A region that once stood in the shadow of its ritzy neighbor across the water, San Francisco’s East Bay is casting shadows of its own with a towering arts and culture scene, trend-setting dining, enviable green space and an ethnic palette as colorful as a Matisse canvas.
Berkeley
Known for its left-tilted politics and vocal counterculture, Berkeley melds college-town enthusiasm with sophisticated tastes, and its varied neighborhoods reflect the delicate balance. While the city’s hippie hangover is long gone (well, mostly), in its place Berkeley continues to grow as a hub of art, music and food. It is heralded as the birthplace of California cuisine, spearheaded by Alice Waters’ restaurant Chez Panisse.
"Berkeley is very eclectic. It has a small-town flavor but it is an urban city with a European feel—great culture, great restaurants, a great walking town," says Barbara Hillman, CEO of the Berkeley CVB. "For anyone looking for new venues and getting tired of the big city, Berkeley is a great alternative."
At Berkeley’s core is its UC Berkeley campus, which is flanked by an assortment of unique neighborhoods, such as North Shattuck’s Gourmet Ghetto, the Fourth Street shopping district and the Downtown Berkeley Arts District.
"What’s neat about Berkeley for meetings is it’s a walkable town with great little neighborhoods all within a couple of miles of each other," Hillman says, noting that BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) offers three stops from San Francisco International Airport or Oakland International Airport to different parts of Berkeley.
Gourmet Ghetto comprises a three-block area on Upper Shattuck, featuring local favorites the Cheese Board Collective, Saul’s Restaurant & Delicatessen and the original Peet’s coffeehouse. In the Kitchen with Lisa offers culinary tours Thursday afternoons, with stops at Epicurious Garden, known for its eclectic food shops, as well as the area’s weekly all-organic farmers market. Groups can also rent space at Kitchen on Fire for cooking classes or cooking parties.
Performance companies calling the Downtown Arts District home include the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and it is home to Jazzschool and Freight and Salvage, all open to groups.
Even "hippy-trippy" Telegraph Avenue is going through a change, according to Hillman.
"You don’t have the street lined with vendors anymore. Now there are more restaurants and shopping," she says. "It doesn’t have the hippie tie-dye feel as it did 20 to 30 years ago. The Fourth Street area is also doing very well, with nice upscale boutique shops, restaurants and cafes."
While Berkeley is seeing neighborhood transformations, the CVB has also stepped up with a new logo and revamped website at Visitberkeley.com. The website now includes a specific tab on the home page for meeting planners, including hotel and other conference facilities and a list of meeting venues. There is also an RFP function on the site for planners.
Berkeley has also been busy over the last couple of years upgrading its hotel inventory.
"About a year and a half or two years ago we saw a big upswing in hotel renovations; we had $57 million reinvested back into lodging facilities, including the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, which was shut down in 2007," Hillman says. "It was bought by new owners and renovated with $25 million, and reopened last year."
Among the other meetings properties are Bancroft Hotel, Hotel Durant and Doubletree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center. Hotel Durant and the Doubletree have both finished major renovations in the last couple of years.
In the Berkeley hills is the venerable Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa, a favorite meetings retreat that has also recently received significant upgrades (see story, page 22).
The UC campus offers group space at the Berkeley Faculty Club and 6,000-seat Hearst Greek Theatre. One current renovation is the ASUC Auxiliary on the UC campus, with 12,000 square feet of meeting space. The venue is currently closed and is slated to reopen by the end of the year.
Oakland
Distinct and diverse neighborhoods are also part of the Oakland experience, many of which are within walking distance of the centrally located Oakland Convention Center.
"Oakland is a culturally rich city. It’s certainly accessible and affordable, the weather is amazing year-round, and we can host a decent-sized convention located in the city center, within walking distance to so much," says Manette Belliveau, president and CEO of the Oakland CVB. "I think from the standpoint of a delegate, that is a big advantage. And if you want to experience San Francisco, in 11 minutes you can be there on BART."
Walkable areas include Old Oakland, lined with restored Victorian buildings dating back to the 1870s that now house shops, galleries and restaurants.
"What we’re seeing because budgets are so tight is that fewer groups are having functions like the meals—they are narrowing it down to a welcome reception and a closing banquet," Belliveau notes. "I see a lot more people at lunch going out to Old Oakland to get something to eat."
The 25-block district dubbed Chinatown encompasses other Asian influences as well, and is home to shops, restaurants and the annual Chinatown Streetfest.
The burgeoning Uptown is also close by, home to the renovated, 2,800-seat Fox Oakland Theatre.
"Five years ago there was not much there. Most retail spaces were boarded up. The Paramount Theatre was there and they had a few anchor businesses. Now every space is filled with interesting, eclectic galleries, clubs and some a combination of both," Belliveau says.
This summer the city is introducing free shuttle service between Uptown and Jack London Square, which will run from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. The buses will travel primarily along Broadway and will stop in six areas, including Old Oakland and Chinatown and near two BART stations.
The waterfront Jack London Square is home to former presidential yacht the U.S.S. Potomac and Joie de Vivre’s Waterfront Hotel. The square is undergoing a redevelopment, including a planned marketplace patterned after San Francisco’s Ferry Building, though its debut has been delayed due to the economic downturn. Reports are now calling for an opening by the end of the year.
