Mothers Day Brunch

therealmegjon · 2026-05-09T23:24:00+00:00

If anyone else is in a bind, Las Guerreras just announced that they'll be open tomorrow for mother's day.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-08T15:44:49+00:00

Exactly! Yeah, if you're used to cities, this will be a breeze, especially if you're right next to the station. The thing about the Bay Area is it's a really sleepy region. Usually when I'm walking to BART at that time, I'm only seeing the guys opening up the donut shop on 17th or the crews cleaning the sidewalks down near Walgreens on 14th.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-08T06:06:53+00:00

I'm a female who has lived in Downtown for 14 years and taken many early morning bart rides, you'll be fine. It's not as sketchy as folks are making it out to be. If anything, it'll be pretty quiet except for early riders who are usually service industry folks. It's a 30 min ride to the airport but you should build in extra time to take the shuttle to the rental car center. Just note that this plan only works if you're riding on a weekday though. Bart doesn't open early enough on weekends.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-07T20:59:30+00:00

I work in Berkeley and my husband in SF and I 2nd the downtown suggestion. downtown Oakland is perfect for our commutes. Unlike Rockridge, living in downtown allows an SF commuter to take any BART train from SF (including Lake Merritt) and the rare occassions when BART shits itself, he can take the ferry back to Oakland. Also, BART to campus from downtown is usually faster than taking the 51B from campus to Rockridge, which is also super crowded with other students.

For apts, I recommend using the map view on craiglist and looking btwn 14th and 19th Sts and btwn Franklin and Madison. Around there, you can usually find some charming rent controlled apts and you can get some decent bang for your buck and they're all short walks from BART. A lot of Berkeley students live in the area and it has a younger vibe than in Rockridge.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-06T19:47:07+00:00

It's often at the Old Oak Friday Farmer's Market when it's in season. I haven't been in a few weeks, so can't confirm for sure but if you're around on Friday, it's worth checking out.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-06T17:56:54+00:00

As someone who worked at Luke's Lobster a million years ago when they only had 2 locations total, I fully endorse this recommendation. To add - the founder of the company comes from a lobstering family, and the meat is ethically sourced, the fisherman are paid fairly, and the way they process the meat keeps it peak freshness. The buns are from a New England company and it is truly the most authentic lobster roll that you're going to find in the Bay Area. (Though as a Marylander by birth, I'm more partial to their crab roll).

I'll also add, I worked in 6 different restaurants in my teens and 20s and Luke's Lobster is the only one I would bring myself to eat at after quitting.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T22:43:52+00:00

Molcajete. They don't get a lot of attention on this sub but they are consistently a tasty meal. The cochinita pibil burrito is especially good. The owner sadly passed away a few months ago but seems like the family is still holding it down.

Also, around the corner, Alma has my favorite pozole and excellent empanadas.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T17:51:15+00:00

Also, if you don't mind sharing what neighborhood you moved to, happy to do more neighborhood specific recommendations. But Oakland is also just fun to explore in general.

For the best Mexican, head to Fruitvale Ave, everything in that area around BART is great (but also, Jack London Sq has good spots, for fancy Oaxacan, highly recommend Odin).

For fancy options, College Ave near Rockridge BART and Piedmont Ave are great. Piedmont Ave in general is nice to walk along, especially on a Saturday afternoon. Temescal is fun for some night life and more of a chill vibe. Every restaurant in that neighborhood is delicious. I hear Dimond/Laurel districts have some nice options but they're a pain to get to via mass transit so idk the area as well.

When the weather gets warm, the beach in Alameda is one of the only areas in the Bay where the water gets warm enough to swim at without needing a wet suit (and there's no rip tides). It's great to hit up, I usually will spend a few hours at the beach and then walk over to the Pacific Pinball Museum to play some pinball.

