24 hours in Oakland, California

by Gadling Staff on


Over 9.5 million people flew in and out of Oakland International Airport in 2009, but few of them targeted Oakland as their vacation destination. Most folks fly in and drive out as soon as possible, headed toward San Francisco, Napa, or Sonoma.

When friends recently flew from Seattle to Oakland, a TSA agent gently chided them. “Oakland,” he said. “You need to go somewhere nice.”

Later, when they were seated in our Oakland home overlooking the San Francisco Bay and a forest of cypress trees, my friend said, “Oakland is so underrated.”

Blame Gertrude Stein, who famously wrote “There is no there there” in her book Everybody’s Autobiography. No one remembers she was on a return visit looking for her childhood house. Instead it’s become Oakland’s unofficial slogan.

Or blame the earthquake, the fire, and crime typical of a large city. But no large city is all of one thing. Oakland is large, vibrant, full of historical, natural, and culinary wonders.

So let’s pretend the formerly unthinkable happens. You are stuck in Oakland for a layover. Your plane arrives here at 5 pm on a Tuesday and due to airline bungling, you don’t have another flight until 7 am Thursday morning. You spring to action and follow these steps.While waiting in the car rental line, you pull out your iPhone and make reservations for two nights at the Waterfront Hotel in Jack London Square. Drive ten minutes on 880 (yes, not a fabulous freeway, but the trip is short) and there you will be on the water. Ask for a room with a view, and quickly unpack.

Whip out that iPhone and make reservations at The Lake Chalet for dinner. Before getting back in that rental car or taking the cab to the restaurant, saunter down the waterfront, making sure to see Jack London’s Klondike cabin, a perfect replica of where London wrote White Fang. While admiring the relic, listen to the gulls, hear the water, and checkout passing Coast Guard cutters.

Drive the 1.4 miles to The Lake Chalet and do the smart thing and let the valet park you. The restaurant is situated on Lake Merritt. Once upon a time, the lake was actually a tidal estuary formed by several creeks. In 1868, Mayor Samuel Merritt proposed to dam and clean up the estuary, and the jewel of Oakland was born. Lit at night by a necklace of lights and surrounded by the city, it is a lovely sight.

Drive back to the hotel, park, but don’t go into your room just yet. Cross the street and head to Yoshi’s Jazz Club for some music. Occupying 17,000 feet of performance space and sushi bar, Yoshi’s offers live performances almost every night of the week and has hosted the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Williams, Diana Krall, Branford Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Harry Connick Jr., and Oscar Peterson.

You’ve had a long day. Time for a lovely sleep in your king-sized bed. But in the morning after a cup of coffee, skip the gym and take the hotel shuttle back to Lake Merritt. Walk (or run) the 3.4 miles around the lake, stopping and heading up Lakeshore Avenue to get some freshly baked brioche or muffins at Arizmendi Bakery. Stroll up and down Lakeshore and Grand Avenues, making sure to appreciate the Grand Lake Theatre, one of the few functioning art deco theatres left in the area. If you get peckish, stop for a light lunch at Cafè DiBartolo on Grand Avenue.

At 1 pm, head to the Camron-Stanford House located on Lakeside Drive for your docent tour of one of the few remaining Victorian houses in Oakland and the first site of the Oakland Public Museum. The docent tour will provide you with a look at a grand house but also with colorful information about Oakland’s past.

Back to the hotel with you. You need to rest. You’ve walked for miles. And there’s more to do. Take a shower, put on some comfortable shoes, and get back in that rental car. It’s time for nature. Drive the 12 or so miles up into the hills to Joaquin Miller Park and the Sequoia-Bayview Trail, a flat and wide trail that winds in and out of a canopy of Redwoods. Yes, you are in the forest. Lovely views of downtown Oakland, the Bay and the San Francisco skyline.

That’s enough. It’s time for a drink. You have to fly out tomorrow, and you’ve walked and learned quite a bit today. Head back down to the Rockridge District. Park in the BART parking lot, and walk down College Avenue to A Cote, tasty small plates establishment that serves up a wicked margarita and has a wine list that makes a layover worth it. One small plate to order: the French fries.

Saunter back up College Avenue, stopping into some of the wonderful stores like Itsy Bitsy, and then it’s time to go back to the hotel. Sure, you could go to Yoshi’s again (Diana Krall might be there) but you have to pack.

Thursday morning, you are at the airport by 6, all checked in and ready to go. You’ve just spent a full day in Oakland, and while you are looking forward to being in Bali, you’ve had a good time. There is a there there. Nothing untoward happened. Water, history, forest, and food. Who knew?

Jessica Barksdale Inclan is a novelist who teaches literature and creative writing for Diablo Valley College. Visit her at Red Room to read more of her work, including her latest supernatural romance novel, The Beautiful Being.

[Photos: Flickr | Eric Fischer; darinmarshall; hitchster; Allan Ferguson; www.bluewaikiki.com]

Solo women’s travel surges in popularity

by Laurel Miller on

Despite what the much over-hyped film (not the book) Eat Pray Love would have us think, solo female travelers did exist before Elizabeth Gilbert. The difference, I think, is that now that Julia Roberts is starring in a movie about it, it’s suddenly viewed by mainstream America as “okay.”

