We Love Oakland!

We Love Oakland! Bike Rides

Weekend Getaway

3 routes: Friday - 3 miles | Saturday - 6 miles | Sunday - 6 miles

Keep it Female, Keep it Oakland

Lake Merritt Cycletrack

Lake Merritt Pergola

Lake Merritt Cycletrack

About the Curator

Route Overview

Kara works as a Planner at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. When not working on new mobility and Complete Streets, she’s usually thrifting or exploring the Bay Area by bike, foot and transit with her husband and their new daughter. She’s documenting her experience on Twitter @multimodalmom

The stops include farmers markets, a museum, a boat house, and a historic theater, cemetery and ice cream parlor. Since Oakland is a city that loves local and conscious shopping, there is also the best of Oakland thrift and vintage boutiques, and many of my favorite places to grab a coffee, drink and food to keep you fueled throughout the way. Hopefully by the end of the ride, you’ll love Oakland, like #WeloveOakland.

Itinerary and Biking Distance

This itinerary was designed as a weekend getaway, with routes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, ranging in 3-6 miles each, a leisurely distance with plenty of rest stops.

Note from Bikabout founder, Megan Ramey

It gives me great pleasure to publish this Best Bike Ride because Kara and I go way back as bike advocates in Boston. She held a then brand position for LivableStreets Alliance and I as a board member. Now, she’s a new mom and I expect great things from this family and East Bay bike advocacy!

Arizmendi Bakery was dang good!

Click "Free Map" button above map for printable double-sided version.

Free Bike Map

Bike Map: We Love Oakland

+ Map & Bikes (click to expand)

BIKE SHARE

• Bay Wheels - $2+ per trip or $10 per day, up to 30 minutes for free, for electric bike with basket and lights

RENTAL SHOPS

• Alameda Bicycles - kids and adult bikes for rent.
• Lakeview Bicycles - $15/3 hours or $30/day for more for a 3-speed city bike includes lock and helmet.

SPINLISTER

• "Airbnb for bikes"-rent a wide variety of bikes from locals

BIKE SHOPS

• Blue Heron Bikes - Berkeley transportation bike shop selling Brompton, Bullitt, Faraday, Rivendell, Riese & Muller, Soma, Surly, Urban Arrow, Xtracycle and Yuba.

• Hank & Franks - Berkeley long-running bike & accessory vendor offering free lifetime service for bikes purchased on-site.

• Lucky Duck Bicycle Cafe - Oakland bike shop and cafe featuring healthy diner fare with vegan options.

• Spokes Bike Lounge - Berkeley family bike shop selling Bikes at Work, Bike Friday, Cero, Cleary, Dahon, Felt and Xtracycle.

• Tip Top Bike Shop - Oakland bike shop selling Brompton, Kona, Surly, Tribe, and Yuba

TOURS

• East Bay Winery Bike Tours - "Enjoy the urban wine boom on a bike. Now you can taste and learn by the glass. Drink wine poured by the vintner. The way they used to in Napa. Easy bike tours of 'wine city', the local alternative to wine country."

• This is Oakland Bike Tour - $75 per person for a great overview of Central Oakland by covering historical, architectural, cultural, sociopolitical and fun facts about the Downtown, Uptown, Jack London, West Oakland, and Grand Lake/Lakeshore neighborhoods.

Google Map

To open this is Google Maps on your phone:

1. Click the star ★ on the map above

2. Launch Google Maps on your phone

3. Menu to "Your Places"

4. Click "Best Bike Ride: We Love Oakland"

Ride with GPS

To open this in Ride with GPS on you phone:

1. Download the RideWithGPS app

2. Launch app

3. Menu to "search routes" for Oakland

4. When you find "Best Bike Ride: We Love Oakland", click 3 dots and select, "Ride This"

Knimble Consignment had us with their cat-themed PSA

Itineraries for 2.5 days in Oakland

We’ve divided Kara’s favorites into 3 bite-sized rides. Numbers, 1-11, represent eats, drinks and sights and Letters, A-E, are the highlights, not to be missed.