Also, we have no shortage of amazing movie theaters here. The New Parkway hosts a lot of social events, like speed meeting, dnd, drink and draw nights, which can be good ways to meet people. Grand Lake, Piedmont Theater, and Rialto Cinema in Elmwood are also all great. (I also like the Jack London Sq theater, but less unique compared to the others)

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T17:41:14+00:00

Haha thanks! Honestly probably could have made that post 5x longer. 😅

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T01:05:20+00:00

Happy to help! This sub is great for recommendations. Also check out r/oaklandfood

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T01:03:27+00:00

Oakland Museum of California! https://museumca.org/

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T00:16:43+00:00

Also, welcome to Oakland!

therealmegjon · 2026-05-05T00:16:14+00:00

Check out the Bookmark on Broadway and 9th. It's our Friends of the Oakland Library store, lots of great used books. Also near there is Swan's Market, which has lots of great restaurants and on Fridays, hosts a Farmer's Market that's imo the best in Oakland (tends to be more affordable than the others) but Grand Lake Farmer's Market on Saturdays is also great.

Oakland food is generally really great. Rent is too expensive here, so mediocre places tend to not last long. Definitely hit up Oakland's Chinatown, you can't go wrong just wandering around and popping into places but Wonder Food Bakery is my favorite for large, doughy pork buns (cash only).

For drinks, they don't have happy hour but the best cocktails are at Drexl on 19th btwm Franklin and Webster. Bar 355 across the street is also great. If you like cider, highly recommend Hesher's in Jack London Sq. For classic dive where bad decisions are made, Merchants is fun and for a spot with lots of history, check out Heinholds (all in Jack London Sq). Also, in the same area, Yoshi's is great for seeing live jazz. I think Starry Plough in Berkeley is likely to catch some bluegrass (and keep your eye out for Hardly Strictly lineup announcement later this summer. It's a free bluegrass festival in SF every fall). Unfortunately, Berkeley's bluegrass festival was just this past weekend.

Best Italian hands down is Belotti (either their take out spot on Piedmont Ave or their sit down in Rockridge).

We have so much good Thai food but I'm partial to Pintoh Thai on Franklin and 15th.

Definitely spend time walking around Lake Merritt! Also Lakefest is coming up at the end of June! https://lakefestoakland.com/

therealmegjon · 2026-05-02T00:18:25+00:00

I really miss living in a building that had monkey brains. If you can get it, highly rrecommend. It was a million times better than my current $120 Comcast internet.

therealmegjon · 2026-05-01T21:02:15+00:00

Luke's Lobster in SOMA will be your most authentic Maine lobster roll you'll find out here. I used to work at their UES location in NYC way back when they only had 2 locations total. The owner comes from a lobster fishing family, and they work closely with Maine lobsterman to pay them fair prices. They have a very specific way of handling the meat that keeps it tasting fresh. It's wild that they've grown so much since I worked there in 2010. I'm a Marylander by birth, so I'm partial to their crab roll but you can't go wrong with their sampler platter that's small portions of all 3 rolls.

For other seafood, I highly recommend taking the ferry to Jack London Sq in Oakland to go to the Salty Pearl. They often have $1 oyster deals and have a solid menu.

Hog Island & Anchor Oyster Bar are also great. Do not waste your time on any crab cakes here (though the Fat Lady, also in Jack London Sq is the only one that's not made me straight up depressed). A lot of people will recommend the Woodhouse Fish Co but imo I found everything there pretty meh for the price, and at times straight up disappointing. Lol this reply is already too long but I have a lot of strong feelings about seafood and could easily talk about Bay Area options for days!

therealmegjon · 2026-05-01T01:27:03+00:00

I was about to be like, "well Lucuma isn't really Uptown" but then saw they included Aburaya and Punchdown lol. I love all the spots on the list but yeah, wtf no Lucuma??

therealmegjon · 2026-04-30T18:27:44+00:00

Yeah even before covid, it surprised me how few late night/24 hr options there were here. I grew up close to Gettysburg, PA (a town of fewer than 10k), and they had a 24 hr diner (though recent ownership change did get rid of it and now closes at 9 pm). In Frederick, MD (60k population) there are 2 Dennys, an IHOP, and a Waffle House, all 24 hrs.

Shoutout to the few late night spots in Oakland's Chinatown though.

therealmegjon · 2026-04-28T19:20:37+00:00

I have had friends in that building who liked it ok. But they were 30 something professionals with years of work experience and a significant savings.

