Emeryville
From Imakoopedia
Emeryville is a small city on the San Francisco Bay that acts as a gateway to the East Bay from San Francisco. It exists at the intersection of three major freeways: I-80, I-580, and I-880.
Emeryville is going through a period of aggressive re-development started during the 1990s and 2000s, where industrial factories and warehouses are being replaced by modern retail and residential uses. Much of this was spurred by anti-development policies in neighbors such as Berkeley and Oakland.
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Get in
By air
Oakland International Airport (OAK) is the obvious choice, but SFO will do. From the airports, see rail section on BART.
By train
BART is the regional light rail service which will connect you to San Francisco, Oakland, and other cities in the Bay Area. Sadly, there is no BART station in Emeryville, but simply get off BART at the MacArthur station in Oakland and take the free Emery-Go-Round shuttle to Emeryville. Warning: MacArthur is not recommended at night.
Emeryville has a major Amtrak station just east of the Public Market. Amtrak buses run from the Emeryville station to San Francisco.
Local trains connecting Emeryville to Sacramento and San Jose run several times per day.
Two long distance Amtrak routes run daily to and from Emeryville. The California Zephyr route connects Emeryville to Chicago via Denver, Salt Lake City, and Reno. The Coast Starlight route runs from Los Angeles to Portland (Oregon) and Seattle via Emeryville.
By car
From San Francisco, take I-80 East and exit on Powell St. From points East, take I-80 West and exit on Powell St.
The complex freeway intersections just to the south of Emeryville are referred to as the Maze for good reason. Here are some tips to help your confusion:
- Be aware that when traveling through Berkeley and Emeryville, I80 west travels on the same road as I580 east.
- When traveling from I880 north onto I80 east, you cannot exit at Powell. Instead merge right furiously and exit at Ashby/Shellmound. Take the Shellmound fork and right at Shellmound. Go straight and you'll see the Public Market and the rest of Emeryville shortly.
Get around
Driving is the best way to get around Emeryville. However, expect traffic delays if you want to go to Ikea or the Bay St. Mall.
Bus service is provided by the free Emery-Go-Round, which runs a limited schedule, and the local provider AC Transit. See www.511.org for more.
See
Emeryville is an interesting mix of old warehouses, manufacturing plants, and houses and new development in the form of shopping malls and live-work lofts. The Emeryville Marina has stunning views of San Francisco and the greater bay: take Powell Ave. west of I-80.
Do
- For the Pinball and Arcade Aficionado, the Emeryville Public Market (see below, in the "Eat" section) has a good arcade featuring video games and pinball machines.
- The Oaks, San Pablo Ave at 40th St. is a card club for Texas Holdem players. There's a nasty rumor that profits from the take fund organized crime.
Buy
Large chain stores are found in abundance in Emeryville. Bay Street Mall is on Shellmound past Christie. Emeryville Bay Bridge Center, with several "big-box" retailers, is further down on 40th St., (actually the same street as Shellmound), near San Pablo Ave.
Eat
- Emeryville Public Market, 5959 Shellmound St. Open M-Th 9AM-9PM, F-Sat 9AM-11PM, Sun 9AM - 8PM. Twenty-five small ethnic restaurants under one roof. It's a great place to go if you can't agree on whether you want crepes or curry. Prices are generally under $7 for dinners, so it's a good place to go on the cheap. http://www.emerymarket.com/
- Hong Kong East Ocean Restaurant, Emeryville Marina. Chinese Dim Sum, decently priced, but absolutely killer view.
- Chevy's, Powell at I-80. Great views, great food, decently priced.
Drink
The Public Market has a 21+ bar with pool tables.
Sleep
Emeryville actually features many of the most modern hotels in the Berkeley/Emeryville/Oakland region. Thus, you may choose to stay in Emeryville while actually spending your days in the other (more interesting) cities.
- Courtyard by Marriott, Shellmound past Christie. Highly recommended. Directly across the street from Bay Street shopping/eating and rooms facing the bay get a great view. Modern and clean facilities.
- Four Points by Sheraton, Christie and Powell. Great location, decent hotel. Has a "business center".
- Holiday Inn "Bay Bridge" -- West of I80, close to the bay.
Stay safe
Emeryville is next to a poor and crime-ridden area of Oakland and Berkeley. Yet the recently re-developed areas can be considered relatively safe. The large stores, the Public Market, and the Amtrak station are all safe areas. Large streets except San Pablo Ave. south of Powell are also safe. Treat Emeryville with the same safety attitudes you would treat a large city like San Francisco.
External links
- Official city website (http://www.ci.emeryville.ca.us)
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