Living in the San Francisco Bay Area

Oakland, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the nation, is a recreational, business and cultural center. Children's Hospital is centrally located in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood, approximately 10 miles from San Francisco and 2.5 Miles from the University of California, Berkeley.  Most residents and fellows find suitable housing in one of Oakland's many neighborhoods, located just minutes away from Children's Hospital.

Oakland's mild climate means nearly year-round access to 500 nearby miles of parkland trails and virtually guarantees your free time can be spent outdoors.  In Oakland, you'll discover the Oakland Museum, a bustling Chinatown, Jack London Square and the spectacular art deco Paramount Theater of the Arts, home to the Oakland Symphony and an array of cultural events.

The Oakland A's baseball team, the Golden State Warriors basketball team and the Oakland Raiders football team attract crowds to the Oakland Coliseum complex near Oakland International Airport.

Immediately north of Oakland is Berkeley, offering an eclectic mix of arts, theater, and collegiate sports. The East Bay has an extraordinary range of dining choices, from authentic ethnic fare to internationally acclaimed California cuisine.

The Bay Bridge connects Oakland to all the varied attractions of San Francisco, located about 15 minutes away by automobile or train on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).

It is easy to see why the Bay Area is one of California's most desirable areas to live and work. Accessible for day or weekend trips from the Bay Area are the wine country of Napa and Sonoma counties, the magnificent Redwoods, Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada including Yosemite and scenic coastal areas such as Big Sur, the Monterey Peninsula and Mendocino. Water sports, cross-country and downhill skiing, fishing, camping and other outdoor recreational activities are easily enjoyed by our residents.

Resources

Visitors

• Destination Oakland

Housing

• Craigslist
  The most useful tool for finding Bay Area housing

• Google Housing Maps with rental listings
  A website that couples Google Maps with Craigslist

Transportation

• Transit 511.org  Bay Area public transit trip planner wizard and maps
  
  
• AC Transit (Alameda County Transportation) Local bus system
  
  
• BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Connects the San Francisco Peninsula with Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Dublin/Pleasanton and other cities in the East Bay.

• East Bay Bicycle Coalition
  Information on biking for transportation or recreation.

• Free Shuttle Services
  Children’s free shuttle service from the Hospital to the nearby BART station

Restaurants

• Best of San Francisco Restaurant Guide
• City Search Restaurant Guide
• Yelp.com
• East Bay Express
• 7X7 Magazine Eat+Drink
• Jatbar: Jason and Terry's Bay Area Review
  

Local Museum and Cultural Institutions

• Alcatraz Island
• Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
• Bay Area Discovery Museum
• Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
• California Academy of Sciences
• California Palace of Legion of Honor
• Center for the Arts at Yerba Buena Gardens
• Chabot Space & Science Center
• Children's Discovery Museum
• Exploratorium
• Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley
• M.H. de Young Museum
• Mission Cultural Center of Latino Arts
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Museum of the African Diaspora
• Oakland Museum
• Precita Eyes Mural Arts & Visitors Center

Outdoors

• East Bay Regional Park District
  Information about parks and recreation in the East Bay
• Golden Gate National Recreation Area
  Information about the Golden Gate National Parks
• Mount Diablo State Park
  Information about Mount Diablo State Park
• Point Reyes National Seashore
  Information about the Point Reyes recreation area

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