How to Explore the East Bay's Best Neighborhoods

Day or night, there's plenty to do in the East Bay.

Oakland, Berkeley and the rest of the East Bay is frequently overshadowed by the famous attractions of San Francisco. Those heading to the east side of the bay, however, will discover a wealth of delightful-and distinctive-districts, each with its own flavor and variety of offerings. Here's a quick overview.

Things You'll Need

• Comfortable walking shoes

Instructions

1. Solano Avenue is an east-west artery running from the North Berkeley foothills to busy San Pablo Avenue in Albany. You won't find a nicer avenue anywhere in America, with inviting sidewalk cafés, great ethnic eateries ranging from Indian to Vietnamese, and hips shops and watering holes as well. Fonda, about halfway down the strip, is a superb stop to snack on a few tapas or imbibe in an exotic cocktail.

2. The "Gourmet Ghetto" in North Berkeley is most famed as home to Chez Panisse-one of the finest restaurants in the country-but visitors will also enjoy one of the best independent bookstores in the region (Black Oak Books) and a pizza parlor (the Cheese Board) that attracts a long line of patrons every day come lunchtime. If you're here on a Thursday afternoon, the farmers market by Shattuck and Rose is a delight.

3. Downtown Berkeley is centered south of the UC Campus on Telegraph and Shattuck Avenues. Shattuck offers some worthwhile nightspots-such as the hip pool hall Thalassa-but trek to Telegraph if you want to get a true feel for Berkeley's funky side. People-watching ranges from co-eds to deadheads, and there's no end to the cool boutiques or good cheap eats; and if you're seeking live blues and frosty brews, Larry Blake's is as good as it gets.

4. Berkeley's Fourth Street has blossomed over the past two decades from an industrial suburb into an affluent hive of shopping and dining activity. While the trendy shopping is the big draw, what's even more impressive is the trove of top-tier restaurants to be experienced in the very flat and traversable neighborhood. Among the best choices are Bette's Oceanview Diner, the popular Café Rouge and Spenger's Fish Grotto, an "old-school" seafood palace where the atmosphere is the real attraction.

5. Rockridge is a splendid section of College Avenue cutting through the lower Oakland foothills that offers a little bit of everything. A wealth of top restaurants runs the gamut from casual fare (like the scrumptious hamburgers at Barney's) to elegant Asian offerings (such as the stylish Grasshopper), and the never-ending shopping options include everything from fashion to antiques to home and garden.

6. Piedmont is as pleasant a neighborhood as you'll find anywhere, a throwback to a simpler time and place when people still waved to each other on the street and the local ice cream fountain was the hub of activity. Well it still is on Piedmont, where Fenton's Creamery has been around since 1894; and the Oakland avenue is also home to the boisterous Cato's Ale House, the city's best Mediterranean fare (at Baywolf's) and a cool cinema totally devoted to foreign and indie films.

7. Grand Avenue (adjoining Lakeshore) is a wide boulevard of attractive shops, eateries and more, including the famed Grand Lake Theater, one of the nation's most impressive old Art Deco movie houses. If you're in the neighborhood at night, make sure to stop by The Alley, a down-to-earth piano bar with live tunes at least five nights a week; just across the street, Kingman's Lucky Lounge is another hopping nightspot.

Tips & Warnings

• Other neighborhoods to consider include: Jack London Square at the Oakland waterfront; Temescal in North Oakland; Oakland's Lake Merritt area (and nearby Chinatown) and Berkeley's small but likeable Westbrae section.

• Be cautious when walking alone at night, particularly in downtown and East Oakland.