And that’s okay. I may be a bit annoyed by the fact that Hollywood is responsible, but at the end of the day, who cares? It’s just great that experienced independent travelers will get less grief, and women who might not otherwise attempt a solo trip are now inspired to do so. The sheer volume of women-oriented travel companies has been steadily rising over the last five or so years, and now it looks like we’re hitting the tipping point.

While traveling alone is never easy for a woman, it’s comparatively a piece of cake now, compared to what women of even my mother’s generation must have endured. Yet, as a 41-year-old American female, I’m often amazed by how concerned other people are about my marital status (or lack thereof), my plans for my uterus (or lack thereof), and how I can afford to travel/who’s going to take care of me when I’m older/when am I going to grow up? I can handle these questions when there are cultural differences involved (sometimes with gritted teeth, like when I was 32, and a young Israeli male told me I’d better “find someone to marry quickly,” before I was “too old and ugly.” Sweet.).

I’ve never been one to give much of a hang about what others think, or else I wouldn’t have been able to put up with the comments denigrating my lifestyle. I hear them less now that I’m somewhat older (read: approaching end of child-bearing years), and because travel writing is now my profession. Unlike countries such as Australia or New Zealand, where a “gap year” of travel before university is a rite of passage, most Americans still tend to be constrained by what they view as adult, or gender-related, responsibilities.

Things are changing, of course. But the release of a book-turned-movie appears to have done more for the advocacy of independent women’s travel in one summer than I’ve experienced in a decade of travel journalism. A recent CNN article citing Eat Pray Love as inspiration profiles two women: a widow taking an early retirement, and a 32-year-old, now-frequent traveler who bit the travel bullet after being laid off in her late twenties.

I should hasten to add that I don’t consider myself a feminist (for a multitude of reasons that have no place on a travel blog), and I’m fond of describing myself as “spiritually bankrupt.” I don’t travel to be a “strong” woman, or find enlightenment. Travel is a highly personal thing, and everyone has their own reasons for doing, or not doing, it. I don’t care why other people travel; I just applaud the fact that they do, as long as they’re respectful of other cultures and the environment. I travel because it’s the thing I love most: it’s what motivates and inspires me, both personally and professionally, and I find it endlessly fascinating, even when things are going awry. I love learning about different cultures, trying new foods, seeing new landscapes. I love riding a bus for 24 hours, because it’s part of the experience. And yes, I prefer to travel alone.

Am I running away from something? I don’t know. I don’t think so. Will I ever settle down and stop traveling? Um, no. Am I ditching adult responsibilities? Nope. I have a home base, pay my bills on time, work a couple of “stationary” jobs, because travel writing isn’t lucrative. I’m in a long-term, committed relationship, I have plants. Sometimes I get burned out on travel, or have a disastrous trip. But within a day or two of arriving home, I’m always ready to plan the next adventure, and get on the road again as soon as possible. I do gain confidence from traveling alone, and thrive on its challenges. It’s a reminder that I can accomplish the goals I set for myself, For some, that might be called self-empowerment. For me, it’s just a lifestyle choice.

Not everyone is programmed to live the life society dictates, and plenty of people living so-called conventional lives, including mothers, find ways to make travel a part of their lives. Here’s to a national cultural shift that supports the exploration of the world outside our own bubble. Whatever set of gonads you happen to possess.

Living the high roller Diamond Life at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino

by Scott Carmichael on

Last week, I spent a couple of days at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Now, I’ve been to this hotel quite a bit, but on this visit, I had been invited to enjoy the life of a “high roller” Diamond card member of the Harrah’s Total Rewards program.

The “Diamond Life” starts at the airport, where a limo driver is waiting to pick you up and drop you off at the hotel. To check in, I was able to completely skip the long lines, and walk into the diamond registration lounge.
About the Total Rewards program

Total Rewards is the Harrah’s loyalty program for their casino properties. Any time you spend money on entertainment, slots or tables, you present your loyalty card, and computers behind the scenes calculate how much of your money you are handing over to the casino. The program starts with gold, and grows through platinum to diamond and Seven Stars. Obviously, the more you spend, the higher your status will be. The program currently has over half a million elite tier members.


Gratuitous photo of the 24 layer cake at Striphouse – because nothing says luxury like 24 layers of cake.

The perks of the Diamond Program are quite generous – access to a dedicated diamond lounge with complimentary food and beverages, room comps and upgrades, gift shop discounts, free exclusive tournaments, bonus tier points and priority check-in.

The best part of the Total Rewards program is that it works between all Harrahs’s properties. In Vegas, this means you’ll be recognized at Caesers Palace, Bally’s, Rio, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Imperial Palace, Harrah’s, Flamingo and Bills Gamblin hall.

