local's guide: alameda flea market and temescal alley

On the first Sunday of every month, one of my favorite flea markets takes place just over the bay bridge – the alameda antiques fair. This is the largest antiques show in Northern California and features over 800 different dealers. It is so fun to wander the endless aisles full of unique history and design and pick out little souvenirs here and there for your home. We've found a ton of great furniture pieces here, as well as tiny little trinkets sprinkled around on bookshelves or side tables. Below are a few tips and tricks for a weekend in Oakland – and the full guide will be featured on this page soon. 

Alameda flea:

• Arrive early [like, be there by 8am]. The later it gets the harder time you'll have with parking and with staying sane while you navigate through all of the little shops. 
• Bring cash! The reception out there is terrible which makes using square/credit card machines hard. And the ATM has a high service fee. 
• Free parking & shuttles, no pets
   

Temescal alley:
This little pedestrian shopping district is located in North Oakland's Temescal, and features eighteen local shops situated in early 20th century structures, including those which formerly served as horse stalls for the historic horse-drawn trolleys.

Now preserved and repurposed to compliment original architectural details, these beautiful spaces house a lively and inspiring community of small businesses that present the perfect blend of quality goods and services. It's worth popping into every single shop, but some of my favorites [and those that are photographed below] are:

• Shop & Browse: Esqueleto, Marisa Mason, Walrus, Crimson [plants!]
• Eat & Drink: Dona Tomas, Pizzaiolo [the best! but not open on sunday], Boot and Shoe, Doughnut Dolly, Burma Superstar, Aunt Mary's Cafe
   

a saturday in the east bay

three day weekend, what's up! saturday started with some *much needed* yoga at yttp– afterwards we hopped on our bikes and with a little assistance from the bart, we were exploring oakland in no time. we're kinda oakland junkies lately. some highlights include an amazing lunch at the trappist, followed by a 30 minute ride thru some interesting parts of town... over to missouri lounge, hello dive bar.
 

later that night we hit up velvet cantina for dinner – my recent trip to austin has me on a queso kick. after dinner we had a few drinks in the back yard of el rio. i LOVE this place. one day i hope to actually try their famous flatbreads. 
 

^^ our night ended at little baobab – though we were disappointed by the recent expansion {we used to love the small sweaty feel of the old grungy spot, but oh well} – we still had a great time dancing the night away and closing out our evening with a nutella crepe. cheers! 

pizzaiolo [in oakland]

pizzaiolo in oakland may be my new favorite restaurant ever. a few weeks back on our way in from tahoe, we made a little pit stop... little did we know that it happened to be the place we always walk by and say "we neeeeeed to go there". the outdoor patio, colorful decor, quality of the food {and the creativity}, combined with the amazing wine and cocktails made for the perfect afternoon.
 

^^ later we stopped at an awesome bar for some last minute oaklandness. this place is so up our alley – fresh cocktails, shuffle board, and outdoor space. i'll definitely be back. 
 

biking in oakland

last week we took the bart {and the bikes} over to oakland and spent the day exploring. it was amazing for a few reasons: a. it's flat over there {awesome} b. you learn so much about a city when you're on a bike – we're oakland pros now. and c. it is H.O.T with minimal wind. hello sweet summer day!
 

^^ later we stopped for lunch and drinks at grand lake kitchen– we had a great time sitting outside, people watching and devouring a few BLTAs. 
 

happy sunday everyone! 

an afternoon in oakland

oakland is to sf as brooklyn is to nyc? i was always good at analogies. kind of. anyway, saturday was spent doing some more exploring across the bay bridge at places like OSC, linden brewery, and an amazing little pizza joint boot and shoe. it was a beautiful day to just walk around, buy some open air plants, and drink beer.
 

^^ these two mega babes got to be male models for the day. later that night jake and dad made everyone a delicious home cooked meal using the fire escape grill and a great recipe from men's magazine. we took our full-of-bison-bellies and spent our night drinking whisky at nihon, and listening to some live music at royal cuckoo. a great little saturday – cheers!