+ FRIDAY Itinerary (click to expand)

1. BICYCLE COFFEE | 364 2nd St, Oakland | bicyclecoffeeco.com

Bicycle Coffee roasts quality coffee, grown by sustainable farms and delivers it by bicycle. Need I say more? Get your bike tuned up every Saturday while you sip on your coffee. They're also at Grand Lake Farmer's Market on Saturdays.

A. OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA | 1000 Oak St, Oakland | museumca.org | (510)318-8400

If you're in town for a Friday night, head here for "First Fridays." You'll enjoy delicious food trucks (Senor Sigig is a goodie), drinks, fantastic live music, and a family friendly atmosphere. Then head into the museum for 1/2 price adult and free kids gallery admission.

2. FOX THEATER | 1807 Telegraph Ave, Oakland | thefoxoakland.com | (510)302-2250

This theater, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, opened in 1928 and ran films until 1970. It was refurbished and reopened in 2009 as a concert venue. The architecture is phenomenal.

3. SHANDONG RESTAURANT | 328 10th St #101, Oakland | shandongoakland.com | (510)839-2299

Best Chinese restaurant in the East Bay. Don't just take my word for it, it recently won Best Chinese Restaurant in Oakland by East Bay Express. This place is known for its hand made noodles and dumplings.

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We have the best cheesemongers at our markets!! Say hi to Julia if you find yourself at the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland! - - - #grandlakefarmersmarket #aimfarmersmarkets #farmersmarket #oakland #cheesemongers #farmstead #knowyourfarmer #buylocal #tomalesfarmsteadcreamery #tolumafarms #dailydriversf

A post shared by Tomales Farmstead Creamery (@tomalesfarmsteadcreamery) on Aug 17, 2019 at 10:36am PDT

+ SATURDAY Itinerary (click to expand)

4. BLUE BOTTLE COFFEE | 300 Webster St, Oakland | bluebottlecoffee.com | 510-653-3394

Enjoy local coffee at the peak of its flavor at Blue Bottle. Blue Bottle is expanding, but this Webster St location opened in 2009. On Sundays, there's free public coffee tastings and a "How to Brew" series.

B. GRAND LAKE FARMERS MARKET | Lake Park Ave, Oakland | marinfarmersmarkets.org | 415-472-6100

If you're in town on a Saturday, the Grand Lake Farmers Market is a must! Family, pet and bike friendly, with a large, diverse vendor list. This market wins best farmers market of the East Bay year after year! You won't be disappointed.

5.1 MARIBEL | 599 El Embarcadero, Oakland | maribeloakland.com | 510-419-0677

A favorite, local hangout. Come here to witness all that is fabulous This small consignment boutique offers high-ticket designer items, with great bags, boots and shoes. There's a 50% off rack in the back.

5.2 ARIZMENDI BAKERY | 599 El Embarcadero, Oakland | arizmendilakeshore.com | 510-268-8849

This worker owned co-op bakery is delicious! Stop in for a fresh, local pizza, soup or salad of the day. Then grab a cookie or scone for the road. Show your helmet for 10% off. There's also a great bike corral across the street.

6. THE PERGOLA AT LAKE MERRITT | 599 El Embarcadero, Oakland | 510-238-7275

A favorite, local hangout. Come here to witness all that is fabulous about Oakland: Lake Merritt, the city skyline, cultural diversity, and the young and old running, strolling, dancing, slack-roping and grilling.

C. LAKE MERRITT BOATING CENTER | 568 Bellevue Ave, Oakland | sailoakland.com | 510-238-2196

Rent a kayak, canoe or sailboat at this recently renovated community boating center. This is a great way to see Oakland from the water.

7. HEINOLD'S | Jack London Square, 48 Webster St, Oakland | oaklandsaloon.com | 510-839-6761

Have a beer or cocktail on the water at this 1883 bar that was built from the remnants of an old whaling ship. Heinold's pub introduced Oakland native Jack London to the sailors and adventurers that influenced his writing, which is why it's nickname is Jack London's Rendezvous.