Indeed – Harrah’s went on a very impressive spending spree in Las Vegas, and ended up owning a large portion of the strip. Outside Vegas, there are 24 other properties where the card will work.

To earn the Diamond tier, you need to generate 11,000 “tier credits” in a year. You earn 1 credit for every $5 spent on the slots, but earnings at tables depend on how long you play, your average bet and the type of game. At tables, one of the hosts will monitor your play, and award points for your gaming.

Living the Diamond Life

Every part of the Diamond perks package is designed to make your life a little easier when you are at the casino. With your card, you don’t wait in long lines for the restaurant, you don’t wait for a cab and in many cases, you don’t pay for food.

Now, the card is not a complete free for all, but if you earned it the hard way (by gambling), you will end up with a substantial amount of free credits, which can be spent at many of the on-property restaurants. Depending on your spending pattern, your casino host can add all kinds of freebies, including free rooms, free meals and other perks. But at the end of the day, it all comes down to how much you spend with them. During my stay, I visited several of the Planet Hollywood restaurants, and my card covered all the expenses.

Of all the basic perks, the queue skipping one is probably the most valuable. During the 100 degree weather, there were at least 50 people in line for a cab, but as soon as I showed my diamond card, a cab pulled up and I was whisked away. Did I feel bad about all those people in the heat? Sure, but if I had spent enough money at the casino to earn Diamond status, I would have felt that I earned that perk – just like I don’t mind pre-boarding at the airport or checking in at the Platinum desk at my favorite hotel chain.

Comparisons with the airline industry

It is obvious that a lot of the marketing behind the Total Rewards loyalty program borrowed inspiration from the airline industry. When you are loyal to one airline, they’ll reward you with a couple of free miles and a shiny card. Once you fly a lot, you’ll board first, find yourself in a premium class cabin, get free drinks in the lounge, and get other basic perks that make the experience more enjoyable.

In the casino it is the same – the whole idea is to keep you happy with the program you picked, and to make sure nothing happens that would make you consider switching to a different property. The more you spend, the more love you’ll get back.

Are the perks worth it?

This one is impossible to answer – I’m not an active gambler, unless you count spending a couple of hundred on the slots. But I did speak to several of my friends who are Diamond members at Harrah’s, and they were quite clear – the perks of being able to use their status at more than just a handful of properties makes being loyal to this chain a worthy investment.

Bottom line is simple – if the perks and treatment make you feel worthwhile, the investment is worth it. Just like at the airlines, as long as your usual airline treats you well, you won’t ever consider switching to a different carrier.

Disclaimer: Harrah’s Entertainment paid for this trip and provided four days of Diamond status for the story. The opinions are entirely my own.

Ask Gadling: Does it really cost $25,000 to repack an airplane evacuation slide?

by Scott Carmichael on

This question is obviously triggered after the JetBlue incident last week – when Steven Slater deployed the emergency slide, the media claimed the damage was around $25,000 just to repack the slide.

So, I did a bit of research, and contacted a friend who actually manages a large international airline. The answer was quite surprising – $25,000 is on the very, very cheap side.

To get the deployed slide back to its usable condition, they don’t just roll it up, they actually have to deflate it and remove the entire slide assembly from the door of the plane, load it into a truck and bring it to a certified maintenance facility.

Most large airlines will have a couple of spare slides, so they can replace the deployed slide relatively quickly, but they can’t use the plane until it has operational slides. The deployed slide has to be inflated again and checked for any leaks – then it is professionally repacked, and its inflation canister is re-pressurized or replaced. Only after it has been fully inspected can it be put aside while the airline waits for the next incident that requires a new slide.

The total damage on a commercial jet can be as much as $50,000. This includes the cost of replacing the slide, and the time lost when the jet is out of service. If the airline is lucky, the plane will be close to a facility that can replace it, in the worst case, they need to load a replacement slide onto another plane and ferry it in, along with a maintenance crew.

So there you have it – an evacuation slide is quite a bit more complex than the moon bounce at the local Chuck E. Cheese.

[Photo from: Flickr / Joel Franusic]

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater lies about passenger assault

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Steven Slater without a reason for his slide to glory is really just a random weirdo with a salient dangerous streak. After all, any goodwill the flight attendant got from the public was based on the horrible working conditions he endured – including being assaulted by a passenger and getting a gash on his head in the process – and the fact that they drove him to his “take this job and shove it” moment. It’s starting to look like this airline worker “hero” is a liar, according to the New York Post.

Investigators are “leaning toward” the notion that Slater’s claims of being an assault victim are not true. Apparently, there’s no evidence to support his version of how the bloody cut appeared on his forehead. Meanwhile:

“A significant number of people said he had the cut before he boarded the plane, and several other passengers said he was acting erratically on the flight,” the source said.

As The Post reported, at least one customer claimed Slater had bloodshot eyes.

Slater, of course, has no comment, but he’s probably searching like crazy for his Queen home’s emergency slide. Don’t worry: he’ll stop by the fridge first to grab a few beer – Blue Moons, like the brews from the flight.

[Image: AP Foto/Louis Lanzano]