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Suggest a Feature →Alameda & the East Bay
The flat island city across the estuary from Oakland. Bay views, aviation, and affordability.
Coast Guard Island Alameda is the headquarters of the 11th Coast Guard District and a major base in San Francisco Bay — a 148-acre island connected to the city of Alameda by bridge. The base has extensive history as both a Coast Guard facility and a former Naval Air Station (closed in 1997), and the operational responsibilities span the entire Pacific southwest.
Alameda is a quiet, walkable island city of 80,000 — the unusual geography of being an island in San Francisco Bay gives it a distinctive character: mild climate, tree-lined streets of Victorian and craftsman houses, and a beach on the bay side. The city is immediately adjacent to Oakland and 15 minutes from San Francisco by transit.
The Bay Area's extraordinary cultural and outdoor resources are all accessible from Alameda — but at a price point that, while still high by national standards, is meaningfully lower than San Francisco proper. The East Bay (Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville) has its own deep cultural life independent of the city across the Bay.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Burma Superstar (Oakland)
"The best Burmese restaurant in the US. Tea leaf salad is transformative."
The Oakland location of the legendary Burma Superstar serves the tea leaf salad — fermented tea leaves, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, fried garlic, dried shrimp, and sesame seeds — that is singular in American dining. The rainbow salad and mohinga (fish soup noodles) follow. Get there early.
The tea leaf salad is the reason to come. Order two.
Zachary's Chicago Pizza (Oakland)
"The East Bay's beloved deep dish. A 40-year Oakland institution."
A Bay Area institution serving Chicago-style stuffed deep dish that has earned a devoted following over four decades. The spinach and mushroom stuffed is the move. Lines are common on weekends. Worth the wait — this is legitimately one of the best deep dish pizzas on the West Coast.
Order ahead by phone — the deep dish takes 45 minutes to cook. Call before you leave home.
Alameda Natural Grocery / South Shore Center
"Alameda's South Shore has the best everyday eating on the island."
The South Shore shopping center has a genuinely good selection of casual restaurants — Thai, Mexican, Japanese, and the local grocery. For everyday eating and provisioning on Alameda Island, this is the practical answer.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
Tilden Regional Park
"2,000 acres of Berkeley hills above the Bay Area. The East Bay's backyard."
A massive East Bay Regional Park in the Berkeley hills with a carousel, botanical garden, steam train, lake, and dozens of miles of hiking trails. The Jewel Lake nature area is excellent for birding. Views from the ridge take in the entire Bay Area.
Lake Merritt
"A tidal saltwater lake in the heart of Oakland. A bird sanctuary since 1870."
A 155-acre tidal saltwater lake in central Oakland — the first wildlife refuge established in the US (1870). Walking path around the lake, a boathouse with rowboat and canoe rentals, and significant waterbird populations. The surrounding Lakeside Park is Oakland's gathering place.
Point Reyes National Seashore
"An hour north across the Bay. Wild and extraordinary."
An hour north of Alameda via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Point Reyes is a world-class national seashore — elephant seals, tule elk herds, the foggiest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast, and 150 miles of trail through coastal bluffs and forest. Military discount with America the Beautiful pass.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
Oakland Museum of California
"The definitive California museum. Essential for understanding where you are."
Three floors covering California art, California history, and California natural science. The history gallery's account of California's transformation — Gold Rush, WWII shipyards, the Black Panther Party, Silicon Valley — is among the best regional history exhibits in the US.
Fox Oakland Theater
"A restored 1928 movie palace. The East Bay's premier concert venue."
A stunning 1928 movie palace restored to its original grandeur — 2,800 seats and an ornate Moorish Revival interior that is one of the most beautiful concert halls in the Bay Area. Major touring acts, comedy shows, and events. Worth attending something simply to see the space.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
Children's Fairyland (Oakland)
◈ Rare"The original storybook theme park. Inspired Walt Disney."
Opened in 1950 and frequently cited as the theme park that inspired Walt Disney to build Disneyland, Fairyland is a small, completely charming storybook-themed park on Lake Merritt for young children. The Puppet Theater has been performing for 70 years.
Bay Farm Island (Alameda)
"A flat, quiet island connected to Alameda by bridge. Perfect for family cycling."
Bay Farm Island is connected to Alameda proper by bridge and has a network of bike paths, bay views, and Crown Memorial State Beach at its northern tip. Family cycling here — flat, car-free paths, bay breezes — is one of the genuinely pleasant regular activities available.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"Across the Bay. BART gets you there in 20 minutes."
San Francisco is 20 minutes by BART from the Fruitvale or Lake Merritt stations. The full San Francisco experience — Golden Gate, the SFMOMA, Tartine, the Mission District — is more accessible from Alameda than from most San Francisco neighborhoods due to parking and traffic.
"An hour north. The best wine country in America."
Via the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Napa Valley is an hour north of Alameda. Sonoma is comparable. Both offer world-class wineries, exceptional restaurants, and fall harvest season that is legitimately one of the best annual events in California.
"Four hours east. The most famous valley in America."
The drive from Alameda to Yosemite Valley is three to four hours depending on season and traffic. El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls. Reservations for day access required May–September. Camp at Tuolumne Meadows for a different, less crowded experience.
BART connects Alameda island to the mainland but the closest stations are in Oakland — you'll need to drive or bike to the Lake Merritt or Fruitvale stations. The bus does run to the island but infrequently.
Alameda is genuinely walkable and bikeable — the flat terrain and grid streets make cycling the fastest way to get around on the island. Cargo bikes are extremely common for family use.
The USS Hornet's overnight camping program is one of the best family activities in the East Bay — sleeping in a former carrier's berthing compartments with a private flight deck access is remarkable.
Coast Guard Island is accessible only to personnel and authorized visitors. The surrounding Alameda streets and waterfront are open to the public and worth walking.
The East Bay's housing market is expensive and competitive — Alameda especially so, as the island appeals to families for its schools and walkability, and the competition drives up prices. Oakland has neighborhoods with high crime rates (well-documented, not hypothetical) — understand the geography before choosing housing and before walking unfamiliar streets at night. The Bay Area's progressive politics and high cost of living are constants that some military families find difficult after lower-cost assignments.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.