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East Bay: Berkeley & Oakland On the eastern side of the bay lies the col- lege town of Berkeley, with its history of political idealism, University of Cali- fornia academic prestige and coffeehouse intellectualism. Berkeley is almost syn- onymous with Alice Waters' Chez Panisse and the movement to organic, local and seasonal food. Berkeley's larger neighbor, Oakland, is a culturally diverse city with vibrant neighborhoods and lovely Lake Merritt, whose three-mile path draws jog- gers and walkers. City & Town Even though it was surpassed in popula- tion by San Jose long ago, San Francisco remains the region's cultural hub. The city draws more than 16 million travelers each year to its dense 49 square miles con- taining its famously steep hills, thousands of restaurants offering an astonishing variety of cuisines, different groups of people, fascinating neighborhoods, parks, Victorian-era houses and world-class museums and cultural activities. The city is easy to explore on foot, with the waterfront Embarcadero, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown and Union Square (the largest shopping area in the western U.S.) all within a short walk of each other. Col- orful vintage streetcars rumble down the Embarcadero and Market Street, con- necting to public transportation that carries visitors to the city's many diverse neighborhoods and to Golden Gate Park, the large greenbelt that extends to the Pacific Ocean. The region's other major cities are San Jose, where revitalization has brought an urban vibe, restaurants and museums downtown, and Oakland, which attracts visitors with the renovated Museum of California, bay-front Jack London Square and a trendy dining scene it shares with its college town neighbor, Berkeley. The Great Outdoors One of the world's largest urban parks—the Golden Gate National Recreation Area— stretches over 60 miles of Bay Area coast- line. The area encompasses beaches, historic sites, biking and hiking trails and vast open spaces to savor the Bay Area's varied natural beauty. Among the high- lights are the majestic Marin Headlands and San Francisco's Presidio and Crissy Field, a popular walking area and restored wetlands that also draws kiteboarders to the white-capped waters at the Golden Gate. Rolling green hillsides dotted with Cali- fornia golden poppies make spring an especially ideal time to explore Mount Tamalpais and Muir Woods in Marin County. Point Reyes National Seashore's beautiful coastal terrain contains an abundance of wildlife, including migrating shorebirds and ducks, whales that are easily seen off the coast in migration season (mid January to mid March) and a herd of tule elk. There also is no lack of wide open spaces in the East Bay, where the regional park district includes 65 parks covering 113,000 acres in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. In the Santa Cruz Mountains, amid several vast open space preserves lies California's oldest state park, Big Basin Redwoods, established in 1902. 84 2 0 1 5 T R A V E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A INSIDER'S TIP » With a little planning, visiting Bay Area museums can be inexpensive and full of surprises. Almost all offer free days: first Sundays of each month at the OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA and first Tuesdays at San Francisco's DE YOUNG and LEGION OF HONOR . Admission is always free at THE CANTOR ARTS CENTER in Palo Alto. THE EXPLORATORIUM offers six free days per year and CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES several free Sundays. Special events, performances, food and cocktails are on hand for visitors on Friday evenings at the Oakland and the de Young museums. GREGORY BERTOLINI, FINE ARTS MUSEUMS OF SF