Rockridge Neighborhood
Neighborhood Resources
Rockridge is Oakland's Premier Shopping and Dining District. College
Avenue, the main commercial area of Rockridge, is always alive with
people and activity. There is so much to see and do here, it is hard to
describe the experience as anything else except 'very satisfying'.
College Avenue supplies all your basic needs, like coffee, supermarkets,
cleaners, coffee, burgers, pizza, coffee, banks, and did I mention
coffee.
Coffeeshops
Yes, there are coffee purveyors on College Avenue (NO STARBUCKS
YET! for good or bad). At last count there were probably 8 major coffee
houses on College Ave. And there is great debate over which is best. I
suggest a simple rotation plan, so as to spread the coffee dollars
around evenly and also avoiding getting into a rut.Dining
Besides a lot of coffee, College Avenue supplies all the food and drink that anyone could want or need. There are more places to eat out than I care to count. Basically, you can find any kind of meal you want. From the fast and inexpensive to the 'you better have a reservation to get in' and everything in between. Some local favorites are; Rocky's Burgers, Purple Pepper Pizza, Garabaldis On College, La Creme De La Creme, Pizza Rustica, Obelisque, Citron, The Rockridge Cafe, Pasta Pomodoro, Cactus Taqueria, Crepevines, Eve's Hunan, Olivetos, Olivetos Cafe, Juiceys, Zachary's Pizza, Barney's Hamburgers, Iso Bune, and The Original Noah's Bagel Shop. Wow, that's a lot of restuarants. You could eat out for the first 30 days you live in Rockridge and never repeat a restuarant. Also available on College Avenue are a number of fine drinking establishments. Again, you can choose from micro brew pubs to the old Irish pub.
Market Hall
For a lot of people, Market Hall represents the life blood of Rockridge. It is located at the main crossroads, College Avenue and the Rockridge BART Station. Besides having 8 of the areas finest specialty food shops, set in an open indoor market, Market Hall is the place to go and meet your friends and neighbors. It's also great for picking up tonight's fresh dinner ingredients on your way home from BART.Temescal Farmers' Market
Centrally located just blocks from Rockridge BART, Rockridge and Temescal. Open Every Sunday from 9 AM to 1 PM.Local Parks
Lake Temescal
Lake Temescal is located about a half a mile from College Ave. There are plenty of activities for everyone here, swimming at the sandy beach area, fishing, hiking, biking, 2 play areas for the kids, picnic spots, and lots of clean Oakland air. This is one of Rockridge's hidden jewels.61st St. Toddler Park
This toddler park is hidden away in a quiet part of lower Rockridge on 61st Street between Colby and Canning. There are great shade trees and plenty of lawn space for a game of tag and a picnic lunch.Hardy St. Dog Park
A great place to play with your dog and his buddies.
Transportation
BART
There are many choices of public transportation from this home. There is the popular Rockridge BART Station and the Macarthur BART Station, both offer parking and are situated on AC Transit Bus lines. Some local employers offer door to door shuttle service from these BART Station, like Lawerence Berkeley Labs, Alta Bates Hospital, and Kaiser Hospital.