In north Oakland, Piedmont Avenue is lined with specialty boutiques, bookstores, outdoor cafes and coffeehouses, as well as restaurants. Rockridge also brims with unique shops, antique stores, gourmet restaurants and bars. For outdoor options, Lake Merritt is home to one of the country’s oldest national wildlife refuges and offers jogging trails. Nearby is the Grand Lake Theater, built in 1926.
While Oakland’s robust dining scene has been hogging headlines with the likes of Yoshi’s Oakland, Pican, Flora and Bocanova, Belliveau says the art movement is on the cusp of exploding.
"People are beginning to realize Oakland is a mecca for artists; we see that as the next big trend," Belliveau says. "Visitors like to see local art. We have a brand-new feature on our website called Meet the Artist."
Off-site venues include the Oakland Museum of California, which earlier this year reopened its galleries after a $58 million, two-year renovation. The Chabot Space & Science Center offers team-building options such as mock NASA missions and scavenger hunts.
The Oakland Marriott City Center is undergoing a $17 million renovation, with a slated completion by December. The Hilton Oakland Airport is undergoing a renovation as well. The Clarion Hotel Downtown Oakland City Center opened last November.
Tri-Valley
Set along the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay hills, the Tri-Valley area is home to the communities of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville. The Livermore Valley Wine County is a group magnet, with more than 5,000 acres of vineyards. Livermore Valley is purported to be California’s oldest wine region, with the first grapes having been planted in 1839.
"The wine country is a big deal, our largest attraction," says Amy Blaschka, president and CEO of the Tri-Valley, California CVB. "It’s the closest wine country to San Jose and the Silicon Valley. It’s like what Napa was 20 years ago—it’s very approachable."
Two of the vineyards, Concannon and Wente, are undergoing multimillion-dollar facelifts, according to Blaschka. Concannon recently debuted the Underdog Wine Bar, pairing wine with small plates. It also offers the Barrel Room for 95 people and the Trade Development Center for banquets. Groups can use Wente’s upgraded caves for banquets as well, and it also has other group space and hosts an impressive summer concert series. Casa Real at Ruby Hill Winery also caters to groups.
The Livermore First Street Ale House moved to a larger location and now seats up to 40. Also in Livermore, the Vine Cinema is a historic movie theater that was recently renovated and can host events. Off-site favorites include the Umigo Indoor Kart Racing center and Campo di Bocce of Livermore for bocce ball and traditional Italian cuisine.
The Doubletree Livermore was recently renovated and offers 4,200 square feet of meeting space.
In Pleasanton, the Firehouse Arts Center is opening in September. The former brick firehouse will offer 240 seats for multiple setups, a 3,400-square-foot theater, 2,000 square feet of gallery space for receptions and two classrooms. The Marriott Pleasanton and the Hilton Pleasanton are popular with groups.
Dublin’s Shannon Community Center, a Craftsman-style building overlooking a creek, has a variety of spaces for groups, including a banquet hall for 300.
"It’s really a jewel to have that," Blaschka says. "It has a lot of meeting space and you don’t feel like you’re in a box."
Another BART station is in the works at West Dublin, slated to open in spring 2011. The station will be within walking distance of a few hotels on both the Pleasanton side and Dublin side and adjacent to the Stoneridge Shopping Center.
On the hotel side, the Radisson in Dublin recently underwent a flag change and is now the Holiday Inn Dublin, with 234 guest rooms, a lounge and 6,500 square feet of meeting space.
Farthest north in the Tri-Valley, Danville features an attractive downtown and the Tao House, where Eugene O’Neill lived when he wrote The Iceman Cometh and Long Day’s Journey Into Night. Meanwhile, Danville’s Blackhawk Museum can host groups.
San Ramon is home to the area’s largest meeting hotels, the San Ramon Marriott, as well as the Bridges Golf Club and Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center.
Contra Costa County
Just east of the Oakland Hills, Contra Costa County lures visitors with wineries, upscale dining and an active performing arts scene.
Hikers head to Mount Diablo, the Bay Area’s tallest mountain, with views from the summit that stretch more than 200 miles in every direction. Another multi-use trail is the Iron Horse Trail, which currently extends from Concord to Dublin and follows the old Southern Pacific Railroad route.
Walnut Creek is the seat of the county.
"Our two real hallmarks are super-upscale restaurants and super-upscale shopping," says Paula Costa, owner of Walnut Creek-based DMC Galavents of California, noting group-friendly dining sensation Va de Vi and a new hot spot, Sasa. Bing Crosby’s Restaurant and Piano Lounge is a unique memorabilia-filled spot with a private dining area for groups.
"We are also a regional center for the arts, with world-class events every week," Costa says.
The Lesher Center for the Arts features ballet and symphony performances and can host groups in its three theaters. The Ruth Bancroft Garden is another group venue.
Avid shoppers can stroll downtown Walnut Creek for mom and pop shops or Broadway Plaza for big-name stores.
Group-friendly hotels include the Embassy Suites Walnut Creek, Renaissance ClubSport Walnut Creek and Holiday Inn Express Walnut Creek. Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa is nearby in Lafayette, which is also home to the Lafayette Reservoir, a prime spot for hiking or jogging.
Another Walnut Creek neighbor, Concord is one of the largest cities in the East Bay and has a variety of shopping and dining options.
"Concord is a great central location," says Carey Mastick, events coordinator for the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce. "There is easy public transportation to San Francisco and Oakland for theater, music and sports, and we’re not far from Napa Valley."
The Sleep Train Pavilion concert venue and Waterworld California can host groups.
