7 ms·

Oakland is really lacking in a few ways though. Aside from the fact that you can't walk for more than a mile without seeing something really depressing, the thi

Oakland is really lacking in a few ways though. Aside from the fact that you can't walk for more than a mile without seeing something really depressing, the thing that really creeps me out about Oakland (and I'm an East Bay resident) is the lack of shops. How can there be a city of half a million people with no malls and no department stores? Heck, there's hardly even any supermarkets. Restaurantwise, there's a few good ones, but not really enough to satisfy your every whim. Barwise, once you've removed all the really unsafe ones you've got just a handful left, scattered among Oakland's three or four safe neighbourhoods and separated by miles of "don't go here at night". The weather is better (slightly) and the rent is cheaper (much) though.

aaroneous 17y ago
Shopping in Oakland is generally more "village-centric" than the big-box Westfield mega-mall approach. I prefer the variety and experience you can get with the smaller stores, though it definitely lacks the convenience of one-stop shopping a large mall can provide. I strongly disagree with your assessment of restaurants in Oakland. Oakland has a lot of amazing eateries, including many of what are regarded as the "top 50" of the bay area. Piedmont Ave, Lakeshore, Uptown, Jack London, Oldtown, Rockridge, Temescal and Lake Merritt are all fantastic neighborhoods for eating (and shopping too). They're all close to each other (walking distance), relatively safe and just generally cool places to hang out. I've been an East Bay resident for a long time and, before getting to know the city better, most of my experience was based on the bad press I had heard. If you spend some time exploring some of the cities gems I think you'll be very surprised. I was.