Neighborhoods

The neighborhood that walks the line between boutique and livable. Dense with coffee options, reliable for lunch, and one of the better evening-drink neighborhoods in the city.

Sprawling and uneven, but SoMa contains some of the best roastery cafés and cocktail bars in the city. Worth navigating if you know where you're going.

College Avenue is one of the best walkable streets in the East Bay — good coffee, decent wine selection, and a farmers market that's worth making the trip for on Sundays.

Oakland's most coffee-forward neighborhood — and one of the best for a long Saturday with nowhere to be. Telegraph Ave pulls all the foot traffic; the side streets hide the better rooms.

Dense, walkable, and anchored by BART — Downtown Berkeley is the East Bay's most transit-accessible neighborhood for running errands sustainably. Strong farmers market on Sundays.

More dog-friendly than its reputation suggests. Downtown University Ave is walkable and well-patios'd; the creekside trails are legitimately good. Worth the Caltrain trip.