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When the giant “Banana Special” comes out at @fentons_creamery #👶🏽🍦 👌🏽👌🏽 #foodbabylovesfentonscreamery #foodbabynytosanfrancisco

A post shared by Food Baby (@foodbabyny) on Aug 30, 2018 at 9:02am PDT

+ SUNDAY Itinerary (click to expand)

D. JACK LONDON FARMERS MARKET | Webster St & Embarcadero West, Oakland | www.cuesa.org | 415-291-3276

If you're in town on a Sunday, don't miss the Jack London Square's Farmer's Market. Located along the car-free Water St path, this market is a community gem with a great mix of produce and local artisans.

8. SUBROSA COFFEE | 419 40th St, Oakland | subrosacoffee.com | 510-740-8020

This is great stop for 4 reasons. 1. Good local, strong coffee. 2. Beautiful crowdfunded parklet out front with bike parking. 3. Located at the corner of a bike boulevard. 4. Next to a bike shop if you need air or accessories.

E. MOUNTAIN VIEW CEMETERY | 5000 Piedmont Ave, Oakland | mountainviewcemetery.org | 510-658-2588

The best, bikeable Bay Area View from Oakland. Immerse yourself in history, beautiful landscape architecture and stunning views from this 226-acre cemetery designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Don't miss "Millionaire's Row."

9. FENTON'S CREAMERY | 4226 Piedmont Ave, Oakland | fentonscreamery.com | 510-658-7000

If you don't mind a bit of a line (because the ice cream is so good) check out this local mainstay. Its been around since 1984! It's said to be the original birthplace of rocky road ice cream. If you're an ice cream lover, you have to taste Fenton's.

10. MERCY VINTAGE | 4188 Piedmont Ave, Oakland | mercyvintage.com | 510-654-5599

Boutique offering a selection of vintage clothes & accessories for women in a 1920s-era space.

11.1. URBAN UNIVERSITY | 3237 Grand Ave, Oakland | urbanuniv.org | 510-835-3165

This nonprofit operates two second hand social enterprises,urban furniture and urban boutique. urban university hires, transitions and empowers single moms from public assistance. Women's and men's clothing, home goods and furniture.

11.2 KNIMBLE | 3258 Grand Ave, Oakland | knimble.com | 510-645-1314

One of the biggest second hand consignment shops in Oakland. Large men's and women's sections on both floors, with great, local, natural body products, jewelry and makeup.

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"This bar is recognized as a literary and National Register landmark. Yes, a bar: Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon. John M. Heinold used $100, and the help of a ship's carpenter to turn the timbers of an abandoned stern-wheel paddle steamer named Umatilla into a saloon. It opened its doors on June 1, 1884, and it hasn't changed. The tables and furnishings inside date back to that old whaling ship, and it is the last commercial establishment in the state that uses its original gas lighting. The walls have signed dollar bills left there by sailors and soldiers. Oakland (@visitoakland) is a port city, and many of them were deployed nearby. They left the money so they could buy a drink upon their return, but not everyone made it back. It is still their money, and it is still waiting. The floor is distinctively crooked, and a clock doesn't work. Both events are a result of the 1906 earthquake. More than a hundred years later, the clock still reads 5:18, and the floor is not level. Repairs would mean closing the bar for several days, and Heinold's doesn't do that. According to the Oakland Tribune (@ebtimes), the first time Johnny Heinold kept the entrance door closed was on August 6, 1929. Forty-five years after it opened. Johnny blamed Dr. Fancher, who had insisted, argued, and forced Johnny to schedule a critical surgery. Heinold died four years later, and his son George took over. When George passed away in 1970, his widow kept the business going. She eventually sold it to its current owner, Carol Brookman, who promised to keep things the way they've been for over a century. There is no television to watch sporting events, and phone calls are frowned upon." - Comrade (the human) • "We do not have a blender. We do not carry mint. We do not have coconut anything (including rum)." - @heinoldsoakland • "But listen to what they think about us, buddies. 🐶" - Sinatra • "We L.O.V.E. dogs. Unfortunately, our restaurant license does NOT allow our furry friends inside of the saloon. You will find we have everything to accommodate dogs outside on our patio including water bowls, free treats, belly rubs and the occasional friend to play with." - @heinoldsoakland

A post shared by Travel Adventure Dog | Sinatra (@alfrescodog) on Nov 24, 2019 at 6:12pm PST