to select their Oakland faves, so even those stopping in for a few days can feel like a tried-and-true local.

The Fox Theatre; New Parish; Starline Social Club; Yoshi’s

Jessie has seen such hot indie acts as Jenny Lewis, The Devil Makes Three, Yonder Mountain String Band, Spoon and Talib Kweli perform at the historic, extremely popular Fox Theatre downtown. But, she says, “I also have to give a shout-out to the New Parish and Starline Social Club, both of which know how to highlight the local music scene.”

Diane has enjoyed the sophisticated sounds of Goapale and Ledisi at Yoshi’s, a classy jazz club-meets-sushi lounge near Jack London Square.

Oakland Museum of California

Jessie and Diane agree that this museum is the place to be, giving kudos to an extensive Black Panthers exhibit in particular. They also concur that it’s best to show up on a Friday night, when DJs spin music, wine is served and food trucks show up en masse. Jessie calls the scene “quintessentially Oakland and a good taste of the community, in the same way Grand Lake Farmers Market on Friday mornings is, or First Friday events are on Telegraph.”

Diane notes that you can reserve a picnic table outside the museum on Friday evenings, to eat with friends before or after hitting up the exhibits.

Mua; Scott’s Seafood 

Jessie likes Mua, a high-design tapas restaurant in downtown that’s “upscale but not too crazy expensive.” 

When Diane wants an elegant night out, she heads for Scott’s, a waterfront, white-tablecloth favorite. “Everyone’s dressed up here,” she notes — so leave your jeans at home.