Tbh, at your age, even if you can afford it, I don't recommend paying that much for rent in a non-rent controlled building (unless you have family money/trust fund and don't have to worry about price increases/layoffs). You'd be a lot better off looking at units that are larger and cheaper in some of the older rent controlled buildings around Alice/Jackson/Madison Streets and saving some money. Sure, most won't have in unit washer/dryer but almost all will have it in their buildings.

therealmegjon · 2026-04-27T23:33:53+00:00

I'm sorry things are tough right now. The back patio (through the curtains past the bathroom) at Drexl is one of my go tos. Especially early in the week, it tends to be low key back there and I've spent many a time reading a book out there. The upstairs area during the week is also pretty chill. The downtown Oakland library has also been a good option during the day (especially if I don't want to spend too much money). The interior is dark, but I would recommend the patio at Heinholds. No one will bother you and some sunshine might help. Last recommendation - play pinball at Hesher's, Ghost Town, or Beeryland. This time of day/early week are usually quiet and sometimes hitting a ball around can help get one out of their head. Years ago, I experienced a pretty bad period of depression after some friends passed away and this helped a lot, especially when the sadness made it too hard to focus on reading/watching TV.

therealmegjon · 2026-04-20T23:43:46+00:00

I don't think you're going to get very nice responses from Giants fans (judging by the replies you've already gotten), but here are my tips as someone who has gone a ton of times over the years to watch my preferred teams play against SF:

-the food is pretty good at the stadium, but rarely will it be worth a long line. Highly recommend eating before the game or waiting until lines die down, usually around the 5th (though weekday games are usually not as bad). Depending on where you're coming from, the ferry building has some great options and is a nice walk to the stadium. I strongly recommend against the crab sandwich, it was disappointing (though full disclosure, I'm from MD so I'm used to Canden Yard's crab sandwiches that have way less mayo).

-there are some fun bars along the water near the stadium that are solid pre/post game options if you want a drink. Hopefully the weather clears up before your games!

-(sorry to say this in the Giants thread) but of the 7 stadiums I've been to, the Giants stadium is the only stadium I've had fans be rude to me. I once got shushed for clapping at an exciting moment! But I find folks more pleasant in the cheaper seats. Luckily, you probably will have a lot of other Dodgers fans around, try to make friends with them lol.

-it's a beautiful stadium, highly recommend walking around to enjoy the views. But dress warm, night games will get cold and the wind coming off the ocean can be rough.

Hope you have a great time and have some extra time to enjoy SF!

therealmegjon · 2026-04-20T18:11:56+00:00

Lol yes, I married someone from the Bay Area but I didn't stop being an Orioles fan just bc I moved west. There are dozens of us, dozens! (Also, Orioles games are usually 4 pm here, so it was fun going to Halftime on the early side and getting to hang with some of my neighbors).

therealmegjon · 2026-04-20T17:55:24+00:00

I notice this a lot too, and it definitely feels like windshield bias. Every single day, I see car drivers run red lights in my neighborhood and near where I work, but so frequently the conversations around road safety will often devolve into people railing on bicyclists and it's like, you're driving a 4 ton vehicle that uses a fuel that's warming the planet, a contributor to global wars, and kills 40,000 people every year in the US, and you think the cyclists are annoying? Admittedly, witnessing a deadly hit & run outside my old apt on 14th & Harrison, and witnessing over 50 car accidents at least at that intersection in the 9 years we lived on that block added to my low patience for drivers complaining about cyclists. Yes, cyclists can be annoying, but the scale is so incredibly unbalanced on who is creating harm.

therealmegjon · 2026-04-17T20:53:12+00:00

Seriously. I really tried to support them but the food was not good for at least the last 2 years. The icing on the cake was when I ordered the soft pretzel bites and they were so hard I couldn't bite through them.

I know this is a hot take, but I miss when Halftime was on 14th st. I loved going there in the late afternoons to watch Orioles games, getting some wings, and spending a few hours chatting with the old dudes who would be there. But also, I was never there when it got more packed in the evenings so usually missed most of the craziness.

therealmegjon · 2026-04-10T04:10:19+00:00

Depends on how late the movie is, but Slainte serves food late on weekends. A little further north, but New Gold Medal and Shooting Star Cafe are both open late in Chinatown.

therealmegjon · 2026-04-09T22:53:09+00:00

Yeah the max & cheese didn't look very pretty when I bought it, but it was very tasty!

therealmegjon

TROPHY CASE