Every city has its own list of places to go and things to see that show up
repeatedly in tourism websites, travel books, and promotional literature. In
Toronto, that list includes the CN Tower and Ashbridge's Bay Park. In Oakland,
the list is topped by the famous Jack London Square. Jack London Square isn't
just a tourist destination; it's also a popular hotspot for locals looking
for a night out and other Bay Area residents getting out of their particular
town for a day. If you're planning on visiting Oakland or the Bay Area
or if you're going to be moving there, Jack London Square is somewhere
you're going to want to be familiar with.
Getting There
Jack London Square is located in the heart of Oakland right on the waterfront
where Broadway meets Embarcardero. You can, of course, drive there (this is
California, after all) as there's parking along the streets and in covered
garages. However, it's much easier to get there by taking public transit
or a ferry.
Where the Square Got its Name
Jack London Square is a district on the Oakland waterfront named after famous
wilderness author Jack London (who wrote The Call of the Wild, among other things)
because it is the home of a re-creation of the cabin Jack London inhabited when
he lived in the Klondike. If you're thinking that the Klondike is as Canadian
as a condominium downtown Toronto you'd be both right and wrong. The
gold rush associated with the Klondike occurred in both the Yukon and Alaska.
The reason Oakland feels it has a connection to Jack London and his Klondike
works is that Oakland was London’s childhood home.
What's in Jack London Square
In addition to the re-creation of Jack London's cabin, Jack London square
also features numerous stores, restaurants and hotels as well as an Amtrak station,
a ferry terminal, a historic saloon, a movie theater, and the former presidential
yacht the USS Potomac. The area surrounding it, known as the Jack London District
used to be filled with warehouses and factories turning out metal pipes and
drop through valves but it has since been gentrified. Now it has a lot of
new construction and renovations, including turning old industrial infrastructure
into lofts. The former mayor of Oakland even lived there at one point.
Things to Do
You won't find many dealerships announcing that you can win a car if
you sign up for their protection packages, instead, the square is heavily weighted
toward upscale shops and restaurants that would appeal to tourists. You can
have a snack in an open-air café, browse the food stalls at the farmers'
market, take a tour of FDR's yacht, which is known as the floating
white house or visit the floating lighthouse national historic site.
You can pick up a piece of local artwork at the artisan marketplace, have a
drink at the First and Last Chance Saloon, which has been open since 1883, or
listen to some jazz at a sushi restaurant. The possibilities are endless.
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